Feel Inspired. Submit your abstract

From 2 to 4 June 2025, the Tactile Reading and Graphics Conference will take place in Amsterdam.  

The recurring Tactile Reading Conference provides a platform for exchanging specialist knowledge and establishing and maintaining new links for international cooperation in the field of Braille, tactile graphics and 3D models leading towards an accessible society. Do you have knowledge that deserves a stage here? We cordially invite you to submit an abstract!

[The submission of abstracts is officially closed]

Conference participants and presenters

The Tactile Reading and Graphics Conference provides a forum for all of those involved or interested in making information accessible through tactile solutions. Conference participants and presenters generally include:

  • Practitioners and educators
  • Developers & Innovators
  • Academics in various research areas
  • Users of Braille and Tactile graphics
  • Commercial companies
  • Non-profits (educational institutes, museums, care facilities, knowledge centers etc.)

Invited topics

For the content of the conference, the organization has selected six themes on which scientists and practitioners are invited to submit abstracts. In the summary below, the organizing committee has made suggestions for possible topics that fall under these themes. Submissions related to other topics around tactile solutions are also welcome.

Braille and Literacy    

  • Multimodal learning (use of different senses during learning)    
  • Approach for braille learning in inclusive settings  
  • Braille instruction  
  • Emergent literacy  
  • Early childhood literacy  
  • Braille for persons with acquired blindness  
  • Reading speed (e.g.  contracted Braille, use of combination speech and braille)  

Tactile Graphics & 3D (printed) objects    

  • Tactile curriculum (plan or program)  
  • Methods to explain 3D objects in 2D drawings  
  • Accessing  Tactile graphics  
  • Accessible design  
  • Image descriptions  
  • Guidelines in tactile graphics and 3D objects  
  • Legend and reading guide  

Innovative Technology  

  • Production methods  
  • Sonification  
  • Use of AI in relation to designing for VI  
  • Combination of tactile & auditive accessibility  
  • Assistive Technology (speech/Voice?)  
  • Reading devices (glasses, rings, ferrotouch etc.)  

 Arts, Leisure Time & Games    

  • Museums and exhibitions  
  • Accessible events and activities  
  • Tactile books/maps/graphic/building models  
  • Games and play    
  • Music  
  • Arts & crafts  
  • Cultural history

Education    

  • Concept development    
  • Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM)    
  • Assessment, instruction, support  
  • Cultural Linguistic Diversity  
  • Drawing & crafts  
  • Spatial awareness  
  • Use of AI in education for VI  
  • Learning through play

Multiple Disabilities and Vision Impairment

  • Methods to teach literacy  
  • Alternatives for braille-reading (Moon, Elia, etc.)  
  • Multi-sensory storytelling  

Types of presentations

We aim for a rich, varied, and accessible program. The conference topic is ideal for touching and experiencing materials firsthand. The Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, with its unique spaces where musicians usually tune their instruments, provides a wonderful setting for workshops to share your knowledge with colleagues and enthusiasts worldwide. Additionally, we can use this gathering to further assist each other and the field by building international collaborations that can continue long after the conference ends. The organisation aims to provide presenters and participants the opportunity to actively utilize each other's knowledge and expertise. Of course, the conference will also have ample space for knowledge exchange through the more traditional format of oral presentations.

In summary, the following forms of knowledge sharing will be included in the program:

Oral presentation; feel empowered to speak out loud!

Oral presentation of approximately 20 minutes (5 minutes for audience questions or discussion included).

Interactive workshop; feel invited to provide an experience to remember!

Workshop of 60 or 90 minutes duration, providing opportunities for the active engagement of participants.

Show & Tell Presentations; feel encouraged to show what you’ve got!

At many (scientific) conferences, having poster presentations is common practice. While posters are a good way to summarize research, they are rarely accessible to people with visual impairments. In addition, experience shows that the value of a poster presentation often lies in the one-on-one conversations that accompany it. Therefore, the organization of Tactile Reading introduces a substitute concept in the form of Show & Tell Presentations. Instead of a poster, you will have the opportunity to bring a tangible object that symbolizes the research results you want to present or was part of the methodology. As with poster presentations, you can explain your objects in an appropriate small setting and link them to the research results.

Table Talks; feel free to ask for reinforcement!

Are you carrying around a great idea that hasn't taken off yet, a question you haven't found a good answer to, or a project on tactile reading that has just started and could use some input? Then this conference is an excellent opportunity to ask relevant knowledge holders to think along with you. Are you seeking innovators, academics, individuals with extensive practical experience, or experts by experience? You will find them at the Conference. By leveraging each other's knowledge, international connections can be formed, elevating tactile solutions to a higher level. Want to seize this opportunity? Submit an abstract with your question/topic and specify which participants you would like to have at your brainstorming table.

Indicate your preferred format on the submission form

You will be able to indicate your preferred format with the submission of your abstract. The organising committee will make an effort to accommodate your preferred format on the programme, however, please note that final confirmation of the format of your presentation is subject to capacity and there is a chance that you will be asked to present in a different format. The organising committee will gladly help you with adjusting your presentation if this is the case. Presenters do not receive any compensation, but they can use the attractive earlybird rate to purchase their ticket until January 12, 2025.

Guidelines for abstracts

  • Abstracts are submitted in English
  • Word count: 2000 characters max (approximately 250 - 300 words)
  • Submission deadline: 18 October 2024
  • Decision date: 12 November 2024

Together, we will ensure that this conference contributes to making information accessible for people with visual impairments worldwide. We look forward to meeting you live in Amsterdam. 

[The submission of abstracts is officially closed]