Paper-based multimedia interaction and disabled children: from experience to learning-for-all

The work reported in this paper is part of larger research, exploring tangible technology to support cognitive, motor and emotional development of severely disabled children in the school context. We designed novel technology enhanced experiences that are both low cost and easily customisable, combine visual communication paradigms with multimedia tangible interaction and promote a wide spectrum of learning benefits. Paper-based elements (PCS cards, drawings, pictures) are associated with multimedia resources (videos, sounds, animations) via RFID technology to create playful interactive spaces customised to the specific learning needs of each disabled child. Paper-based elements work as visual representations for the concepts to be learnt, as communication devices, and as physical affordances for interacting with multimedia resources. The paper presents the approach and its evaluation in a real school context. It highlights the benefits for disabled children as well as for their non-disabled classmates, and pinpoints how the project became a means for real inclusive education.