Beyond Swipe and Tap: Cultivating Mobile Accessibility Awareness and Knowledge in Computing Disciplines

People with disabilities face challenges when interacting with inaccessible mobile devices and applications. Educating next-generation software designers about mobile accessibility is important to ensure software accessibility. In this paper, we designed games to teach mobile accessibility, particularly concerning blindness, low vision, and physical impairment, based on formative interviews with blind people and people with dexterity impairments. We then tested the games with 45 undergraduate students in two US institutions to explore possible approaches to teaching mobile accessibility. Our results confirmed the lack of mobile accessibility education in the current computing curriculum, leading to students’ limited awareness regarding mobile accessibility. Positive changes in the students in terms of accessibility awareness, attitudes, and knowledge were observed after playing the games. The students appraised our game-based approach as insightful, experiential, and engaging, potentially bridging the gap in teaching mobile accessibility. Our research sheds light on extending accessibility education in computing disciplines to mobile contexts.