Creating Tactile GraphicsBy: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com Revised May 27, 2024 The ability to read tactual graphics and charts is essential as part of a braille student’s literacy program. Explicit instruction in the reading and interpretation of tactile graphics is critical for students who are tactile learners. The student cannot fully participate in the core curriculum when presented with lessons or assessments involving charts and tables if the student is not able to read and interpret tactile graphics. Here are several methods commonly used to produce tactile graphics:
CollageTactile graphics can be created through collage using a variety of materials such as braille paper, cardboard, textured paper, string, wire, foam shapes, fabric, and more. These materials are arranged and adhered to a base surface to represent the elements of the graphic, such as lines, shapes, and labels. To create lines, you could use string, wire, candlewick, thread, or puff paint. To create point symbols, use materials such as cork, felt, circle from hole punch, glue-ons, stick ons, or foam shapes. Labels can be created using commercially available clear labels or laminating sheets.
TooledA tooled tactile graphic can be created using materials such as paper, aluminum diagramming sheets, or overhead projector sheets. Tools such as an embossing wheel, embossing tools from APH kits, stencil tools, etc. are used to mark papers and aluminum sheets. Some methods require the producer to traces on the back of the paper to reverse the image while other methods allow the producer to create raised lines using specialty paper. A combination of tooling and collage provides a graphic that is tactually different and easy to read.
Microcapsule Paper and Heat (Swell Graphics)Microcapsule paper is a special paper onto which thermally-foamed microcapsules have been uniformly coated. These microcapsules of wheat-flour-like form will instantly expand to hundreds of times as much as the original volume upon absorbing the energy of light or heat. Any material in black and white such as a line drawing, map, graph, illustration, photograph, and chart can be made three-dimensional when printed on specialized paper and fed through a specialized machine such as the Picture in a Flash or Swell form graphics machine.
ThermoformThermoforming involves heating a plastic sheet to a pliable temperature and then forming it into a specific shape using a mold. This process creates durable and detailed tactile graphics that can accurately represent complex images and diagrams. Equipment and supplies for thermoforming are available from specialized manufacturers such as American Thermoform Corporation.
Each of these methods has its advantages and considerations, and the choice of method may depend on factors such as the complexity of the graphic, available materials and equipment, and the desired level of detail and durability. By using these techniques, you can create tactile graphics that enhance the accessibility of visual information for students with visual impairments.
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