Tactile Graphics ResearchJosh Scotland

Terminology

• Braille: Language read tactually with characters containing 6 dots

• Tactile Graphics: Images in a tactile form that are used by low vision students

• Accessibility: Amount to which a product is available to the population

Braille Alphabet

Tactile Graphics

Translation Process

1. Scan the image2. TGA text extraction3. Optical character

recognition4. Braille Translation5. Adobe Illustrator6. Embossing

Tiger Embosser

The TGA

Translation Process

Pros / Cons

• Cons• Lower quality

• Pros• Quick• Customizable• Transportable• Much cheaper!

Summer ‘09 ResearchAudio Augmentation of Tactile

Images for Greater Accessibility

Issue #1

• Braille character sizes• Limitation of information• 12 vs. 29 pt fonts

Size of Braille

Size of Braille

Issue #2

• “There are approximately 57,696 legally blind children in the U.S. Out of those school-age children, only 10 percent use Braille as their primary reading medium.”1

1 American Printing House for the Blind (2008), "Facts and Figures on Americans with Vision Loss", American Foundation for the Blind, http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=15&DocumentID=4398, 2009-04-16

Solution: Audio

• Having audio in conjunction with tactile graphics increases accessibility by solving these two issues:– Limitation of information: Less clutter, more info– Braille illiteracy: Accessible to the 90% that can’t

read Braille

Digital Pen Technology

• Use digital pens to play audio with tactile graphics

• Digital paper has thousands of small dots

• Pen has infrared camera that takes snapshots

Goal

Acknowledgments

• Richard Ladner, Mentor, CSE• Dan Comden, Adaptive Technology Lab• Jeffery Bigham, University of Rochester, CSE• Chandrika Jayant, Ph. D., CSE• Sangyun Hahn, Ph. D., CSE• Washington NASA Space Grant• National Federation of the Blind