Touch Panel

A flat, pressure-sensitive input surface that detects the position of a finger or stylus when it makes contact. Unlike touchscreens, which combine display and input on the same surface, a touch panel is a separate input device placed over or alongside a display. In accessibility, touch panels have been used to enable blind users to explore spatial content such as diagrams, maps, and graphics by touching different positions and receiving auditory or haptic feedback about what is at that location. This audio-tactile exploration approach allows users to build a mental map of spatial information that would otherwise be inaccessible without vision.