Can you help us make block-based coding more accessible for young people - Micro:bit Educational Foundation

[Paul Robinson]

Hello everyone,

We (the team at Micro:bit Educational foundation) are running a survey inviting young people (aged 8–16) and educators, parents, and carers to share their experience using the Microsoft MakeCode editor. I have included the full detail below.

I'd be grateful if you could share this with your networks. We are hoping to engage people in the USA, Canada, Australia, Europe, South America and Japan but welcome input from everyone.

Thanks for your help,

Paul

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Hi,

My name is Paul, and I work at Micro:bit Educational Foundation. We are collaborating on a project with Google and Microsoft to improve the accessibility of block-based coding.

We’re inviting young people (aged 8–16) and educators, parents, and carers to share their experience using the Microsoft MakeCode editor, which is used to code the micro:bit. Your valuable input will help us better understand the barriers and frustrations that exist, and help develop potential solutions.

You don’t need any experience of MakeCode and the survey takes just 10 minutes.

We want to hear from:

• Young learners (8–16 years old) with disabilities that affect how they use a computer
• Educators, parents, or carers of students with these accessibility needs

We are especially interested in learning about experiences from:

• Learners with visual impairments who may use screen readers, magnifiers, or other adaptations
• Learners with dexterity impairments who find using a mouse or trackpad challenging—this includes those who use: 
  • Switches
  • Eye gaze
  • Voice control
  • Keyboard-only navigation

Are you or someone you know be able to help us by completing our survey?

Start the survey

Technology is essential to our lives and we believe it should be accessible to everyone. Your insights will make a meaningful difference in improving accessibility for all learners.

Thank you for your time and support,
Paul

[Paul Robinson]

Hi Everyone,

A quick update on our survey...

• The survey closes on the 20th June, so we have just over 2 weeks left!
• We have removed the upper age limit of 16 to give older (young people) the opportunity to take part
• We are getting responses but it is a slow process and we would love to get more responses

If you can help share this opportunity again in I would be very grateful.

Thanks you for your help and support,

Paul @ Micro:bit