Microsoft’s Code Jumper is helping blind children learn to code, one pod at a time

Microsoft researcher and computer scientist Cecily Morrison started exploring options for her blind son to learn coding, which is where the drive for Code Jumper first began. Morrison was shocked to discover the limitations on code learning technology for visually impaired children. Microsoft’s Code Jumper is a physical programming language developed to make the computing curriculum accessible to visually impaired children aged seven to eleven years. Cecily Morrison said in an interview, “Our hope is that we inspire all blind and low vision children to code regardless of where they are.”

The Solution

This project consists of a series of pods, which children can touch and manipulate, creating a physical programming environment. Each pod serves as one line of code in a program. Children can put the pods together in different sequences to create different lines of code in the program. This project creates a learning environment that will work for any student who is a tactile learner. Programming is an ideal potential job opportunity for visually impaired people. Visually impaired people makeup for approximately one percent of the global programming community.