Tactile Media Repositories

A collection of repositories providing tactile graphics, models, and related resources.

• APH Tactile Graphic Image Library
• Btactile Graphic Metalibrary
• ImageShare
• RNIB Accessibility Metadata Project
• Tactile Astronomy
• TactileModels.com
• 3D Druck Augenbit
• 3DPrintNIH
• See3D
• SketchFabVirtualCreationLab

Tactile Media Design Guidelines

Design standards and best practices for developing tactile graphics and illustrations.

Picture / Illustrations

• APH Guide to Designing Tactile Illustrations for Children’s Books
• Typhlo & Tactus – International Tactile Illustrated Books

Graphics

• BANA Guidelines and Standards for Tactile Graphics, 2010
• Guidelines for Mathematical Diagrams (with supplement and addenda)
• Guidelines for Design of Tactile Graphics, APH
• Tactile Graphics Guidebook, by John Barth
• Tangible Graphics: Teacher’s Guide (1982)
• The Tactile Graphics Website
• RNIB Making Tactile Graphs and Diagrams
• Tactile Graphics, by Polly Edman (AFB Press)
• Tactile Graphics Guidebook, by J.L. Barth (1988)

Signage

• Brailliant Touch Accessible Signage

3D Design

• Creating Interfaces, Creating Experiences
• 3D Decision Tree

Tools for Tactile Media Production

Resources for designing and producing tactile media.

Raised Line Graphics Design

• Vital Software – The Vital Markup Tool
• Perkins Learning – Creating Accessible Digital Images

3D Modeling

• Ballyland Ballicopter in 3D
• Ballylanders in 3D
• Braille Bricks Generator (Use a 3D printer to create Braille-compatible bricks)
• Thingiverse (Large open-source repository for 3D models)

Additional Research & Exploration

• Tactile Annotation & Haptic Object Recognition

  • Sile’s Paper on Tactile Annotation
  • Klatzky & Lederman’s Work on Haptic Object Recognition
  • Active touch research by Gibson—worth exploring further!

• Open-Source Braille Embosser

  • Planning to replicate this open-source braille embosser this summer.
  • Related workshops on “mental representations” of the machine (French documentation).

• Research Leads & Collaborators

  • Stacy Hsueh (shsueh@cs.washington.edu)
    • Postdoc with Jen Mankoff at UW, working on biodegradable materials and tactile graphics.
    • Expected to be at UW for one more year.

• Current Research Focus

  • Conducting an in-depth review of tactile graphics production technologies and tactile displays for nonvisual accessibility.
  • If you have relevant resources or recommendations, please share them!