Tactile Materials in Practice: Understanding the Experiences of Teachers of the Visually Impaired
Mahika Phutane, Julie Wright, Brenda Veronica Castro, Lei Shi, Simone R. Stern, Holly M. Lawson, Shiri Azenkot · 2022 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing · doi:10.1145/3508364
Summary
This research investigates how Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVIs) create, acquire, and use tactile materials—tactile graphics, 3D models, and real objects—in their educational practice. Despite growing research interest in tactile material creation technologies, there has been limited understanding of current classroom practices. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with 21 TVIs and braillists, followed by a 3-week diary study with eight participants who documented 70 instances of tactile material use. The study addresses four research questions: what purposes tactile materials serve, how TVIs create and acquire them, what tools they use, and why they choose different material types. Participants were predominantly female (20 of 21), with experience ranging from 1 to over 30 years, teaching students from pre-K through high school with varying visual impairments including low vision, blindness, and cortical visual impairment. Many students also had additional disabilities—33% of diary entries involved students with intellectual disabilities, and some had physical or hearing impairments. The research is grounded in the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC), which encompasses skills beyond standard academics that compensate for vision loss: sensory efficiency, self-determination, orientation and mobility, independent living, and tactile literacy. TVIs reported that tactile materials were essential not just for translating academic content but for building these foundational non-academic skills.
Key findings
TVIs overwhelmingly preferred real objects and 3D models over tactile graphics for foundational concepts, describing 3D models as "stepping stones" to tactile graphics. Diary data showed 51% of entries involved tactile graphics, 37% involved 3D models, 26% involved real objects, and 24% included braille (entries could include multiple types). The most common combination was tactile graphics with 3D models (33%). Despite preferring 3D models, TVIs found them difficult to create, obtain, and modify. Only one participant mentioned creating a 3D model herself, and none used 3D printers despite the research community's enthusiasm for 3D printing. Instead, 56.6% of created materials used general arts and crafts supplies—puffy paint, clay, Wikki Stix, velcro, pipe cleaners—rather than professional tactile material production tools. The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) was the primary commercial source, used by 19 of 21 participants. Critical social considerations emerged: TVIs selected materials that fostered student independence and classroom inclusion. Three participants noted that 3D models promoted more independence than tactile graphics because students could explore them with both hands without constant supervision. However, 3D models were sometimes obtrusive and caused feelings of exclusion when they differed dramatically from sighted peers' materials, leading TVIs to sometimes prefer tactile graphics during push-in sessions. Time was the "ultimate decider"—under time pressure, TVIs defaulted to verbal descriptions or simpler tactile graphics.
Relevance
This research provides essential context for technologists designing tactile material creation tools. The finding that TVIs largely avoid technology—preferring craft materials and low-tech solutions—challenges assumptions underlying much assistive technology research. Only 40% of TVIs integrate newer technologies, and the "trial and error" nature of customizing 3D printed materials makes them costly and inefficient for individualized instruction. Key design considerations for practitioners and researchers include: (1) support rapid prototyping with customizable, reusable materials; (2) enable student-teacher co-creation following the "Students as Partners" pedagogical approach; (3) design for multisensory experiences combining tactile, auditory, and visual stimuli; (4) promote movement and spatial awareness through manipulable materials; (5) adapt materials for students with varying levels of vision and additional disabilities; (6) facilitate online social networks for TVIs to share ideas and resources. The study also highlights that most tactile materials are designed for students with no vision who read braille, yet 90% of visually impaired students are print readers with low vision. Materials need high contrast, bright colors, and adaptability for different vision levels. Limitations include focus on TVI perspectives without direct student input and geographic concentration in Washington and New York state.
Tags: visual impairment · blindness · tactile graphics · 3D models · education · teachers of the visually impaired · Expanded Core Curriculum · braille · orientation and mobility