A study on using game teaching aids to train preschool visually impaired children's orientation and mobility

Abstract

Orientation and mobility (O&M) skills are essential for the overall development of visually impaired children. This study aimed to improve these skills and enhance quality of life through engaging, game-based teaching methods. Two seven-year-old children with total blindness participated in O&M game training, which used three tactile game maps to assess before and after training abilities. Findings indicate that game-based approaches effectively promote spatial representation by strengthening mental mapping and temporal understanding, improving tactile classification through texture cues, and enhancing auditory–spatial associations between sound and shape. Additionally, memory-focused activities supported more accurate spatial localisation of objects. These results underscore the multifaceted benefits of incorporating gamified strategies into O&M education, offering valuable insights for designing inclusive, personalised learning tools for visually impaired children.