Growing an Accessible and Inclusive Systems Design Course with PlantUML

Unified Modelling Language (UML) diagrams are commonly used in Systems Analysis and Design (SAaD) courses to communicate complex ideas, designs, and processes. While tools exist to accommodate blind and visually impaired users to work with UML diagrams, many tools fall short in terms of enabling these users to independently create and edit diagrams. This, in turn, limits the extent to which blind users can work in team and peer-feedback activities that use visual diagrams. Adapting visual design activities to be accessible and inclusive benefits not only blind users but sighted users, as well. Being inclusive can lead to more diverse perspectives and ideas, which is invaluable to the creative process of iterative design. In this experience report we describe how a SAaD course was adapted, using off-the-shelf tools, to be not only accessible to a student who uses a screen reader but also inclusive, enabling all students to equally participate in team and peer-feedback activities. We report the successes and challenges of this experience from the perspective of the instructor, the blind student, and their sighted teammates.