Computer Center for Visually Impaired People

Tactual and Large Print Maps

hands on a tactual map of the Hoboken PATH subway line

Tactual and Large Print Maps, Floor Plans and Charts Available
The greatest "handicap" associated with severe visual loss is the lack of access to information. Technology has already done much to rectify this situation in relation to linguistic and numeric information. The gap in information availability between blind and sighted persons is most apparent in the area of graphics and maps. Sighted individuals make sense of a group of related numbers at a glance, when they are pictorially represented or graphed. The way to an office in a building is made easy, because there is a floor plan in the lobby, and one simply follows the map. One knows immediately how to use the life jacket in an airplane, because of a picture.

The Computer Center for Visually Impaired People (CCVIP) has developed a computer aided design system for converting existing maps, charts and other graphic material into tactual and large print form to increase the quantity and quality of information provided to individuals who are blind, or visually impaired.

Currently, the system is being utilized to create tactual and large print maps, which depict major portions of the New York City Subway System. The maps have gained wide support within both the visual impairment and transit communities. In developing these products, CCVIP has experimented with a variety of methods for presenting tactual information, and gained considerable experience in this area.

Our design system uses a customized modification of an existing computer graphics package to create negative images of the drawing on a Lucite plate with a milling machine. A silicone rubber mold is prepared from the negative. This mold, which serves as a master, is used to produce the graphic image on plastic sheets through vacuum thermoforming. The plastic sheets may be either opaque or clear depending upon customer needs. The end product is high quality tactile graphics on durable plastic sheets. The final presentation will vary depending upon application and customer needs.

The capabilities of this flexible design system can help you in conveying information to anyone who can benefit from a tactile and/or large print presentation.

Tactual and Large Print Maps Tactual and Large Print Maps, Floor Plans and Charts Available The greatest "handicap" associated with severe visual loss is the lack of access to information. Technology has already done much to rectify this situation in relation to linguistic and numeric information. The gap in information availability between blind and sighted persons is most apparent in the area of graphics and maps. Sighted individuals make sense of a group of related numbers at a glance, when they are pictorially represented or graphed. The way to an office in a building is made easy, because there is a floor plan in the lobby, and one simply follows the map. One knows immediately how to use the life jacket in an airplane, because of a picture. The Computer Center for Visually Impaired People (CCVIP) has developed a computer aided design system for converting existing maps, charts and other graphic material into tactual and large print form to increase the quantity and quality of information provided to individuals who are blind, or visually impaired. Currently, the system is being utilized to create tactual and large print maps, which depict major portions of the New York City Subway System. The maps have gained wide support within both the visual impairment and transit communities. In developing these products, CCVIP has experimented with a variety of methods for presenting tactual information, and gained considerable experience in this area. Our design system uses a customized modification of an existing computer graphics package to create negative images of the drawing on a Lucite plate with a milling machine. A silicone rubber mold is prepared from the negative. This mold, which serves as a master, is used to produce the graphic image on plastic sheets through vacuum thermoforming. The plastic sheets may be either opaque or clear depending upon customer needs. The end product is high quality tactile graphics on durable plastic sheets. The final presentation will vary depending upon application and customer needs. The capabilities of this flexible design system can help you in conveying information to anyone who can benefit from a tactile and/or large print presentation. To schedule a demonstration of the system and to have your specific needs assessed, please contact Karen Luxton Gourgey, Director of CCVIP (646) 312-1420 Fax: (646) 312-1421. You may also e-mail your queries to Karen Gourgey at Karen_Gourgey@baruch.cuny.edu [Raised Line Subway Maps] [CCVIP Homepage]
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