Written February 23, 1998

Blind children need to rely on their other remaining senses to learn and survive in this world. Many of these children are also deaf, so the sense of touch becomes one of the most important senses. As a result, the Braille language was created so that blind people can communicate with the world by reading and writing. This leads to the idea of tactile graphics. These tools create a means for the students to "see" maps, graphs, diagrams and other items that otherwise would be lost to them. By creating a thermoform with raised surfaces and different textures accompanied by Braille descriptions, a three dimensional image can be imprinted in the students' minds. Our objective is to create a three dimensional topographical map of the state of Maryland through the use of Pro/Engineer and stereolithography.

One of the most important parts of this project is to place the Braille on the map and its accompanying key. Braille is very strict in its form because it is necessary to have the dots large enough to be able to distinguish, but not too large that it takes up too much space and makes it difficult to feel. There is a specific pattern to the Braille system. Cells of six dots are raised to form words and numbers. This allows for sixty-four possible combinations of dots. From these sixty-four combinations, twenty-six are used for the alphabet and the others are reserved for punctuation, words, prefixes, suffixes and contractions. Some dot formations are used for several words, so the person must choose the one that works best in the context of the sentence. There are several codes that use the same cell formations such as codes for reading, writing, mathematics, science, languages, shorthand and music. To write in Braille, the dots must be dome-shaped, 0.016 inches high, and have 0.090 inches between cells. The cells must use 0.250 inches of horizontal space and have 0.400 inches between lines. Due to the complexity of this language, a computer program has been developed called Mega Dots. For our project we will use this computer program to translate standard English into grammatically correct Braille. It is critical to use the correct dot combinations or the tactile graphic will be useless to the students. Also, Braille must always be written horizontally. This makes the use of abbreviations and textures critical for small areas of the maps and for vertical rivers.

The key to creating a useful tactile graphic is to keep the design simple and to use several different textures so the student can distinguish between items on the graphic that are different. In our project that means we must use different textures and heights for the land and water. In addition, the graphic should be small enough that the entire map can fit beneath both hands. This is critical because a blind person can get the overall picture without getting lost in a huge graphic, then focus on individual sections. This makes the learning process easier and eliminates some of the "guess work".

The Maryland School for the Blind requested that we create a new learning aid for their students. They felt that they currently lack the ability to teach their students the geographical features of the state of Maryland. Maryland has been labeled "America in Miniature" for its geographical makeup of rivers, bays, mountains, plains and rolling hills. The teachers felt that it was important for their students to be able to comprehend this varied state. We will make a simple basic map with the topography that we can make simple alterations to create several learning tools out of one. For instance, we can make a map of Maryland with the topography, then make one with the county lines and capitals and one with rivers. By making this into two maps rather than one, we keep the graphic from being cluttered which is considered one of the worst mistakes in creating tactile graphics.

The methodology to create a tactile graphic is quite clear. Once the decision is made as to what graphic we want to make, research must be done. For this project we must find a good topographic map of Maryland must be found that shows the size of the state. From there, equations must be derived to describe the rolling topography of Maryland. Then, a preliminary Pro/Engineer drawing must be made. According to Betsy Burnham at the Maryland School for the Blind, the students cannot distinguish the thin, small lines that could be used to describe the shorelines and small rivers that are dominant along the Chesapeake Bay, so these areas can be approximated as solid lines. Next, appropriate textures must be chosen to distinguish between the land and water. After this, we must decide how much Braille should be put on the graphic to describe the map. We plan to use abbreviations extensively so the map will not be cluttered. The full descriptions will be placed on a key that will accompany the tactile graphic. Two critical parts must be on the graphic: a title that describes what the student will be reading and a compass rose to help the students determine the relationships between the north, south, east and west directions on the map. Additionally, a dotted line is added horizontally across the top of the tactile graphic to help the student know which way to hold the thermoform. Once these are added, the design is ready to be prototyped. From this prototype, molds are made. These molds can be duplicated, and given to the students to use in the classroom. The final step is to create a key to explain the different symbols, abbreviations and textures on the tactile graphic.

In past semesters that this project has been done, there has not been any time allowed for feedback from the students. We feel that this is critical in making this project a success so that changes can be made in the following semesters if problems are found. This is the only way the students will ever get useful learning tools. There is such a lack of funding for learning tools for the blind that we should make sure that the few that are available are helpful. This goal of receiving feedback forces us to make a strict timeline in order to get a quality product made in a short amount of time. A tentative timeline is included in the back of this proposal. We hope to have this project completed by the beginning of May to allow the students and faculty two weeks to use the tools and give their opinions. To do this, we must start researching our project immediately. We will allow one week to find a good topographical map to use as a basis for our map. Then, we will spend one month creating a solid design on Pro/Engineer. During the month of April we will use Mega Dots to use the correct Braille cells, then add this Braille to the design. The rest of the month will be spent making the prototype, molds and the key. Following this strict timeline will allow for prompt delivery of the molds to the Maryland School for the Blind.

After visiting the Maryland School for the Blind, we realized how few funds the school has available to them. Because there are so many varying degrees of handicaps at the school, some students who may be able to read at an elementary level are not able to due to the fact that they can't supply enough Braille material for both the upper and lower levels of ability. With the growing number of "drug babies", more children are being born with multiple disabilities, including blindness. This will only increase the need for learning tools such as the tactile graphics we are designing. While learning the intricacies of the Pro/Engineer program and the stereolithography process, we are also helping children learn who otherwise might not have the opportunity to "see" our world.

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