PeiCode

PeiCode: Learning Coding Made Accessible

Inspiration

In many cases, deaf/ hoh schools and programs face funding challenges, which limits opportunities for students to explore and learn coding languages. Sadly, this exacerbates the issue of language deprivation and widens the gap in collegiate preparedness compared to their hearing peers. Approximately, 1,200 deaf/ hoh students are enrolled in NTID/ RIT, with females compromising 56%. Despite GCCIS having the largest number of cross-registered students there is a severe disparity, particularly in deaf/ hoh female representation. Our shared interests and experiences brought us together during freshman year. We are passionate about turning our ideas into reality, so we utilized Figma and PhotoShop to create a prototype. Our platform is designed to be freely accessible to everyone regardless of hearing ability. It provides an opportunity to establish foundational skills early, ensuring equal access and confidence in future learning endeavors! The name PeiCode is inspired by ASL slang called “pei-pei”. It means too good at, talented, expert, etc. Combining- pei and code signifies how consistent practice makes one pei pei at coding!

What it does

This prototype offers a glimpse into our envisioned platform, allowing you to explore its features. Our platform is designed for an accessible educational experience focused on coding languages, primarily focusing on high school-aged D/deaf and Hard of Hearing (HoH) youths. Drawing inspiration from well-known educational tools like IXL and Duolingo, our platform incorporates unique accessibility features that are not seen elsewhere. These include ASL videos similar to picture-in-picture (PiP) style, captions, a user-friendly design optimized for low vision, and compatibility with screen readers. Additionally, we wish to harness the power of AI to personalize learning experiences by recognizing individual learning patterns.

How we built it

We mainly used Figma and Photoshop.

Challenges we ran into

Of course with time being a huge constraint, we did our best in designing and building the prototype. If we had additional time, we would have included more details, pages, and examples, and come up with a better team/ project name.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud that we’re continuously seeking ways to improve the everyday needs of the deaf/hoh community. Also, just as importantly we gave our best, worked together seamlessly, and participating in the WIC Hackathon for the first time.

What we learned

It’s impressive how we each bring our unique majors and backgrounds to the table and collaborate effectively. We realized how important it is to communicate consistently, and it has played a huge role in this project.

What's next for PeiCode

We want to continue to advocate and raise awareness for the deaf/ hoh communities, and after working on this we are inspired to turn this project into a reality.