Did You Know...?
Look at any classroom textbook today, and you'll notice that a great deal of information is conveyed graphically, from diagrams to flowcharts to pictures. In any given textbook or test, as much as 50% of the information may be conveyed pictorially. This presents an enormous challenge forboth braille transcribers and those who need to access the information tactually.
For blind readers, some illustrations are best described with words, but others must be "touched" to be understood. Redesigning images to be tactile requires specialized training and equipment; only the essential details are depicted in raised-line drawings, and each are crafted individually.
When we published Noreen Grice's book, Touch the Stars, blind children and adults were able to grasp the essence of planetary movement or a swirling dust storm on Jupiter. As one school-age youngster remarked, "Cool! So that's what the sun looks like when it's a total solar eclipse."
Only a tiny fraction of storybooks includes tactile drawings. Imagine reading Pooh without capturing his rotund belly or broad-face smile? We at National Braille Press are dedicated to creating thoughtful and high-quality tactile illustrations in storybooks, textbooks, and tests. Help support our efforts - click here to make a donation to National Braille Press.
Image above: A tactile representation of Maurice Sendak's
Where the Wild Things Are, created by artist Ann Cunningham.
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