# Every Student Deserves to Code: How ProGame Tactile Plus Is Making AI Education Accessible in India Every student deserves a seat at the future of technology — yet for millions of visually impaired and differently-abled children across India, AI and coding education remains out of reach. The conversation around AI skilling for underprivileged students is growing louder, but tools that truly serve these learners are still rare. ProGame Tactile Plus by Next Skills 360 is changing that, one accessible block at a time.

Why AI Skilling for Underprivileged Students Cannot Wait

India's National Education Policy 2020 places inclusive education at the heart of its reform agenda, mandating equitable access to digital and future-ready skills for every learner. Yet on the ground, a stark gap persists. When we talk about AI skilling for underprivileged students, we need to expand the definition well beyond economic marginalisation — students with visual impairments and other disabilities are among the most underserved learners in India's coding education landscape. State-level Samagra Shiksha Inclusion Cells are mandated to bridge this gap, but genuinely accessible tools remain critically scarce. Most coding curricula are designed for sighted learners, leaving special schools and inclusive mainstream classrooms without viable pathways to AI and computational thinking education. Next Skills 360 EdTech Private Limited has already impacted 500+ students with disabilities through its inclusive skilling programmes since 2020 — a meaningful start, and a clear signal of what becomes possible when EdTech is designed with accessibility at its core rather than tacked on as an afterthought.

The Specific Barriers Visually Impaired Students Face in Coding Education

For educators at special schools and inclusive mainstream institutions, the barriers to inclusive coding for visually impaired students are well understood — and deeply frustrating. They tend to fall into three consistent categories. First, visual-first interfaces. The vast majority of block programming platforms — including many widely deployed in Indian schools — are built around drag-and-drop interactions that are entirely inaccessible to screen-reader users. A student who cannot see the canvas simply cannot participate. Second, poor screen-reader compatibility. Even platforms that claim accessibility often fail the practical test. Block elements are unlabelled, navigation is inconsistent, and the keyboard-only experience is broken or incomplete. Tools built for NVDA or JAWS as a genuine priority, rather than a compliance checkbox, are exceptionally rare in the K-12 EdTech market. Third, teacher unpreparedness. Most educators in special schools and inclusive classrooms have received little or no training in assistive technology for coding education. Without teacher confidence, even the best tool goes unused. Addressing this barrier requires solutions that are genuinely intuitive for educators, not just technically accessible for students.

What Makes ProGame Tactile Plus Different

ProGame Tactile Plus is a browser-based, block-based programming environment built specifically for students with visual impairments, designed for Classes 5 and above. Unlike most coding platforms where accessibility is retrofitted, Tactile Plus is architected from the ground up for assistive technology navigation — meaning screen readers like NVDA and JAWS work as intended, without workarounds. Being browser-based carries real practical advantages for schools. There is no app installation, no device-specific compatibility issue, and no procurement bottleneck — any computer with a browser and a screen reader can run it. For special schools operating with limited IT infrastructure, that simplicity matters enormously. Tactile Plus is also distinct from its sibling product, ProGame Tactile — an audio-first Android app that introduces coding to visually impaired learners. Together, they represent a deliberate learning progression: Tactile as an accessible entry point, and Tactile Plus as a richer, browser-based block programming environment for students ready to go deeper. This is assistive technology for coding education done thoughtfully — not a single tool, but a connected pathway.

How Schools and State Departments Can Deploy Inclusive AI Skilling at Scale

For Samagra Shiksha Inclusion Cells and state education departments, scalability and procurement simplicity are non-negotiable. Next Skills 360 understands this reality well. Since its founding in Hyderabad in 2020, NS360 has been deployed across 1,200+ schools in 12+ Indian states, with a trained educator network of 10,000+ teachers and trainers — demonstrating that its programmes are built for systemic adoption, not pilot-only environments. As a browser-based solution, ProGame Tactile Plus aligns naturally with Samagra Shiksha inclusion mandates and can slot into existing school IT infrastructure without new hardware procurement. State departments evaluating inclusive digital skilling programmes can deploy it at scale without the bottlenecks that typically slow EdTech adoption down. NS360's credibility with institutional and government buyers is further strengthened by significant national and international recognition — including selection as an MIT Solver, receipt of the AI for Humanity Prize by the McGovern Foundation, and the ElevatED Award by Dell Technologies India and MeitY. These are not ceremonial honours; they reflect a programme that has been rigorously evaluated and validated by global and national bodies alike.

Real Impact: What Inclusive Coding Skilling Looks Like in Practice

Picture a Class 7 student with visual impairment in a special school in Telangana. Using ProGame Tactile Plus on a school computer with NVDA enabled, she navigates the block programming environment entirely through keyboard commands. She sequences logic blocks, builds simple programmes, and receives audio feedback at each step — never once requiring visual confirmation to understand what her code is doing. This is not an accommodation. This is genuine participation in computational thinking education — the same foundational skill being taught to sighted peers across India's mainstream schools. By Class 8, she can progress to ProGame Tactile Pro, NS360's Python programming pathway for visually impaired learners, moving from block-based logic to career-ready coding skills. This progression sits within a broader NS360 impact story: 240,000+ students impacted across India since 2020, spanning diverse geographies, school types, and learner profiles. Inclusive skilling is not a separate track — it is part of the same mission of making every Indian child future-ready.

Building a Truly Inclusive AI Skilling Ecosystem in Indian Schools

Inclusive AI skilling is not an act of charity — it is equity-driven future readiness. Every IT and CS department head in an inclusive mainstream school, and every administrator within a state inclusion cell, has both the mandate and the opportunity to close the accessibility gap in their coding curriculum today. The first step is an honest audit: Are your current coding tools screen-reader compatible? Can a visually impaired student in your school participate fully in the same coding lesson as their sighted peers? If the answer is no — or uncertain — ProGame Tactile Plus offers a ready-to-deploy solution that requires no special infrastructure and no expert technical staff to implement. Next Skills 360's inclusive skilling suite — from ProGame Tactile (audio-first Android app) to ProGame Tactile Plus (browser-based block programming) to ProGame Tactile Pro (Python for career readiness) — provides a complete learning pathway from Class 5 to career, designed specifically for visually impaired learners in Indian schools and vocational centres. The infrastructure exists. The recognition is established. The pathway is clear. What remains is the decision to deploy it.

Ready to make AI skilling genuinely inclusive in your school or district? Explore ProGame Tactile Plus by Next Skills 360 and request a free demo at nextskills360.in — because every student deserves to code.

Ready to make AI skilling genuinely inclusive in your school or district? Explore ProGame Tactile Plus by Next Skills 360 and request a free demo at nextskills360.in — because every student deserves to code.