In these trials we are sampling the tactile, spatial and linguistic experiences and abilities of BLV youngsters in the hopes of predicting what skill with tactile graphics might reasonably be expected from each of them.īy the end of this week (April 25th six of our participants, ranging in age from 3rd that the primary outcome of this study will be revision of our assessment techniques statistically valid conclusions about the predictors of tactile graphics skill will have to wait. We’re doing home-made evaluations of a dozen BLV children and youth in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts with the cooperation of numerous teachers and parents. We’re trying to get a sense of the major influences on kids’ ability to explore and understand tactile graphics, and their skill in making original raised-line drawings. Mike Coleman from the UVM Engineering Faculty Susan Edelman from Education Gayle Yarnall, access technology consultant and advocate in Massachusetts and I do have a small pilot project underway, funded by the UVM REACH Program. (Partly, that’s because the 24-7 task of building our start-up and developing our products has made it difficult to find the time for research – a painful truth for a life-long academic.) So there I’ve implicitly apologized for any inaccurate observations or naive interpretations presented below. I’m not a perceptual psychologist and I haven’t done controlled studies of the drawing capabilities of people with limited or absent vision. Despite this exposure, I can’t claim to be a scholar of this topic.
#Intact sketchpad professional#
LLC have probably taken note of the tactile graphics skills and attitudes of close to two hundred BLV people, and half again as many sighted individuals with personal and professional ties to the BLV world.
#Intact sketchpad full#
Read the full article in the July/August 2015 issue of Dwell here.A young girl making tactile graphics on a red intact sketchpadįirst a disclaimer. Architects still need to be better multisensory placemakers to design and create effective environments for the blind and visually impaired-which, in turn, will make those spaces more effective and enjoyable for all." "There needs to be enough multisensory information, in the form of environmental landmarks and cues, that can be related spatially back to the directional information provided through that wayfinding technology. "The acoustic modeling technology developed and used by Arup’s acoustic engineers in their SoundLab is important for the blind and visually impaired, who listen to space to recognize where they are and what they’re looking for."Ĥ. But architects shouldn’t rely solely on technology when it comes to designing for the blind, as multisensory information is equally as important. Sound, as important as touch, can be refined and applied to design, using acoustic modeling technology, to provide context and direction to the blind. The graphic information can then be uploaded to the computer through a USB connection."ģ. "With embossing printers and techniques for tactile drawing, architectural drawings can be accessed through touch. I’m now collaborating with the developers of the inTACT Sketchpad, which enables someone to draw on a tablet and feel the raised line that forms as the stylus passes over the surface. Integrating the sense of touch into digital sketchpads could revolutionize how blind architects carry out their work.
#Intact sketchpad Bluetooth#
"The most promising interior wayfinding , in my opinion, is beacon technology, which uses low-energy Bluetooth to send location information and notifications to a smartphone. The device is about the size of a watch face, has a four-year power supply, and has no infrastructure to be integrated into the architecture."Ģ. The addition of specialized capabilities to commonplace technology can transform a simple device into a multi-tool for a blind person.
Instead of developing new technologies at a high cost, embrace existing tools and capitalize on their potential.
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