Glossary

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3D Printed Tactile Model(also: 3D tactile model, Tactile 3D model, 3D-printed accessibility model)

A physical, three-dimensional object produced by additive manufacturing (for example fused deposition modelling or stereolithography) that is designed to be explored by touch rather than sight. 3D printed tactile models are used in accessibility contexts to convey information…

Candlewick Knot(also: Candlewick Stitch)

An embroidery stitch that creates raised, textured bumps or knots on the fabric surface. Candlewick knots produce one of the roughest and most tactilely distinctive textures available in machine embroidery, making them particularly valuable for tactile graphics where strong…

Cross Stitch

An embroidery technique that creates X-shaped stitches, typically arranged in a grid pattern. Cross stitch produces a distinctive tactile texture with a repetitive, regular pattern that is relatively easy to distinguish from smoother stitch types. In tactile graphic design,…

Embossed Graphics(also: Embossed Tactile Graphics, Raised Graphics)

Tactile graphics produced by a braille embosser or similar device that creates raised dots and lines on heavy paper or card stock. Embossed graphics are one of the most common methods for producing tactile representations of visual information for blind and visually impaired…

Embossing(also: Braille Embossing, Tactile Embossing)

The process of creating raised patterns on paper or other materials by pressing from behind, producing content that can be read by touch. In accessibility, embossing is the primary method for producing Braille text and tactile graphics. Braille embossers are specialized printers…

Embroidered Braille

Braille text produced using machine embroidery rather than traditional embossing methods. Embroidered braille uses raised stitch patterns (typically candlewick knots) to create the dots of braille cells on fabric. While embroidered braille offers the advantage of integration…

Haptic Graphics(also: Dynamic Tactile Graphics, Refreshable Haptic Graphics)

Graphical information presented through the sense of touch, typically on refreshable displays or touchscreen devices. Unlike static tactile graphics (embossed paper or thermoform), haptic graphics can change dynamically and often combine tactile feedback with audio cues. Modern…

Machine Embroidery(also: Computerized Embroidery, Automated Embroidery)

A textile production method using computer-controlled embroidery machines to stitch patterns onto fabric based on digital design files. Machine embroidery can produce a wide variety of stitch types, textures, and densities, making it a promising medium for creating tactile…

Microcapsule Paper(also: Swell Paper, Capsule Paper, Swell Touch Paper)

A specialized paper used to create raised tactile graphics, containing heat-sensitive microcapsules of alcohol embedded in its surface. When black carbon-based ink is printed on the paper and then passed through a heat fuser, the microcapsules beneath the dark areas expand and…

Pin-Matrix Display(also: Tactile Pin Display, Pin Array Display, Two-Dimensional Braille Display)

A refreshable tactile display technology that uses a grid of individually controllable pins to create two-dimensional tactile images, as opposed to single-line refreshable Braille displays that show only one row of characters. Pin-matrix displays like the BrailleDis 7200 can…

QR code accessibility(also: QR code labels, Machine-readable labels)

The use of Quick Response (QR) codes as an alternative to Braille or printed text for encoding information in tactile graphics, product labels, or physical environments that can be read by smartphone cameras. QR codes can encode 45% more text than Braille in the same physical…

Raised-Line Drawing(also: Raised-Line Picture, Tactile Line Drawing, Embossed Line Drawing)

A raised-line drawing is a tactile representation of a visual image created by producing elevated lines on a surface that can be felt by touch, enabling blind and visually impaired people to perceive graphical information through their fingertips. Raised-line drawings can be…

Running Stitch(also: Back Stitch, Stem Stitch)

A basic embroidery stitch that creates a dashed or continuous line by passing the needle in and out of the fabric at regular intervals. Running stitch and its variants (back stitch, stem stitch) are fundamental line-making stitches used in embroidery. In tactile graphics,…

Satin Stitch

An embroidery stitch type that creates a smooth, flat fill by laying long or short parallel stitches closely together. Satin stitch produces a relatively smooth tactile surface and is commonly used to fill regions in both decorative and functional embroidery. In tactile…

Small Multiples

A series of similar graphics or charts arranged in a grid or sequence, each showing a different frame, condition, or time point, used to illustrate change or comparison. In tactile graphics, small multiples are the traditional method of representing movement or temporal change —…

Stitch Type(also: Stitch Pattern, Embroidery Stitch)

A specific method of forming stitches in embroidery, each producing a distinct visual and tactile result. Common stitch types include running stitch (simple dashed line), satin stitch (smooth parallel fills), cross stitch (X-shaped repeated motifs), and candlewick knots (raised…

Swell Form(also: Capsule Paper, Microcapsule Paper, Swell Touch Paper)

A tactile graphics production method using special heat-sensitive paper coated with microcapsules. When black ink is printed on the paper and passed through a heating machine, the dark areas absorb heat and swell, creating raised tactile surfaces. Swell Form is commonly used in…

Swell Paper(also: Capsule Paper, Microcapsule Paper, PIAF Paper)

A special paper coated with heat-sensitive microcapsules that swell when exposed to heat, creating raised tactile surfaces from printed black areas. When passed through a heating device (such as a PIAF — Pictures In A Flash — machine), dark-printed lines and shapes become raised…

Tactile Animation(also: Animated Tactile Graphics, Tactile Motion Graphics)

A sequence of tactile images displayed over time on a refreshable tactile display to convey motion, change, or dynamic processes through touch. Unlike static tactile graphics, tactile animations allow blind and low-vision users to perceive movement, temporal progression, and…

Tactile Contrast

The degree of perceptible difference between adjacent or co-occurring tactile elements, analogous to visual contrast in graphic design. In tactile graphics, sufficient contrast between neighboring regions is essential for readers to identify boundaries and distinguish different…

Tactile Graphics Assistant(also: TGA)

A software tool developed at the University of Washington that automates parts of the tactile graphics translation process to help specialists more efficiently convert printed images into tactile form for blind users. The TGA pipeline includes image classification (identifying…

Tactile Icon(also: Tactile Symbol, 3D Icon, Raised Icon)

A small raised or three-dimensional symbol placed on a tactile map or diagram that represents a real-world object, location, or concept through touch. Tactile icons can be abstract (geometric shapes requiring a legend) or representational (physically resembling the object they…

Tactile Image(also: Tactile Graphic, Tactile Picture, Touch Image)

A tactile image is a raised or textured representation of a visual image designed to be perceived through touch rather than sight. Tactile images can be produced through various methods including embossing, swell paper (microcapsule paper), Braille printers, thermoforming, and…

Tactile Image Exploration(also: Tactile Graphics Exploration, Haptic Image Exploration)

Tactile image exploration is the process by which blind or visually impaired users perceive and interpret graphical content through touch, typically by moving their fingers across raised-line drawings, embossed diagrams, or haptic displays. Unlike visual perception, which allows…

Tactile Legibility(also: Tactile Readability)

The ease with which tactile information—including tactile graphics, braille, and raised-line diagrams—can be accurately perceived and understood through touch. Tactile legibility depends on factors including the distinctiveness of textures used, appropriate spacing between…

Tactile Map(also: Raised Map, Touch Map)

A map designed to be read by touch, using raised lines, textures, braille labels, and other tactile elements to represent geographic or spatial information for blind and visually impaired users. Tactile maps can represent indoor spaces (floor plans), outdoor areas (campus maps,…

Tactile Maps(also: Tactile cartography, Raised-line maps)

Maps produced in physical, raised-relief form — typically on swell paper, vacuum-formed plastic, embossed paper, or 3D-printed substrate — so that blind and low-vision users can read geographic information by touch. Tactile maps use a constrained vocabulary of lines, textures,…

Tactile Semiotics

The study and theory of how meaning is communicated through touch, drawing on broader semiotic principles that every media channel has rules or encodings for conveying meaning. Tactile semiotics examines how physical properties of tactile objects—such as roughness, height,…

Tactile Texture(also: Haptic Texture)

The surface quality of a material or graphic element as perceived through touch, characterized by properties such as roughness, smoothness, density, height, pattern regularity, and directionality. In tactile graphics, different textures are used to represent different regions or…

Tactile graphic production(also: Tactile image creation, Accessible graphic transcription)

The process of converting visual images — such as textbook diagrams, charts, maps, and illustrations — into raised tactile representations that can be explored by touch. Production methods include swell paper (microcapsule paper heated to raise printed lines), embossing,…

Tactile relief(also: 2.5D relief, Tactile relief model)

A physical representation that preserves depth information and surface textures from a two-dimensional image, creating a raised surface that can be explored by touch. Unlike flat raised-line drawings or tactile diagrams, tactile reliefs convey spatial relationships, depth…

Tangram Workstation(also: Tangram)

A LibreOffice extension for creating tactile graphics collaboratively. Tangram enables sighted users to design graphics while providing real-time tactile feedback to blind reviewers through a connected pin-matrix display. The tool includes a palette of validated tactile fill…

Texture Differentiation(also: Tactile Discrimination)

The ability to perceive and distinguish between different textures through touch. In the context of tactile graphics, texture differentiation is the fundamental perceptual capacity that allows readers to identify different regions and understand the information encoded in a…

Thermoforming(also: Vacuum Forming, Thermoform)

A manufacturing process used to create tactile graphics by heating a plastic sheet and pressing it over a mould to form a raised surface. In accessibility contexts, thermoforming is one of several methods for producing tactile maps and diagrams for people who are blind or have…

Tiger Embosser(also: ViewPlus Tiger, Tiger Braille Printer)

A brand of Braille embosser manufactured by ViewPlus Technologies that produces both Braille text and tactile graphics by pressing raised dots onto thick paper. Unlike traditional Braille embossers that only produce text, Tiger embossers can render graphical images with multiple…

35 results.