Tactile Graphics in Braille Textbooks : Practical Guidelines for Making Tactile Drawings

of Bulletin of The National Institute of Special Education Vol.32 79 Abstract of Bulletin of The National Institute of Special Education Vol.32of Bulletin of The National Institute of Special Education Vol.32 Tactile graphics in braille textbooks: Practical guidelines for making tactile drawings KANEKO Takishi, OOUCHI Susumu Department of Policy & Planning Abstract: Braille textbooks include not only Braille text but also tactile drawings. These text and drawings are edited and made based on original ordinary textbooks. Among these ones, tactile drawings are not understood tactually unless they are made with various ideas. In Japanese Braille textbooks, tactile drawings made by Braille dots has majority. So we aimed to investigate practical guidelines for making tactile drawings by dots in Braille textbooks. We mentioned these five points as follows, giving examples with tactile drawings based on pictures and charts in ordinary textbooks. 1) Textbooks have pictures and charts that are not necessarily important from a viewpoint of its content. We have to appropriately choose pictures and charts in textbooks to be made tactile drawings. Occasionally, we should substitute suitable text for pictures and charts. 2) In tactile drawings by Braille dots, lines, surfaces as well as dots are made by dots. So tactile graphics by Braille dots has some restrictions due to making tactile drawings by dots alone. 3) Tactile perceptions have some characteristics that are different form visual perception. We need to make tactile drawings, following some criterions on the distance between two components, number of components in some unit area and so on. 4) Textbooks include various pictures and charts. So we need appropriate guidelines according to these ones. But, before we do so, it is effective that we classify various pictures and charts from two viewpoints; whether exact form of these ones is important and which information has priority in these ones. 5) Detailed explanatory notes in Braille should be added to tactile drawings. This promotes understanding of tactile drawings.