Playball!
Tiflo Baseball is a simple and accessible interactive educational home run derby video game designed to help blind students practice basic math skills. The game promotes a Multimodal learning based on the strengths of the blind students, integrating sounds and auditory feedback, Braile display support with aWindows screen reader, plus keyboard navigation. Also, the game integrates graphics and animations to promote an inclusive education.
Blind Students and Math
It is important for blind students to learn basic mathematics skills as part of their elementary school. Mastering these skills will serve as a foundation for more advanced mathematics classes. Unfortunately, since mathematics is a class with high visual content, on many occasions, high expectations are not held with early elementary blind students in the teaching process of basic math skills, presenting them as something difficult to learn.
Tiflo Baseball is designed to promote a fun and non-intimidating way for blind students to practice basic math skills. Since learning mathematics requires concrete strategies that blind students can touch and understand, the video game incorporates various alternative tools to support the learning and practice of mathematics. We recommend using a Braille display to play the game.
To read the math exercises in UEB Math, first select a screen reader (NVDA or JAWS) from the game’s main menu, and make sure the screen reader on your PC is configured to Unified English Braille Grade 1 as the output Braille table.
We also encourage the use of any of the following alternatives to complement the video game while at the review screen, since the game will be paused at that point:
- Use the Cranmer Abacus to solve the math exercises while at the review screen.
- Write the exercises on paper (using Nemeth or UEB Math) with a Perkins Brailler or a slate and stylus while at the review screen.
- Use Lego Braille numbers to work through the exercises while at the review screen.
Screen reader and Braille display support
Although Tiflo Baseball is a self voicing game, is compatible with Windows screen reader programs to provide Braille display support. For practice UEB math, it is important to first select a screen reader (NVDA or JAWS) from the game’s main menu, and make sure the screen reader on your PC is configured to Unified English Braille Grade 1 as the output Braille table, so the Braille display can be presented correctly (Both output and input). Also, we recommend using the screen reader in silence mode while the game is playing to avoid hearing sometimes the screen reader and the game play by play voices simultaneously.
Game instructions
Tiflo Baseball features a home run derby competition that consist of up to 10 turns at bat. The game will ask for a basic math exercise of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division or all (randomly).
If NVDA or JAWS was selected in the game main menu, a review screen will be presented. While on the review screen, since the game is stopped, the blind student can review the exercise using the screen reader and the Braille display. We also recommend that the student use tools such as the abacus, slate and stylus, or Perkins Brailler to write the exercises on paper, as a complement to the video game.
When the student finishes reviewing the math exercise, they must then press the Enter key and the game will continue.
The pitcher will then throw the ball and when the ball reach home plate, the game will stop and the answer screen is presented. if the blind student answers the question correctly, they will hit a home run. If the anser is not correct, then it will be an out.
The player will have up to 10 turns at bat to complete the home run derby competition. If the player has three outs before the 10 at-bats are up, then the game will end. At the end of the game, a detailed report with the results will be generated in the user default web browser.
Game menus
When Tiflo Baseball starts, the main menu screen will appear with various options that we can select. They are:
Start game
Selecting this option will first take you to the category menu, where you can select between the addition, subtraction, multiply, divide, or all alternatives. Then it will take you to the game level menu where you can choose between units and tens. Then, the game will start.
Language
You can select between English and Spanish language. That means that all of the menus and play by play narration of the game will be in the selected language. If using a Braille display, make sure the screen reader is configure to the correct Braille language output table.
Answer mode
Multiple choice
The blind student must use the arrow keys to navigate and press enter to select the answer from a list of possible answers. Also, the answer screen will show as the first line the exercise, so the blind student can review it. If the blind student wants to end the game from the answer screen, just can move to exit and press enter. It is important that blind students can be exposed to multiple choice alternatives. Familiarization with this type of testing using assistive technology, prepares the blind student for future standardized exams, where this format is common.
Write answer
An edit box will appear where the blind student must type the answer and press enter. If the student wants to listen to the mathematical exercise again, they only have to press the enter key with the edit box blank.
Screen Reader
You can select either NVDA or JAWS as the screen reader for better compatibility, especially when playing the game with a Braille display. When a screen reader is selected in the game’s main menu, the review screen will be activated during gameplay. On this screen, the game will pause, allowing the blind student to review the exercise in more detail and complement the activity by using the Cranmer Abacus, writing the exercise on paper in Nemeth or UEB Math, or working with Lego Braille numbers.
So, the None option is for when the game will be used only with its self-voice feature, without a screen reader. When None is selected, the review screen will not appear in the game.
Exit
Exit the game.
Download
Download Tiflo Baseball for Windows (Version 2.0)
Program compatibility
Tiflo Baseball is compatible with the following Windows versions:
11/10/8/7 and with both 32 and 64 bit architectures.
Also, Tiflo Baseball does not require installation, since it is a self-executing program, ideal to have it on a portable USB flash drive, and use it on any Windows computer.
Credits
Tiflo Baseball was developed by Dr. José Manolo Alvarez, blind programmer professor at the University of Puerto Rico.