Thirty-seven blind students (in grades 2, 3, and 4) were involved in a study to evaluate the tactile ruler familiarization unit (three vacuum-formed plastic sheets illustrating English, Metric, and English-Metric measurement units). (SBH)

Introduces new technologies that provide instant translation of print materials in three general categories: optical to tactile conversion of print, optical to braille conversion, and optical to speech. Talking books, voice indexing, new braille technologies, print to braille, and optical print enlargement are highlighted. A list of sources is…

Point and linear symbols that represent certain areas of building interiors are discussed in light of their reliability and discriminability if used on tactual maps. A set of "optimally sized" symbols were evaluated with 21 blind observers. (Author/DB)

Describes an exploratory investigation of blind children's concepts of number, substance, length, area, weight, and volume conservation. Six children totally without sight or with only light perception were pretested, taught, and posttested twice using tasks specifically adapted for tactual presentation of materials. The children showed increased…

New technological developments allow even the most severely visually handicapped person to read print, sense images, and operate calculators and meters. One of these new developments is the Optacon, which converts printed images to vibrations sensed by finger touch, and may be used to read print, handwriting, and calculator displays. Another…

Presented is a report on the 5-year project to develop the Optacon, an electronic device which allows the blind individual to read ordinary printed matter directly and independently. Chapter (1) provides and introduction and overview of the Optacon Project. Summarized in Chapter (2) is a chronological account of the Optacon Project which traces…

Seventy-two blind braille students in grades 4 through 12 were given map reading tasks on tactile pseudomaps which either contained texture (noisy map) or didn't (noise-free map). (DB)

Discusses teaching methods and instructional aids developed to integrate blind students into a private class for elementary-school-aged piano students. Instructional aids incorporate auditory and tactile stimuli to teach music notation skills. Commercial games, like Bingo, were modified with Braille symbols to teach rhythm concepts. (AM)

An approach to the transcription of visual art into tactile form is described, with regard to the effects of relief, texture, and picture context. The impact of such pictures on the blind user's understanding of spatial relationships, distance, and perspective and as a stimulus for creative artwork is discussed. (Author/DB)

An experimental lesson plan on sewing machine tension was developed for blind and sighted students in an attempt to teach this concept more effectively. Tactile/verbal aids were used in the experimental lesson to increase the potential for student comprehension. The experimental lesson produced better results for both groups of students even…

Describes a quantitative chemistry experiment, conductometric titration, which was adapted for a blind student. Indicates other areas which can be adapted for similar experiments. (TS)

Eleven basic types of visually displayed information that can be, and should be, rendered accessible to the visually impaired user are discussed. Speech, braille, and tactile technology are addressed as well as the innovative technique of "haptic-tactic" display combining a raised dynamic image of the screen's page with speech. (Author/DB)