Tactile Graphics Instruction

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
​Updated June 9, 2019

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 following activities can be used to instruct students in learning how to read tactile graphics.

For younger students and those with cognitive delays, it is essential to begin by providing concrete materials and opportunities for interaction with real materials in order to develop a conceptual understanding of their world. For future braille readers, it is important to provide early and frequent exposure to braille. Suggestions on promoting literacy can be found in the Literacy Adaptations section of this site. Once the student has an understanding of the real material, it is important to then move toward models, 2D symbols and raised line drawings. These are referred to as tactual graphics. 

It is important to understand that tactile presentations are not automatically meaningful to a student who is blind. The student will need to be taught how to read tactual graphics. Preparation and foundations for reading tactual graphics should be included in the process of learning braille. The ability to read graphics, diagrams, graphs, and maps will be required for academic success.  Understanding of basic concepts is critical to reading tactual graphics. Some of these include: far, near, next to, beside, above, below, overlapping, crossing, intersecting, perpendicular, and parallel. It is also essential to have basic tactual perceptual skills: tracking, discrimination among similar symbols, and comparison.

The student must also be aware that diagrams can have different views including cross-section, aerial, frontal view, perspective and distance, and imaginary lines used in 3-D drawings. The student must also be taught to systematically scan the graphic. The student should be encouraged to use a consistent pattern for exploring and to select a reference point within the graphic to determine when the entire graphic has been explored.

Activities to Develop Skills in Reading Tactual Graphics

​Encourage the student to recognize and interpret graphic information (2D object, solid embossed shapes, outlines of objects, raised lines, symbols/letters).

• Name an Item. ​When presented with a tactile graphic of a unit related item, the student will name the item.
• Match. Present the student with a group of tactile graphics to explore. Next, provide the student with a single tactile graphic and encourage them to scan the other graphics to locate a match.
• Mazes. Create a tactile graphics maze. Prompt the student to start at the beginning and follow the paths to locate the end.
• Sequence. Create rows of sequenced shapes in patterns. Encourage the student to identify what comes next in the sequence.
• Tactile Coloring Page. Present the student with a tactile drawing and encourage the student to color within the tactile graphic.
• Dot to Dot. Create a dot to dot activity with numbers or letters and encourage the student to connect the dots in order.
• Follow the Path. Create a tactile graphics follow the path activity. Challenge the student to follow each path and determine on which tactile graphic or word the student would arrive on. Have the student follow other paths to determine where they would arrive.
• Spot the Difference. Present the student with two similar tactile graphics. Challenge the student to spot the differences between the two graphics.
• Object Hunt. Create a tactual graphic that includes a variety of unit related objects throughout. Encourage the student to search to locate all the items.
• ​​Tactile Puzzles. Create a tactile picture of a theme related picture. Cut the picture into several pieces (vary the complexity to make it challenging yet allows for success). Encourage the student to assemble the puzzle.

Ready Made Tactile Graphics Instruction Resources...

 SQUID Tactile Activities Magazine This activities magazines, available through APH, introduce a recreational approach to tactile literacy. SQUID Magazine is deceptively fun: while your child or student enjoys a variety of activities, he or she will acquire skills needed to become a more proficient tactile reader. These puzzles, games, and brainteasers will foster: Texture discrimination, Systematic searching, Shape identification, Tracking line paths, Pattern building and recognition, and Understanding symbols

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Scattered Crowns: Tactile Attribute Game
This tactual matching game, available from APH, encourages students to search for crowns with specific attributes: band texture, number of jewels, and number of points as they practice texture/shape/size discrimination, tactile memory, systematic searching skills, and spatial concepts.

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TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC: An Activities Based Curriculum for Teaching Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired
The TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC is a digital pdf available for download. It is designed specifically for fellow itinerant Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI’s), and consists of over 400 activities and topic areas of discussion for instructing students in the Expanded Core Curriculum. The activities are age-neutral and multi-sensory and therefore can meet the needs of the broad range of students served on an itinerant caseload serving. The activities can be individualized to the students various learning modalities and scaffold in order to challenge students but ensure success. Select those activities that align with the student’s learning objects based on the student’s unique visual needs and academic and developmental level. In addition to the core activity areas, each of the 32 Thematic Units incorporates additional unique ECC concepts and skills providing you with a years’ worth of activities. These units are cyclical and can be used repeatedly to help students build on prior knowledge and develop a deeper understanding of concepts. Each unit includes suggestions for activity adaptation associated with the unit. These include lists of objects, possible community-based experiences, environmental print, poems, children & young reader books, children's songs, pop culture songs, movies, and websites.


In addition to the book, the following two supplements are included:
·      TVI’s Guide to the ECC Concept Checklist
·      TVI’s Guide to the ECC Activities Checklist


For complete product details and additional images, visit the TVI's Guide product page.


TVI's Guide to the ECC Product details
·      Digital pdf download: 346 pages (11 pt font)
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheets: TVI's Guide to the ECC Grab and Go Supplements
The Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheets is a Grab and Go supplement to the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC. This workbook is a pdf download that can be printed on demand for use with students. It contains five different types of worksheets for developing visual motor skills and near magnifier fluency skills particularly with the use of a video magnifier. As a companion to the TVI’s Guide to the ECC, the worksheets correspond to each of the 32 ECC Thematic units. The worksheets, along with a list of environmental print for each thematic unit, are designed to help students refine their visual motor skills while reinforcing ECC concepts presented in the thematic units.  


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Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheet Details:
·      Digital pdf download: 210 pages
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency and Maintenance Worksheets: A TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC Grab & go Supplement
The Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency and Maintenance Grab and Go ECC worksheet packet is a print on demand workbook that contains worksheets in print and simulated braille to use for data collection. Present the student with a hard braille copy and use the worksheets to document accuracy and fluency in reading braille. As a companion to the TVI’s Guide to the ECC, the worksheets correspond to the ECC Thematic activities presented in the curriculum guide. These word lists and sentences will help the student refine their keyboarding or braille reading skills while bridging ECC concepts presented in the thematic units. Although the lists and passages can be produced using a manual braillewriter, you may also copy and paste the passages into any braille translation software for quick production on an embosser. They may also be entered into a typing program such as APH’s Talking Typer to build keyboarding fluency.


For complete product details and additional images, visit the Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency & Maintenance Product Page


Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency Worksheet Details:
·      Digital pdf download: 338-page print and simulated braille worksheets
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists: Grab & Go ECC Supplement
The Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists Grab and Go ECC supplement is a 446 page pdf downloadable print on demand workbook that includes 2940 vocabulary card on 3 1/2" x 2" templates divided by each of the 32 Thematic Units along with a checklist of each unit words in print and simulated braille. As a companion to the TVI's Guide to the ECC, the vocabulary cards correspond to the ECC Thematic activities presented in the curriculum guide. 


Additional Use:
Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments can have a extremely varied caseloads. It is possible to go several years without having a student on your caseload who requires braille instruction. Like other skills, if you do not practice your braille regularly, it is easy to lose those skills. Use these checklists and cards to maintain your braille skills. Fold the checklist along the line dividing the print from the braille. Choose to either read the print and produce the word in braille using a braillewriter or read the simulated braille and decode it. Finally, these vocabulary cards and checklists may be used with family members or peers who are interested in learning and practicing the braille code.


For complete product details and additional images, visit the Thematic Vocabulary Cards & Checklists Product Page


Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists Details:
·      Digital pdf download: 446-page print on demand resource
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


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Lotto Cards
The LOTTO Cards Grab and Go Supplement includes 37 theme related unit cards along with activity suggestions that support activities within the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC.


On My Way File Folder Cards
Print and use these cards to represent locations the student may visit that are related to the current thematic unit. Use these with the On My Way File Folder Game outlined in the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC p. 27.

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