Blind and visually impaired (BVI) computer science students face systematic barriers when learning data structures: current accessibility approaches typically translate diagrams into alternative text, focusing on visual appearance rather than preserving the underlying structure essential for conceptual understanding. More accessible alternatives often do not scale in complexity, cost to produce, or both. Motivated by a recent shift to tools for creating visual diagrams from code, we propose a solution that automatically creates accessible representations from structural information about diagrams. Based on a Wizard-of-Oz study, we derive design requirements for an automated system, Arboretum, that compiles text-based diagram specifications into three synchronized nonvisual formats$\unicode{x2013}$tabular, navigable, and tactile. Our evaluation with BVI users highlights the strength of tactile graphics for complex tasks such as binary search; the benefits of offering multiple, complementary nonvisual representations; and limitations of existing digital navigation patterns for structural reasoning. This work reframes access to data structures by preserving their structural properties. The solution is a practical system to advance accessible CS education.

翻译：盲人及视障计算机科学学生在学习数据结构时面临系统性障碍：当前的无障碍方案通常将图表转换为替代文本，侧重于视觉呈现而非保留概念理解所必需的基础结构。更具可及性的替代方案往往在复杂度、制作成本或两者兼有的情况下难以扩展。受近期从代码创建可视化图表工具的转变启发，我们提出一种解决方案，能够基于图表的结构信息自动生成无障碍表征。通过一项Wizard-of-Oz研究，我们推导出自动化系统Arboretum的设计需求，该系统将基于文本的图表规范编译为三种同步的非视觉格式——表格化、可导航与触觉图形。我们与盲人用户的评估表明：触觉图形在复杂任务（如二分查找）中具有显著优势；提供多重互补的非视觉表征具有明显效益；现有数字导航模式在结构推理方面存在局限。本研究通过保留数据结构特性，重构了数据结构的访问方式。该解决方案作为实用系统，将推动无障碍计算机科学教育的发展。