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Creating Tactile Graphics

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
​Revised October 28, 2017

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. The following is a list of methods used to produce tactile graphics.

Collage

​A collage tactile graphic can be created using a variety of craft materials that can be found in craft stores or recyclables. Possible materials for creating the area include braille paper, cardboard, dried handi wipes, textured paper, fine sandpaper, needlepoint backing or fabric. 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.

Tooled

​A 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 three-dimentionalized when printed on specialized paper and fed through a specialized machine such as the Picture in a Flash or Swell form graphics machine.

Thermoform

​Thermoforming is a the process where a plastic sheet is heated to a pliable forming temperature, formed to a specific shape in a mold. Equipment and supplies are available through American Thermoform Corporation.

More Information on Tactile Graphics...

Tactile Graphics Guidelines
​Tactile Graphics Instruction

Accommodations for Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired Recorded Presentation

$25.00

Ensuring the student has access to the curriculum and entire educational environment is a key role of the Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments. This presentation provides an overview of accommodations for students who are blind or visually impaired. I discuss considerations for providing accommodations, go over common accommodations, strategies for preparing the student for job accommodations and strategies for communicating needs to teams and employers.


Objectives:


  • Considerations for providing accommodations
  • Common accommodations
  • Preparing student for job accommodations
  • Communicating needs to teams and employers


Includes:


  • Recorded Video Presentation
  • Transcript
  • Presentation handout for note taking


Request a Certificate of Completion

To receive a certificate of completion for 1 contact hour, complete the short survey on Google Forms. If you have any accessibility issues with the form, please don't hesitate to let me know and we can make other arrangements.  ​


System Requirements:

Presentations are recorded PowerPoint presentations in a MP4 video file. You must be able to access PowerPoint to view the PowerPoint presentation. Please note that the Webinar pages are closed member pages available to individuals who have purchase access to the presentation. 
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