The Lab Rubric specifies that the programming language is text based, and that languages that are insensitive to capitalization errors and indentation are comparatively more accessible than other languages.
The table below presents information on whether selected programming languages are accessible to blind students. The selected languages represent the most commonly taught languages for the CAS, CIS and CS departments.
Note that, in some cases, the programming language itself might be text based and (in theory) accessible, however there my be no accessible development environment. For example, CeeBot is a text-based language similar to the C programming language, but can only be written and run within the CeeBot development environment, which is inaccessible and cannot produce accessible output. In such cases, we list the level of programming language accessibility as "partial," but would list the development environment as inaccessible due to keyboard shortcut requirements or screen-reader compatibility requirements. Generally, a blind student will not be able to complete those labs without substantial help from an Assistive Aid or the Instructor.
| Language | Accessible? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ActionScript | Partially | ActionScript is a scripting language inside of Adobe Flash. The scripting language is accessible, but the rest of Flash may not be, and there may be no way to generate accessible output. |
| bash Script | Yes | |
| C# | Yes | The language is entirely text-based and accessible, however some tools like the Visual Studio Forms Designer may not be accessible (see Keyboard Shortcuts). |
| C/C++ | Yes | |
| CeeBot | Partially | The language itself is text based, but there is no accessible development environment, and no way to generate accessible output. |
| CSS | Yes | |
| GML | Partially | GML is a scripting language inside of GameMaker. The scripting language is accessible, but the rest of GameMaker uses drag-and-drap programming, and is inaccessible (see Keyboard Shortcuts). |
| HTML/XHTML | Yes | |
| Java | Yes | |
| Javascript | Yes | |
| LabVIEW | No | LabVIEW uses drag-and-drop programming, and cannot be programmed without using the mouse and the screen. |
| PHP | Yes | |
| Python | Yes | Note that while the language is text-based and accessible, it also relies on proper indentation, which may require the use of a refreshable Braille display for maximum ease of use. |
| QBasic | Yes | |
| Scratch | No | Scratch uses drag-and-drop programming, and cannot be programmed without using the mouse and screen. |
| SQL (Transact-SQL, PL/SQL) | Yes | |
| UnityScript | Partially | UnityScript is a scripting language inside of Unity. The scripting language is accessible, but the rest of Unity uses a complex GUI, and is inaccessible (see Keyboard Shortcuts). |
| VBA | Yes | The language is entirely text-based and accessible, however some tools like the Forms Designer in the Visual Basic Developer's Window may not be accessible (see Keyboard Shortcuts). |
| Visual Basic.NET | Yes | The language is entirely text-based and accessible, however some tools like the Visual Studio Forms Designer may not be accessible (see Keyboard Shortcuts). |