The Next Generation of Tactile Diagrams Available to All
Reading 15th June 13:15-14:00
George Rhodes
George is an experience digital accessibility specialist, having worked in a wide variety of industries including, central and local government, NHS, law enforcement and with a wide variety of private businesses.
For several years George’s focus has been on the delivery of accessible and inclusive services for all citizens. Known for his extensive knowledge on UK accessibility legislation, he is the author of the original accessibility statement monitoring in Europe and his work on both statements and disproportionate burden misuse has been discussed by the European Commission as an exemplar for delivering accessibility for public services.
He currently runs an accessibility consultancy firm, hold the Digital Accessibility Lead position at the University of Westminster, and is working on his PhD.
George’s doctoral research is focussed on tactile alternative formats and how new technology offers new opportunities to advance the options available to support uses.
The Next Generation of Tactile Diagrams Available to All
The production of tactile aids such as diagrams or maps has become increasingly rare in the UK and is prohibitively expensive, requiring costly specialist equipment, long lead times and specialist training. Despite this, the need for tactile aids is still present for many blind and partially sighted people.
Blind students still need alternatives to diagrams as part of their study, users of public transport or visitors to travel or tourist destinations may want to navigate or familiarise themselves with an area, and tactile maps can serve to help blind constituents engage in local planning activities to name but a few use cases.
3D printing technology has advanced significantly over the last decade and now offers incredible levels of details. The new method for tactile diagram creation utilises the latest advancements in 3D printing to allow anyone with basic drawing programs (such as paint or photoshop) to easily create complex 3D tactile diagrams in a matter of minutes rather than hours.
The aim of this project is to produce a robust methodology to help anyone, especially smaller teams or individuals who support blind or partially sighted users be able to start producing high quality tactile aids quickly, at low cost, and with little to no training, while still producing end products which function as truly useful objects for end users.
Through the research we have already produced a host of tactile aids for real users, refining the method to ensure usability. A pilot study was conducted testing the ease of recognition for 3D tactile shapes in order better understand how blind and partially sighted users intrinsically categorise tactile shapes and how these expectations are shaped by societal norms or contextual expectations. The outcomes of the study helped to reinforce the reasoning behind representation strategies and improve guidance using the new method to get the best possible shapes as part of the design.
Some examples created using the new method are currently in use by blind students studying at the University College of Osteopathy in London, being trialled in a new pilot with the University of Westminster as options for inclusively designed campus maps, and improving the accessibility of local cultural landmarks including Canterbury Cathedral.
This talk will cover the background to the research, including the underpinning literature and academic discussions around tactile representation through the lens of semiotic theory. On those building blocks comes a deeper understanding of how we all interpret information and how through the tactile experience, cognitive maps are created which help blind and partially sighted people interpret diagrams or build an understanding of new physical spaces. Finally, we will take a look at how the new methodology works, the level and complexity of what can be created, including in-person examples for display and how attendees can get involved to start utilising 3D printing in their own tactile aids creation.
More information including image examples: https://www.allable.co.uk/research/tactile-maps-and-diagrams