As a student with low vision that primarily accesses information visually, I would often spend several hours outside of my information technology and data science classes re-reading notes or browsing accessible coding resources with large print so that I could make sure I was understanding concepts correctly. Even though my professors were wonderful about providing accommodations like sharing copies of notes and slides or making sure that screenshots of code didn’t look blurry, I often would struggle with figuring out where to put symbols or frequently confuse words with similar spellings. To help fill in these gaps, I would turn to online resources for learning how to code.
There are many resources for teaching students with visual impairments how to code, but a lot of these accessible coding resources did not cover the programming languages I was using in my classes. Alternatively, I would find resources for nonvisual access, like accessible coding for screen reader users or coding with a braille display, which weren’t particularly relevant for me since I often used low-visual access strategies like large print, screen magnification, and other display customizations. At the same time, I would also encounter “mainstream” resources for learning to code that I had trouble reading or became distorted when displayed with large print, so these weren’t relevant for me either.
For students with low vision that are looking for accessible coding resources that support large print, screen magnification, or other display customizations, here is a list of free websites for learning to code and learning programming concepts that I have used as a student with low vision while taking programming classes at a public university. While some of these resources existed when I was getting my bachelor’s degree in data science, I have updated this post with other resources I have discovered when learning other programming languages in graduate school or for my own projects.
Reference syntax and concepts: HTML cheatsheets and text-based guides
In many of my programming courses, the professor would provide students with a “cheat sheet” that included a list of frequently used syntax, functions, and other essential information that would help students become experts in using Java, Python, R, or whatever language we were learning in the course. While I am sure these cheat sheets helped many students become experts, they were not helpful for students with low vision, as these sheets were often visually complex with multi-column layouts and a ton of small print, to the point it was impossible for me to zoom in and enlarge the text. I was nervous to use OCR due to the large amount of symbols included within the cheat sheet, which made it harder to verify if the text was accurate.
Something that helped tremendously was finding cheat sheets in responsive layouts like HTML or Word documents, which I could read with large print in a single-column layout. Some organizations like Posit now offer HTML cheat sheets, and I have also used cheat sheets from websites like DataCamp or resources shared by other universities. When searching for resources from other universities, I would use a query like “site:edu filetype:html Fortran tutorials” to find text-based tutorials or guides for the Fortran programming language.
For exams, I would receive a copy of the cheat sheet as a Word document with headings so I could navigate between sections or use search tools. I could also use a HTML cheat sheet, but Word is often less visually cluttered and is easier for my professor (or for me) to create or modify.
Related links
- How To Create An Accessible Formula Sheet
- R Cheat Sheets | Learn, Build, & Practice R Programming | DataCamp
- Cheatsheets – Posit
Short text-based lessons: Exercism
When I start learning a new programming language, I find it helpful to view short text-based lessons with code snippets that I can copy and paste into another application. One of my friends recommended Exercism, which also offers free exercises and interactive examples for users that create an account. When I was exploring Clojure for a different project, I used the Exercism learning track to learn foundational concepts, which also linked to other tutorials and docs that helped me gain a deeper understanding of the language. I also appreciated that I could zoom in to read text without all of the content spilling to the edges at 200% zoom.
Related links
- Exercism website
- Ten Questions To Ask When Buying Digital Textbooks
- How I Manage Dysgraphia In Online Classes
Tutorials with quizzes: freeCodeCamp
freeCodeCamp offers several free text-based resources as well as structured self-paced programs for learning to code and developing programming-related skills. While not explicitly designed for blind or low vision users, freeCodeCamp has a responsive layout that can be enlarged with browser zoom or with other screen magnification tools without information spilling to the edges, and the quizzes/check-in questions also support keyboard access. I started using freeCodeCamp after the previous application I was using to learn programming concepts stopped supporting large print quizzes, so I was glad to find this website!
Related links
- freeCodeCamp website
- Tips For Teaching R Programming To A Low Vision Student
- How I Receive Accessible Quizzes and Tests in the Classroom
Reading explanations from others: Online textbooks and supplemental resources
Many of my programming courses used textbooks that offered a supplemental course website or other supplemental materials at no additional cost. These online resources would often include additional examples, in-depth explanations, or code snippets that were easier to access with large print compared to the graphics in the book. Alternatively, my professors would recommend free online textbooks for programming available as PDFs and/or HTML documents that students could find on their own.
I prefer to read textbooks in responsive layouts like HTML because it is easier to adjust the font size, but it can be overwhelming to figure out what book(s) to use. Some strategies I have used for finding online textbooks for learning programming include:
- Reading syllabi from other professors teaching similar courses
- Searching for open access textbooks
- Using “site:edu” when searching for textbooks or text-based resources for a programming language. For example, I could use the query “site:edu Java textbook” without quotations
Below, I have linked a few textbooks and resources I have used either myself or with other students with low vision as a supplement when learning different programming languages. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but many of these books are also largely accessible for screen reader users as well.
Related links
- Think Python
- Free Programming Books from eBook Foundation| free-programming-books
- Python for Computational Science and Engineering — Introduction to Python for Computational Science and Engineering
- Big Book of R online resources
- Golang book
- Javanotes 9
Following along with recordings: Video transcripts
I have a brain condition that can be triggered by strobe lights, flashing lights, and rapid animations, so I largely avoid watching videos unless someone I know already screened them in advance. After getting disoriented from watching a Java tutorial that had rapidly flashing lights, I started searching for videos that included transcripts. Transcripts convert spoken words and sounds into text-based versions that can be read visually or accessed with a screen reader or braille display. Many transcripts will also include descriptions of relevant visual content.
For students who enjoy watching videos but also benefit from captions or text-based resources, many free resources like Khan Academy offer transcripts for their videos along with time stamps. There are also AI-powered video transcription tools like Gemini and Copilot that can summarize videos, but I don’t use these because they typically don’t include code snippets or break down tutorials into individual steps.
Related links
- Purposes of Media Descriptions for Visual Impairment
- How To Check Videos For Flashing Lights
- Recording Video Lectures For Visually Impaired Students
Technical and text-based: Docs for programming languages
Even though they are not always designed with beginner learners in mind, reading the docs for a programming language or other official documentation is incredibly helpful for learning about a specific language or IDE as they often contain the most up-to-date information; I have linked official Python documentation below as an example. Many tutorials and textbooks will link to docs that provide more detailed explanations of how a specific function or syntax works, or how to implement it in practice. Docs and official documentation are typically text-based, and programmers of all experience levels and career stages spend time reading docs to help with coding effectively. Software documentation will also often include a list of keyboard shortcuts, which can be helpful for decreasing visual demands without having to use a screen reader.
Related links
- SQLiteStudio Accessibility and Low Vision
- Python 3.14.2 Documentation
- How I Document Accessibility Preferences With Low Vision
More accessible coding resources for large print access
- This post primarily focuses on learning programming language syntaxes and how to code, but not necessarily how to write code. Although many IDEs support large print and high contrast modes, I share more about the process of coding with low vision in Accessible Python IDEs For Low Vision
- Since every student is different, it’s impossible for me to say what programming language is the easiest to learn for people with low vision, or what the best programming language for beginners is. With that in mind, I had a much more positive experience learning Python and R compared to Java, which is a more text-heavy language. This was a major reason why I switched to the data science major, which I write more about in Ten Questions To Ask When Changing Your Major
- California School for the Blind offers free introductory coding resources online, which are designed for blind and low vision students who are interested in learning to code. Lesson plans are shared as PDFs and can be viewed at Computer Science Curriculum – Assistive Technology (CA School for the Blind)
Published December 4, 2018. Updated December 2025