Tactile Maps For Blind

Blind people can read them by touch and interpret the tactile material.

Tactile maps for blind.

But the maps must be aligned. Tactile maps are physical representations of geographic data. Braille maps have been difficult to come by being rare if not non existent. Easy to use tools are available for the design and production of tactile pictures diagrams and maps.

One of the biggest challenges faced by blind travelers is obtaining a concept of their surroundings. Tactile maps are a great aid for people who are blind or partially sighted helping them to orient themselves and to plan routes. These days much map innovation for the blind is focused on inventing and enhancing navigational aids making smartphone savvy tactile subway maps or personalized 3 d printed building and. Hand held tactile and large print maps are portable booklet style maps that give blind and partially sighted people access to information which improves spacial awareness enabling them to engage with an environment more independently.

Braille and tactile maps the lighthouse designs and produces tactile maps of parkland theme parks transit systems street maps and floor plans. Tactile maps automated production lighthouse for the blind and visually impaired. Go to tmap to make your own tactile maps or to request a user account email. Tactileview creates pictures for people who can not see.

You can either print the map yourself at no charge using an embosser a swell paper printer or a 3d printer or you can order an affordable 3d print a basic map for 35 euros about usd40. This site allows users to create customized maps of virtually any location on earth by just searching for an address. Thus tactile maps may improve spatial representation in the totally blind and this from school age. These pictures are transformed for them into tactile graphics.

Creating tactile maps for the blind using a gis american congress on surveying and mapping jerry clark and deanna durr clark describe the use of a gis geographic information system and coordinate digitizer to create customized tactile maps on micro encapsulated paper. Maps for transit using maps is a major part of using public transit. Using touch mapper you can easily create custom outdoor maps for any address of your choice. Joshua miele a scientist at the smith kettlewell eye research institute in san francisco partnered with.

Tactile maps are particularly helpful in providing blind or visually impaired individuals with an understanding of the layout of physical spaces.