Final program

Welcome to Braille Music for Us (BMU), a new and unique Braille Music teaching and learning programme. Braille Music for Us presents a framework for learning which engages learners in practical music making experiences, fosters audiation, and nurtures Braille music skills. The programme has a Braille first approach and is informed by our collective experiences and a deep understanding of how we, as Braille readers, approach music and learning. It represents a shift away from traditional approaches to music learning through an understanding that Braille music is a tactile representation of sound and not a coded form of print music.

This workshop will explore the connection between audiation and Braille, demonstrate our unique approach to music literacy through Braille, and the pedagogical principles that sit behind the programme. If time permits, we will consider different teaching and learning programmes which can provide a wider reach for learners in remote areas. Our aim is to foster discussion and collaboration to generate positive solutions for developing strong, resilient Braille music communities! 

Learning to read and write together in inclusive teaching: In this workshop we will look at various concepts and primer books - what advantages and disadvantages arise for first-time braille readers? We will compare different braille writing media and discuss the possibilities offered by the use of braille or computer braille in inclusive teaching. The following questions will be discussed and answered: How can materials for initial teaching (learning to read and write) be made attractive for blind and sighted children? What possibilities are there for getting to know each other about print and braille? What problems can arise when learning print and braille together - and how can they be solved? Beginning sound tables with braille and print, exercise materials and games for inclusive teaching will be presented.

Specific learning materials are needed to prepare children for learning Braille in a varied, playful and activity-orientated way. The learning materials ‘On the tactile road to Braille’ are designed in such a way that they - promote haptic differentiation and specifically lead to the ability to discriminate Braille characters, - prepare and practise reading with both hands, - initiate the development of a differentiated concept of words and letters - promote the development of reading motivation. The programme is widely used in Germany and has been successfully evaluated. It consists of worksheets, activity books and tactile picture books that contain a variety of tactile exercises and initiate Braille experiences. Thanks to a co-operation with the St. Franziskus Heiligenbronn Foundation, it has been fundamentally revised and redesigned. The workshop will explain the basics of the concept and present all the materials. There will also be an opportunity to try out the materials in detail.

Building bridges between transcription entities and fostering exchange amongst practitioners to standardise practices in France, where about 200 transcribers currently work on a variety of fields (education, culture, administration, etc.), often without any direct link between them, is a necessity. Despite being essential to an inclusive society, namely to regular schooling of visually impaired pupils, consistent standards and common practices in the production of accessible documents are lacking, in a context of scattered transcription entities. To efficiently structure our sector, not only do we need committed public authorities and decision-makers, but also transcribers actively working together in the field: practitioners must collectively commit to sharing knowledge, pooling tools and circulating their expectations and needs. The Association of French-speaking Transcribers (ATAF) was created in 2017 to bring professionals together. We foster exchange, capacity development and pooling of practices and tools through: - Ad hoc topical workshops; - Yearly in-person study days with contributions from all stakeholders; - Long-term topic-specific research groups. In 2021, ATAF published a formal record of transcribers’ professional skill set, updated in 2024, to document the evolution of our profession. We also offer practical resources to support transcribers’ daily needs. An ATAF research group is currently editing practical guidelines for tactile graphics production, a constantly changing field, aiming at facilitating collaborative work to fulfil the need for standardised practices. Thereby, we intend to present on: - The profession of transcriber and the context of transcription entities in France; - The production of accessible documents required for inclusive schooling of visually impaired pupils and the challenge of standardising practices; - Our association and its missions; - Our ongoing work on practical guidelines for tactile graphics production.

This session is intended to inspire each other and create a platform to exchange best practices.

We'll answer the questions: How do you in your country facilitate students and their teachers? What support is in place for them? What can we learn from the approach in your country?

In the Netherlands, approximately 80% of blind students have their education at a regular school, with up to 30 well sighted classmates and limited support. This poses a challenge especially on mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology. To support students and teachers, Royal Dutch Visio has implemented teacher trainings, a website with educational advise, a news letter, and a helpdesk.

We would be happy to share our experiences and be even more happy to learn from yours.

We guide the participants through methods using tactile images and tactile descriptions.

Our questions: How can works of art show what the sense of touch is capable of, and what different methods can be used to successfully convey art to people who cannot see it with their own eyes.

• in this session we experience our tactile color compass to make colors tangible by 3d printed textures, pass them on and discuss them. 
  
  The workshop is suitable for 
• educational professionals, 
• museum educators, 
• visually impaired and 
• inclusion officers at museums. 
  
   

For more information visit our website

Tactile reading and drawing open up new, inclusive ways of experiencing art and storytelling through Comics & Manga. In this workshop, we invite everyone to explore this innovative artistic practice. All participants (whether blind, partially sighted, or sighted) will have the opportunity to experience tactile literacy by first reading a tactile comic strip and then trying their hand at creating a tactile drawing of a character.

This workshop is the result of a fruitful collaboration between the INJA (National Institute for Young Blind People of Paris) and the LIBD association, which has been pioneering the creation and publication of tactile comics and manga in France since 2015. For several years now, LIBD has been working regularly with visually impaired children to run tactile image workshops. In 2023, a manga workshop was launched, where a group of pupils from INJA meets once a week to create their own tactile manga under the supervision of LIBD.

At the Tactile Reading and Graphics Conference, you will have a chance to experience a preview of our workshop, featuring the tactile reading of selected comic pages followed by a hands-on session where you will create a tactile portrait. The workshop will be led by Alexandre ILIC, graphic designer at the INJA and author of the LIBD association's tactile books.

These LIBD tactile books are designed to be fully accessed through touch. All texts are provided in Braille and all illustrations are embossed, enabling visually impaired readers to fully appreciate the comics and manga. Additionally, to promote inclusion, the books also feature printed texts and colored illustrations alongside the tactile elements. This approach allows visually impaired children to read alongside their sighted siblings and friends, sharing a truly delightful experience together.

Children learning Braille currently have limited resources that motivate them to engage their tactile senses. In the kindergarten, we are dependent on the staff creating tactile materials on their own. And there is a need for materials that prepare them for activities that will take place in school. Tactile materials that are created must be fun and enjoyable for the child learning Braille, and this material must also be engaging for the other children. Additionally, it must be intuitive and easy for adults to understand how to use. Presentation: We would like this to be a 60-minute workshop, and we will divide it into three parts. In the first part, we will show materials which were developed based on a request from a kindergarten to adapt a booklet they used for all preschool children in the kindergarten. The material was adapted for an upcoming Braille user, and it was also visual so that the other children could use it as well. The material has been tested and evaluated. Since then, several reflections have emerged regarding what an upcoming Braille reader need to learn and how this can be done with engaging materials that are motivating while also providing progression. In the second part, we will present how this became the starting point for the development of new materials where the approach was reversed. The child's need for mastery, joy, and the opportunity to develop tactile skills at their own pace became the foundation. We actively used the Norwegian Framework Plan for Kindergartens in the process of developing this material, which is suitable for the entire group of children. In the third part, we will divide into two or three groups. We plan for them to test the material and provide feedback and reflections. We will use Padlet or another tool to organize and get an overview of the feedback.

Despite the availability of various assistive tools like Braille displays, speech synthesis, and physical manipulatives, Braille readers continue to face significant challenges in mathematics. This workshop introduces TacTiles, an innovative approach designed to help Braille readers and others better understand and solve mathematical equations through tactile interaction. In this interactive, hands on session, we will explore how the thoughtful design of educational tools can profoundly influence learning outcomes. TacTiles uses a set of tactile tiles representing constants and variables, enabling students to engage with equations in a tangible and intuitive way. The following features make our tiles distinct from other available products: 1. Tactile Differentiation: Tiles representing variables (e.g., x and x2) feature a gridded texture, while constants (e.g., 1) have a smooth surface, allowing easy identification by touch. 2. User Friendly Design: Each tile has a smaller top surface for better grip, making tactile manipulation easier and more intuitive. 3. Interactive Board: The 3D printed, A4 sized board includes a raised bar representing the equality sign, offering a physical embodiment of equation balance. The boards size and stackable tiles encourage students to explore equations with both hands, facilitating a complete and dynamic overview. 4. Structured Storage: Tiles are stored systematically in boxes, helping students approach problem solving in a clear and organized manner. This workshop is designed for educators and professionals who are passionate about accessible math education. You only need a basic understanding of algebra to participate, as we will be working through simple equations. Join us to discover how TacTiles can bring a new dimension to learning mathematics through touch!

Computer braille has hardly developed in the last decades, but the situations it must master have.

For example, data processing by public authorities: On the one hand, European law prescribes accessibility for the software used. On the other, it must process names with letters (with and without accents) unknown to our computer braille. The computer braille of the future must include many times the present number of characters - and encode them in a learnable manner.

But information is not only conveyed by characters. Because it ignores typographical features, computer braille cannot uncover the secret behind "32 + 42 = 52".

The results of the DETAIL project of the Braille Authority of the German-Speaking Countries to encode all the characters legally needed for names in the EU will be presented together with a vision - or rather a "haption" - of further dot empowerment.

At Dedicon I developed a series of books and a course that teach how to read tactile graphics of 3D subjects where we use orthogonal projection. It was scientifically proved to be effective in the years 1980-2000, but never universally embraced.

These graphics, in combination with a description, allow readers to build a precise and correct mental representation. The method stimulates spatial thinking.

The next step is to understand how perspective and shadow ‘work’. Without grasping these concepts descriptions of figurative art and photos are futile. Come and learn about our material and discuss how to improve it and cooperate!

Blind and partially sighted people need information to orientate themselves in public spaces and to navigate independently. Tactile guidelines are essential, but do not inform where you are or where they lead to. Tactile lettering (information in braille and raised characters) provides additional information but we need to ensure that users find this information, that it is easy to read, useful and accurate.

There are good examples of providing tactile lettering on handrails and in elevators, but in other public spaces that predictability and uniformity is essential as well.

In this session we want to collect further best practices and obtain consensus on the principles regarding discoverability, position and design of tactile information in public (outdoor) spaces, so that international uniformity is the basis for adequate orientation, navigation, simplicity, clarity and predictability. Providing tactile information also allows to find independently your hotel room, the correct waste container, clothing locker or your assigned seat in a concert hall or airplane. 

We hope to exchange and collect knowledge and experiences from around the world. This will be used as input to a European standard on tactile lettering that that CEN is developing. 

Individual tactile daily timetables - While tactile timetables are valuable tools, they have a crucial issue: they tend to be individual rather than shared, which can limit opportunities for social understanding of time.

 An inclusive weekday system designed with unique multisensory identifiers helps deafblind students build a stronger understanding of weekly time progression, enabling them to independently recognize, anticipate, and structure their daily routines while developing broader temporal awareness.
• Each day has unique multisensory identifiers—incorporating tactile, olfactory, auditory, and visual.
• Multiple sensory inputs reinforce each other, and their consistent use across the whole school fosters inclusion and participation while supporting a shared social temporal understanding of weekdays.

In this workshop, we present a method of enriching tactile materials with audio information without the need for expensive specialized solutions. There have been, and continue to be, various approaches to enhancing tactile graphics for blind people with audio content. The main reason for this is that Braille takes up a lot of space, which is then no longer available for the actual tactile information of a graphic. Augmenting graphics with audio offers educational and didactic value. The toy industry such as Ravensburger company use this concept. They offer a pen that consists mainly of a code scanner, an audio playback function, and a programmable controller for reactions that are triggered when certain codes are recognized. Therefore, the pen is much more than just a code-based audio player, unlike other devices. For example, learning control elements like questions or puzzles can be integrated into specially prepared learning materials. Numerous books, such as a world atlas, farm, astronomy, and more, are available. You simply download the appropriate file onto the pen and can then work interactively with the book. In this workshop, we show how tactile material can be enriched with codes that can be recognized by these pens, which then play the recorded audio information. Programming the pen is easy to learn, and the necessary almost invisible codes can be produced with an laser printer. The graphic can then be printed with an embosser. These pens offer a low-cost solution to enrich tactile materials with audio information.

Science subjects are already least often chosen by pupils in comparison to other disciplines. The rate of pupils with a visual impairment choosing science is even lower. For visually impaired, and especially pupils depending on Braille, the abundance of visual models used by the sighted world to imagine scientific concepts causes barriers to participate. To start learning the basics of (bio)chemistry luckily relatively few models, mainly molecules and their formulas, are needed. Alas, for pupils it is frustratingly difficult and time-consuming to build ball-and-stick models on touch only, exploring them on tactile paper, let alone trying to draw structure formulas themselves or navigate through reaction equations. Therefore I would like to draw your attention to surprisingly easy to accomplish, yet not too costly, adjustments of existing models and simplified tactile structures that enable visual impaired as well as sighted pupils equally to grasp science. You are more than welcome to get in touch with chemistry yourself by building molecules and feeling them on paper. And if you dare, to become and act like a molecule yourself. No profound knowledge of chemistry necessary to - hopefully - become inspired! And thereupon to inspire pupils to take on science. Irina Cirpus (MSc MSEd), Visio Secondary Special Education Rotterdam, The Netherlands

A photo exhibition for the blind and partially sighted? A picture paints a thousand words. But for many people with a visual impairment, photography is out of reach. CBB can change that. With our UV printers we make photos tactile in detail. audio description provides commentary on the photos, and visitors can also read the story behind the photos through accompanying Braille texts.

The Swedish Agency for Accessible Media, MTM, has a government funded mission to promote tactile reading for individual needs in Sweden. To investigate whether flatbed printing could be a viable alternative to formerly established printing techniques  MTM has been performing proof productions of tactile graphics using flatbed printing. 

Participants will learn: 

Some key findings from the proof productions

What the different proof productions feel and look like

Further plans of proof productions and aim for recommendations and guidelines

In a world becoming increasingly digital and surface-based for all types of interactions, from shopping, communicating to using daily appliances, many people still face accessibility challenges. Currently, tactile feedback on these devices, particularly smartphones and tablets, remain limited, with content mostly visual and auditory and with simple vibrations to the whole surface. 

Our work has focused on designing a novel technology, i.e. a standard tablet with localised and multitouch vibrotactile feedback capabilities, to add tangibility. It lets you feel digital graphical information through vibrations to different fingers depending on their position on the screen and the related content.

Every week millions of people with print disabilities sit in the church feeling excluded because they cannot participate in the singing. Lyrics and music scores are presented in books or on a screen which are inaccessible to them. Employees and students also struggle to get their work done because they don’t have access to this literature. The Norwegian organization KABB (Christian work among blind andvisually impaired persons) are working to improve the situation. Though hymn books have been produced in braille, this has been a costly and time consuming process, and books in large print have in many cases not been made at all. In Norway there has been no efficient solution for people with print disabilities after the new hymn book of the Norwegian Church was published in 2013. In our project we use the Epub-standard and digital music files as a fundament to present hymns and worship songs in the way the reader needs. By using new technology and innovative solutions for production, we are able to make the songs available for people with different needs in a flexible and cost effectively way. From the same source files, we generate braille, large print and sound to make both digital solutions and printed books.

People with visual impairments perceive the shape of objects primarily through touch. We developed composition units that fit in the palms of both hands. We named the process of assembling the units into different shapes by touching the shape with both hands "Tactile Art". These units are expected to be used in artistic activities and three-dimensional cognition for the visually impaired, as well as in clinical areas such as cognitive improvement for the elderly. Currently, about 10 different tactile units have been developed. Participants are encouraged to compose freely.  

Synesthesia is a human brain ability in which information meant to stimulate one sense stimulates other senses. Research suggests that about 5% of world population are synesthetes. For example syntesthetes are able to hear colours and others can visualise sounds. This demonstrates that the human brain is perfectly capable of substituting, to some extent, vision with other sensations like vibrations on the fingers.

Keynoa capitalizes on this natural human ability by introducing its novel concept of “Seeing More With the Fingers." For instance, Keynoa allows blind people to read text characters, explore graphic images, sense colors, feel objects and evaluate their distance before touching them simply by receiving gentle vibrations on the fingers.

Come discover the technology that you never even knew existed, but might very well power some aspect of your braille reading journey every day!

Liblouis is one of the most widely utilized software solutions for automated braille transcription. It powers braille output and input across a variety of devices, including iPhones, Android smartphones, numerous braille note-takers, and embossers. Additionally, it is integrated into screen readers such as NVDA, Orca, and JAWS. This extensive adoption can be attributed, in part, to Liblouis' versatility; it is a compact, self-contained library compatible with pretty much any hardware and software platform. This flexibility allows developers to seamlessly integrate Liblouis into their applications. Another significant factor contributing to its popularity is Liblouis' support for braille in approximately 220 languages at the time of this writing, with the ability to be easily adapted for additional languages.

In this show & tell presentation, you will learn that anyone, regardless of their background, can improve Liblouis, and that contributions, even when arising out of an individual need, can make a difference for many, as improvements quickly ripple across countless products, reaching users everywhere. We’ll also show you how the project maintains high quality through test-driven development and continuous refinement.

The presenter is one of the two maintainers of the Liblouis project, bringing valuable insights and expertise and a backpack full of inspiring stories.
 

Most commercially available refreshable tactile displays are pin displays. Refreshable tactile displays could, however, be made with other techniques as well. Regardless of the technique, refreshable displays will usually be pixel based. The properties of these displays such as pixel size and pixel density will influence the perception of the graphics displayed. Visual displays have seen significant advancements in recent years, driven by new technologies. Similarly, in recent years, new innovations have been emerging for the creation of tactile displays. To make informed design decisions for such new tactile displays, it is crucial to understand how factors such as pixel size and pixel density of these tactile displays affect tactile perception. Our research systematically investigates how variations in pixel size, pixel density, and techniques such as anti-aliasing influence tactile perceptual performance. Anti-aliasing techniques are used in visual displays to smoothen the edges of pixel based images. The effects of anti-aliasing remain largely uninvestigated in tactile displays. To investigate how these factors influence perceptual performance, we make use of pixel based images that we render using swell paper and other 3D printing technologies. This allows us to systematically investigate how different aspects of tactile displays, such as pixel size and density, influence perceptual performance. The findings from our perceptual performance studies will inform the design of future refreshable displays. In this show & tell presentation, we invite people to interact with the images that we use to simulate a tactile display and explore how pixel size and density affect the tactile perception of pixel based tactile images. This way you will be able to experience the potential capabilities of future tactile display technologies.

The author, who is himself visually impaired, has been exploring methods for the visually impaired to use 3D CAD modeling. In this presentation, he will explain the 3D CAD method he has developed, with examples of actual products made using it.

There are three main advantages to being able to use 3D CAD by the visually impaired.

1. Firstly, and obviously, they can give shape to their own ideas. When giving instructions to a sighted person to create a shape, it is extremely difficult to create a complex shape exactly as they imagined it. Considering such difficulty, this obvious advantage must be emphasized.

2. Secondly, visually impaired people can make the tools they need themselves.
Since the unique tools that visually impaired people, who are a minority, need (such as white cane holders) are not available on the market, being able to make them yourself is important.

3. Thirdly, it can contribute to improving the quality of tactile teaching materials. If people with visual impairments can make 3D models, they can  directly show tactile teaching materials that are easy for them to understand, rather than indirectly explaining them verbally.

The method developed by the author uses programmable CAD software. This method can be implemented using standard computers and assistive devices currently on the market. The author will present examples of the three benefits of 3D CAD modeling by the visually impaired.
In particular, he will introduce models of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Taj Mahal to explain the advantage 1: these models4 have also received academic recognition.
 

At Visio, professionals have the possibility to create their own 3D printed educational materials. The Visio 3D Team supports in making and retreiving the 3D models and the production process. 

During the past few years, we developed tactile materials that we think are worth sharing! for example: -Tactile ruler (VIER liniaal) -Spinning tactile dice -braille numberstick -Visio Braille Box with numerous pieces of braille models

Digital collaboration is a widely used tool today, but its use is fraught with difficulties for blind people. While research has been carried out for text-based documents, people are still excluded from content with graphical structures such as mind maps. As a result, tools such as the mind mapping tool Miro remain inaccessible to this user group. In our work, we have developed a program for digital collaboration on graphically structured content that can be used by blind and sighted people alike. In the program, users can create and edit content such as mind maps live together. Sighted people can use a conventional GUI, while an audio-tactile user interface (ATUI) for 2D tactile displays has been created for blind people. Since both the concepts of the diagram editing functions and the presentation of collaborative information cannot be transferred one-to-one from the GUIs to the ATUI, new concepts have been developed and implemented in this project. These include various earcons, spatial audio using bone conduction headphones and tactile animations. These concepts make it possible for blind users to perceive the work of their colleagues in real time and in relation to their position, without being interrupted in their own work. In addition, bimanual interaction options have been created to allow blind users to precisely create and adjust the graphical content. The resulting system allows blind and sighted users to collaborate on graphically structured content in real time, without disadvantaging either group. The full functionality of the software can be tested at TactileReading.

Playing is an important part of daily life for children (and adults). Playing contributes to personal development. Playing boardgames is part of this. Games contributes to relaxation and entertainment and offer opportunities to learn and develop, for example at cognitive level and in social interaction. Playing games is not obvious for children and adults with a visual impairment. In 2023 we conducted research into the need for (more) accessible games for people with a visual impairment. There is a huge demand for these games. That’s why we want to make more games accessible for blind and partially sighted people. We design tactile games and we will adapt existing games. We use special techniques, such as our UV printer, which allows us to create games with different colors, structures and heights (relief). We add braille and large print and we can add audio to a game. We can do everything to make games that suit children and adults with a visual impairment.

Indoor games when played with friends or family members promote social interaction, develop emotional intelligence and cognitive skills apart from relieving stress. There are many tactile board games designed, adapted for visually impaired people and are commercially available in the market. However, some games are practiced, played but confined within certain geographical regions or countries. In this article two of the popular board games of India viz., Dhaayam, and Pallaanguzhi are discussed. Dhaayam has a few variants but the underlying principle remains the same. Generally, two or more players are involved as individuals or as teams. The basic game board is arranged with 49 square cells as a 7 X 7 grid. The game is played by moving the coins along the cells depending upon the outcome of dice value. Players are allowed to start the game only on getting the count 1 on the dice. A player needs to slash at least coin of the opponent before moving all his/her coins to destination cell. Some cells are earmarked as safe zones where the coins cannot be slashed. This game generates lot of excitement and demands thinking to make safe moves, and to secure home cell at the earliest. Pallaanguzhi is a two-player game, the game board is carved with fourteen cup-like pits, each player owning seven pits on his/her side. Initially each pit is filled with five cowry shells. A player can choose any one of his/her pits, picks all shells and moves clockwise distributing one shell per pit, continues doing this once all the shells in hand are distributed. When an empty pit is encountered with an empty hand all the shells of the subsequent shells are grabbed as a bonus by the player. The objective of the game is to collect as many as possible and outnumber shell count of the opponent to win the game and hence arithmetic calculation, strategic thinking to foresee the outcome of opponent’s turn become vital. With minor adaptations both the games are enjoyed as inclusive games.

Social Haptic Communication (SHC) is a mode of tactile communication developed within the deafblind community to communicate contextual and environmental information. It can be used to convey, for instance, information about facial expressions, emotions, the lay-out of a room. It consists of gestures made on, for example, the back or arm. If this type of tactile communication could be automated, it would become also available to people who do not have access to, for example, sign language interpreters, and it could be integrated into assistive technology. At TU Eindhoven we have therefore collaborated with the Dutch SHC workgroup to make vibrotactile versions of SHC messages. This allows the SHC to be displayed using vibration motors that are integrated in a backrest of a chair or in a vest. By switching these vibration motors on and off sequentially we can mimic gestures made on the back. From the co-creation sessions with the SHC workgroup we concluded that vibrotactile versions of the SHC gestures can be immediately recognizable for SHC users. Despite that for some gestures it was much more straightforward to generate a recognizable vibrotactile version than for others, SHC users indicated that they thought it would be easy to get used to the vibrotactile version. This is promising for future applications of vibrotactile SHC. One of the advantages of SHC is that it allows for assistive systems to communicate information in a hands-free fashion. In future research we plan to integrate contextual information via vibrotactile SHC into assistive technology for vibrotactile navigation for people with a visual disability. You can visit our presentation to get acquainted with SHC and to experience the vibrotactile version.

Participation! We would like students to participate in the lessons side by side to well sighted students. Students have subjects like mathematics, physics, biology and science, but also cook and work in a workshop. Royal Dutch Visio selected almost hundred accessible tools and teaching materials for students with a visual impairment. 35 Items are equipped with speech or tactile features and fit for blind students. The set is a combination of commercially available products and 8 items that were inhouse developed by Visio colleagues. For in the workshop there are tools for sawing, drilling, driving nails and measuring. For math and chemistry there are tools for making tactile drawings and graphs. It also contains a tactile ruler and protractors. For work in the kitchen and the lab, the kit contains a talking thermometer, scale, and a measuring jug, and liquid level indicators. For measuring liquids, we recommend to use measuring spoons instead of a talking measuring jug. The set is aimed to help students compare tools and find the tool best fit for the job. All the information about using the tools can be found on the eduVIP website. The site includes information on where to purchase the materials and also contains advise for adapting assignments, so blind students can join their well-sighted classmates at every subject. Participation is the driving force. We make participation possible. Doesn’t every student deservers a set like this one? We show you what is included in the kit and explain the process of adding tools. With this information you can compose your own kit. Wouldn’t it be wonderful?!

Students who read braille can be successful in math and have fun along the way! By learning braille math notation and using it within mathematical context, students are better prepared for advancement in STEM education and employment. Come and learn how we implemented a virtual and in-person Mathlete Competition for 31 braille readers in grades 6-12 throughout the United States and Canada. Truly, there’s no better motivation than a little friendly competition at the junior or senior level! Junior Mathletes are expected to read, write, and solve problems in braille that contain fractions, mixed numbers, decimals, degrees, exponents, and grouping symbols. They solve problems using what they know about the order of operations. Senior Mathletes are proficient with all of the Junior Mathlete content. In addition, they are expected to read, write, and solve longer problems in braille that may contain radicals, absolute value, negative numbers, and geometry. There are four rounds in the Mathlete Competition. The rounds are: -Sprint Round: Read a problem written in words and select the correct way to braille the problem from the 3 answer choices. -You Solve It Round: Read and solve a math problem using the order of operations. -You Write It Round: Listen to a math problem being read aloud and then braille the problem. -Relay Round: Solve a math problem and then plug the answer into the next problem. During the session, participants will have the opportunity to experience some of the rounds and learn how they can access the practice materials at no cost. The presenters will share common braille and math computation errors and strategies/resources that can be used to increase the student’s skills.

During the corona pandemic it was difficult for persons with deafblindness who are Braille readers as well as tactile sign language users to get deafblind interpreting into tactile sign language in the same place where they were. And, deafblind interpreting into tactile sign language is not possible in distance. Instead, they were referred to speech to text interpreting in distance. It was a challenge. Partly because the speech to text interpreters did not have experiences in speech to text interpreting for Braille readers. And, partly because the software for speech to text interpreting were not fully accessible in Braille. 
Since then, together with some engaged and interested speech to text interpreters, we at the Swedish National Resource Center for Deafblindness, Nkcdb, have tested and evaluated various software for speech to text interpreting. Also, we have tried to influence those who develop the software. Still no software is fully accessible in Braille. 
But, thanks to the corona pandemic, speech to text interpreters have learned to offer speech to text interpreting for Braille readers. In addition, persons with deafblindness who are Braille readers have gained access to a new opportunity of taking part in interpreting that also works in distance.
Today, in Sweden, we know a few persons with deafblindness who are Braille readers as well as tactile sign language users that choose to use speech to text interpreting in certain situations or when they do not get access to deafblind interpreting into tactile sign language. But, more persons with deafblindness who are Braille readers have discovered the possibility of using speech to text interpreting as a complement to spoken language or visual sign language. 
In this workshop we will share our experiences about speech to text interpreting in Braille. Also, we wish to take part of experiences and solutions from other conference participants.

In this workshop you will learn how to do mathematical and physical drawings in a way that blind students can do it too. The aim is to give blind students equal opportunities to visualise the sciences an improve their understanding of the subject.

We will use drawing foil on a rubber mat, a pinboard, pins, a ruler and a tool to draw parallel lines. You will create your own accessible tactile worksheets and use these to practice with construction drawings for lines of sight, parallel lines, and ray diagrams for shadows and lenses. It is even possible to add vectors using the parallelogram law.

We conclude the session with a demonstration of a Geoboard with a physics extension set that provides an easier way for students to create these diagrams.

This workshop is fully accessible. No math skills required. 

In a world dominated by visual communication, touch readers face significant challenges. In collaboration with blind artists and writers my research explores how tactile communication can go beyond functional information transfer to embrace emotional and artistic expression.

Inspired by Futurism and Dadaism, I developed a new form of tactile typography, opening new literary experiences for blind readers. 

In this workshop, participants will learn about the research and experience it first-hand. They will be invited to experiment with language and form, challenging sight-centered practices and exploring the creative, expressive potential of braille and multi-sensory design.

Many screen reader users are terrified of tables!
Learning to use any aspect of a screen reader can be challenging, but when it comes to tables, there often seems to be an invisible barrier which a lot of people find impossible to overcome. Even if they know the right keystrokes and the settings they can configure, tables still don't make sense to them.
In a world where spreadsheets and databases dominate the workplace and paperless bills and bank statements are the norm in our households, not being able to interact with tables puts blind people at a profound disadvantage, limiting their independence and stunting their professional development.
I believe we can, and must, do things differently. As an assistive technology trainer and a passionate braille user, I am convinced that there is more to this problem than simply finding different ways to teach the same keystrokes: We need to help screen reader users understand tables before we teach them how to work with them, and to do that, we need to step away from the computer.
In this workshop, we will discover how braille is key to breaking down the invisible barrier between blind people and tables. Using a carefully curated collection of tables in both electronic and hard copy braille formats, we will explore:
• The importance of reading from top to bottom as well as left to right;
• Developing an understanding of common table formats and how to read them;
• Creating and inspecting mental models of tables;
• The role of cell borders in presenting data efficiently;
• Predicting a pathway through an unknown table with confidence.
Bring your laptop and your best braille reading, and let's “turn the tables” together!

Visually impaired or blind students are often excluded from practical lessons such as Technology, Arts and Crafts, and Consumer Studies in regular education. Teachers and students are sometimes unsure of how to address and adapt to this. However, the “Practical Skills” project group of Royal Dutch Visio aims to change this by promoting inclusion and participation. In special education for visually impaired students in the Netherlands, practical subjects have proven to be highly beneficial. These subjects allow students to express themselves, build confidence, gain tools for independent living, and participate equally with their peers in lessons. This is achievable in any classroom when you consider and think from the perspective of five compensatory skills. By making adjustments within: Organizing your workspace, using your senses, working with contrast and lighting, magnification and aids, you can achieve participation. To reach teachers in regular education, an introductory video (in Dutch and English) and 10 subject-specific videos have been made. Tipcards have also been developed, and special education teachers are available, you can emaill them trough the helpdesks and they provide courses. The visually impaired students themselves play a significant role in these products; they tell the viewers of the videos in various ways how you can offer help and what the benefits are for them. Curious? This presentation will showcase the project’s results and discuss the methodology. By showing and experiencing what an adjustment within the five compensatory skills can do, we would like to demonstrate with a show and tell how you can make a difference tomorrow.

Sonification, a technology that represents information through non-speech sound, offers an alternative way to access information, particularly for individuals who are blind or have low vision (BLV). In (STEM ) education, sonification combined with tactile resources can provide vital access to visual information. This workshop, by app developer Phia Damsma and experienced BLV educator Lily Gower, introduces innovative approaches to teaching sonification to primary school-aged children who are BLV, focusing on how these skills promote valuable learning outcomes. Phia will present CosmoBally on Sonoplanet, an interactive educational app developed by Sonokids as part of the Ballyland suite. The app enables children to explore sonification through games, supporting the learning of students with BLV. Published research on the app’s impact will be discussed. Lily will then share expert pedagogical strategies for teaching sonification, the reciprocal relationship between tactile reading and digital proficiency will be demonstrated, highlighting their mutual reinforcement in educational contexts. The workshop will include a series of structured activities, guiding participants through the sequential teaching of sonification concepts. This will cover basic sonification principles, working with horizontal and vertical dimensions, understanding grids and coordinates, and using sonification to interpret tactile graphics, such as maps and graphs. We will conclude with a discussion of follow-up activities and the practical implications of these skills in empowering young learners. We will invite questions and reflections on best practices for implementing sonification in education, encouraging dialogue about its future applications for children with visual impairments. Participants will also explore the broader implications of integrating tactile and digital literacies into educational frameworks. Open to all, regardless of prior experience with sonification or the CosmoBally app.

Of all the skills learned by blind adults, pre-Braille tactile skills are by far the most overlooked and underrated. Children with a vision impairment gain a variety of tactile experiences through play and as part of their education. Often, their learning is supported through extensive programs and resources created specifically for exploring and developing the sense of touch. However, for blind adults, tactile development resources are limited at best and unavailable at worst. Those that are available are perceived by new learners as outdated, childish or irrelevant, as are the methods used to introduce and teach tactile skills. This process is often seen as a means to an end rather than a crucial part of the journey. Adults with acquired vision loss need a tailored approach to first draw their attention to their sense of touch in an engaging, holistic and meaningful way before embarking on their Braille journey. Instructors must have a deep understanding of the intrinsic motivation and needs of Braille readers beyond a purely task-based approach, and they must be creative and willing to think outside the square. The Tactile and Technology Literacy Centre has developed an innovative new process and approach to pre-Braille tactile skills for adults that, if done correctly, has proven to be a fast-track to increasing tactile awareness, finger sensitivity and motivation to practice Braille. In this hands-on, practical workshop, we will explore: The reasons why traditional pre-Braille assessments and conversations don’t work and what to do instead. The most misunderstood foundational skill that children learn and adults need. How to “reset” the brain and fingers any time, anywhere. The Tactile Trifecta: Tracking resources for mastery and motivation. A controversial pre-Braille approach to get learners excited to practice. Together, we’ll explore the true power of pre-Braille and its impact on adult Braille learning.

At the end of 2023 and beginning of 2024, the Braille Working Group of European Blind Union conducted a world-wide survey about the braille display usage. The results of this research with more than 900 participants were published on livingbraille website in an article of 37 standard pages. It is a huge amount of information which should be discussed further with the professionals in the field. Particularly, important findings of this survey need to be discussed, mostly: - Participants reported the need of longer durability of braille displays and more of a flexibility in use; - Participants want to have braille displays compatible with every system, with efficient connectivity via Bluetooth or USB, without a need to labour the solutions. In May 2024, the Braille Working Group of EBU ran two important discussions, one with the braille display users and other with the manufacturers. There are several very important questions raised as to the braille display quality and durability, their availability in different countries, connectivity, training and training materials and more. We would like to present these findings and raise the questions for a table talks of experts in the area, the people from practical experience with their students or colleagues. As we want to discuss the braille display usage matters with the manufacturers further, we need as many expert voices as we can master, to speak for the people, who are daily facing the need of braille display training or work at school. We also would like to draw the attention of experts to the results of our effort in Braille Working Group related to the braille displays, recently we have created a list of braille display manufacturers and very clear hint file or checklist for the braille display purchase and customers’ decision.

The TactiPad drawing board is on the market for some time now.  

Over the years extensions like GraphGrid, CircleFrame, TactiForma and motorised drawing arm (MDA) have become available.  

All targeted to increase the fun factor for the users as an important motivator to gain or increase drawing skills and to perform specific (educational) tasks in a fast and efficient manner. 

Also, being able to create a raised line drawing as a visual impaired person will increase the ability to explore faster and understand better tactile graphics made by others. 

Although we designed the products based on conversations we had over the years and also on Jaaps experience as a blind user and designer we would like to share ideas with you about: 

• The use of inline versus outline tools.
• Specific content you would like to create for educational domains.
• Teaching about 3d figures and perspective.
• Which type of training material suits you best? 

Visit us also on the exhibition floor for a personal demonstration and check our website for product descriptions and manuals www.thinkable.nl 

The concept of "School for All," supported by UNESCO's Jomtien (1990) and Salamanca (1994) Declarations, remains a challenge for 21st-century education. A pilot study in post-pandemic Romanian inclusive schools involving 49 experts highlighted key challenges in the inclusion process: - SEN students struggle to meet national curriculum demands, creating barriers to inclusion. - Curriculum flexibility, while allowed, is challenging to implement effectively. - Curriculum adaptation, though essential for personalized learning, becomes a barrier when resources are lacking. A narrow focus on content modification rather than addressing specific developmental needs of SEN students is a recurring issue. The workshop, a platform for collective learning, invites participants to delve into the challenges of inclusive education, share their experiences, and collectively identify solutions. The TactileImages platform offers curricular flexibility and tools for inclusion, remote teaching, and telepractice. It is an open-access resource that empowers educators to create personalized, multisensory educational materials (tactile, auditory, visual, etc.). Research (Patrascoiu et al., 2022) demonstrates that Tactile Images positively impact learning for children with ASD and ADHD, enhancing focus, spatial orientation, and visuospatial perception. Over the past three years, Tactile images have been used in a pedagogical project with the University of Bucharest, integrating tactile graphics into digital storytelling to support diverse learning needs. The TactileImages platform is a tool that includes the Image Creator, a feature that converts images into tactile, audio-described graphics, accessible via mobile apps or QR codes. It also features a Drawing Tool for creating visuals and an Editor for adding text descriptions. Participants will explore the platform and create their materials using the tools provided, with the workshop concluding in a presentation and feedback session.

Drawing strengthens concept development and self-expression. However, many blind students are not given the opportunity to experience drawing, often because their teachers may not know how to incorporate drawing or what tools to use. However, when they get older, they are confronted with all kinds of skills for wich learning to draw at a younger age can be a precondition, for example understanding maps or tactile drawings at school. With 'Draw Along' we have developed a learning path in which blind students learn to draw systematically, on both technical and creative skills. In this workshop we will tell you more about the background of ‘Draw Along’, the different drawing area’s and the skills children need to develop to draw by touch. In several activities you can experience yourself how it is to draw with your sense of touch and the different perception you maybe use in tactile drawing in comparison with visual drawing. There is room to explore the materials that belong to the learning path. And last but not least there is room to exhange best practices, experiences and insights with the whole group. And don’t forget: drawing is fun!

PreFigure allows authors to produce accessible mathematical diagrams in several formats from a common source. In particular, PreFigure is capable of producing high-quality tactile diagrams. This workshop will introduce participants to PreFigure and provide experience in creating mathematical images for sighted readers as well as tactile diagrams. 

1. Tactile music token. 

Early exposing children for musical notations. Tactile and visual music tokens with braille music signs, to support music education in early stages. 

2. Tactile guitar: 

A guitar shaped tactile book containing the mostly used guitar chords. One intention is to use it in the classroom to include the visual impaired child.  With the book you can practice at home, even if you do not own a guitar. 

Young people without disabilities often struggle to access reliable information about healthy relationships and sexuality, according to several studies. Imagine the challenges faced by visually impaired youth. They can’t casually glance at someone’s body or access visual materials like pornography, yet they are still exposed to conversations about these topics in their surroundings. How can we ensure they have access to a variety of tactile objects and illustrations that help them navigate this complex part of life? We invite you to explore this often-overlooked aspect of human development. What 3D objects and 2D tactile illustrations could be useful in providing information? Furthermore, do they offer the same or even enhanced value when used together? How can we prevent misconceptions that might lead to negative or traumatic experiences? Is there a need for specialized materials to bridge the information gap for visually impaired young people and students? Moreover, could audio content enhance their experience while they explore these tactile objects? There are endless possibilities to consider. Indeed, this topic can be sensitive, but it’s something everyone encounters eventually. In view of healthy development it’s important to discuss the subject openly. If you’re willing, I would be happy to invite you to feel the objects and illustrations for yourself. Does that make you feel uncomfortable? Perhaps that’s where the real conversation begins. Drs. Yolanda Eys, Visio Secondary Special Education Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Topic: How can we make 3D printing more accessible for the blind and low vision (BLV) community? What programs are working regarding screen reader and magnifier accessible 3D design programs, slicers, and printers? What strategies are people using to non-visually assess their 3D model designs before printing them, then operate, monitor and repair their 3D printers? What problems are we facing? What hacks can we use? How can we make 3D printers with voice output and braille display connectivity? How can we make switch enabled printers for users with multiple disabilities? How can we incorporate assistive technology to allow BLV people to preview their prints before printing them, such as through sonification and tactile graphics displays? How can we leverage our resources and expertise to advocate to 3D printing companies on what we need to have for meaningful change? What steps do we need to take to document and research how many people are currently involved in this space, and our need for accessible printing strategies and resources? How can we work together as a global community to share knowledge and advocate for improvements? Participants: People involved in the 3D printing for the blind/low vision community, 3D printing enthusiasts, researchers, teachers, engineers, community organizers, assistive technology instructors and developers, makerspace coordinators, organization and government leaders.

Hoëlle Corvest after a long career in the Musée des Sciences in Paris set up the foundation DUGTA, to continue advising on tactile editions and training all involved (designers, tactile readers, intermediaries). Touching objects in museums is mostly forbidden and there rarely are good quality models or replica’s to compensate for this. Thus tactile images with proper explanation are an indispensable means to give people with a visual impairment access to art, culture and science. Hoëlle is presently working with a group of experts on a project realizing 300 tactile and high contrast images together with key information unlocking the history of art of all times and from all over the world. A QR code on the tactile or high contrast image leads to online information about techniques, art styles, artists, the works of art themselves and the filosofy behind them. Hoëlles aims are: 1) making key knowledge available that gives visually impaired people full access to art, culture and science, 2) training all involved in the making and use of these tactile images, 3) making high quality tactile and high contrast images common. Cost reduction is necessary. Making molds is expensive. Large print runs diminish the cost price for a copy tremendously. Internationalization can help realize this. The online text can easily be translated. In the tactile images is almost no braille (and only lower case letters). Up to these days, there is a tactile image famin! Let’s make an end to it.

Braille textbooks, which are the main learning materials for blind children to learn by touch, are published based on the authorized textbooks used in elementary schools. In preparing Braille textbooks, it is basically agreed that no major changes or modifications will be made to the content of the certified textbooks themselves. For this reason, braille textbooks include visually dependent materials such as paint and dressings. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare and devise teaching materials that enable observation, manipulation, and experimentation by relying on the sense of touch from the perspective of considerations for subject guidance in the Courses of Study (e.g., imaging by touch, teaching materials that can be grasped by touch, devising teaching methods, careful selection of content with emphasis on basic and fundamental matters, and consideration of teaching order for easy understanding). Focusing on the study of “ratio,” this study development of math ratio teaching materials that can be operated by touch and conducted a questionnaire survey of teachers experienced in teaching the visually impaired to clarify the usefulness of the material. As a result, more than 75% of the respondents answered “appropriate” for the tile size, magnet strength, reference line, and guidelines, indicating that they were generally appropriate. Based on the findings of these studies, we have completed math ratio teaching materials that use 3D printers to create covers. We think that these teaching materials, which can be operated by touch, can be used not only for learning ratios, but also for learning about fractions and similarity.

In 2023 Dedicon had the opportunity to explore a long-desired topic concerning tactile images: the role of ‘conceptual knowledge’ in understanding the world around you and the importance tactile images can play within this topic. With ‘conceptual knowledge’ we refer to potentially missing knowledge caused by the inability to see. This often concerns items that are too far, too large, too small, to explore by touch. It also includes ‘graphic’ items such as logos, numbers and diagrams. A concept is then a mental representation that enables a person to grasp a ‘thing’ and understand the relationship of that ‘thing’ with similar ‘things’. This knowledge helps to quickly place new information (about new ‘things’) or understand what is important or interesting about it. After the first euphoria we realised the challenges concerning this topic. For example: how to investigate the need for something that the user does not always know exists? Also, this research would be small in scale and thus necessarily focus on qualitative results. Note: This table talk is also an invitation in working together with the attendees of the conference; one key to a successful approach of small scale research. The project resulted in several domains of ‘conceptual knowledge’, like how something is put together and its position in space, how something looks and how something ‘works’ (moves, functions, etc). The research project also resulted in a concrete product for the collection of the Dutch Royal Library, available to visually impaired readers in the Netherlands. These so called ‘Begrippenbanden’ (portfolio of concept) exist of tactile images and explanations in text. We will bring examples of these Begrippenbanden to explore with the attendees and hope to gain your view on conceptual knowledge. You are especially invited to share your experiences with investigating elusive needs among blind participants and please react on our list of possible domains and examples within these domains.

Tactile Maps is a globally available service of automatically generated tactile maps for the visually impaired users. It can help create an imagination of objects and spatial information.

The aim of the new tool TACTILESET is to go even further. It connects tactile perception with additional audio description. The goal of TACTILESET is to provide the visually impaired with a comprehensive imagination of the selected place or object. The connection of the tactile map, 3D models and additional description makes it possible to significantly increase the amount of information that the user receives. 

Some of the professionals will know the Tactual Profile from Royal Visio. An observation instrument for regular blind children and students in the age of 0-16 years. In addition to this there is a short version of the Tactual Profile which is easier to observe with students. In 2017 Royal Visio developed The Tactual Profile-MDVI for Multiple Disabled and Visually Impaired Children in the developmental age 0-6. After more then 7 years this instrument has shown to be worthful for this target group, and for children with multiple disabilities and severe CVI. A last version is recently developed and almost finished. This is the Tactual Profile-DB for adults with acquired deafblindness. When you are losing your hearing and vision over the years, the tactile sense becomes more and more an important compensatory sense. The TP-DB can help in awareness about the sense of touch and in giving direction for further interventions. We will show you the different versions and explain the differences between them.

We would like to show what we have developed within Visio Education Breda and what technology we use to support the education of MDVI students. These include, for example, the development of the song box; a methodology to stimulate the language and concept development of young MDVI students through songs and music and the implementation of total communication and appropriate referral systems that assist the student in clarifying the time and predictability of the day and activity. In addition, we want to show which way of working we use to also include MDVI students in the development of digital literacy and the adjustments we have made with software. The adjustment ensures that students who have a low development level can also use email programs and social media in their own way.

How do people who rely on haptic touch explore multisensory (tactile-auditory) pictures? And what sensory information do they prefer? A museum-based study will be presented in which qualitative interview and observation data were collected from a focus group (N 8) over 16 sessions. All participants started relying on haptic touch after the age of 18 and had done so for more than 10 years before this study. Their visual acuity ranged from total blindness to minimal visual shape perception. The study found that the visitors either explored the tactile picture or listened to the audio-description first; never the two simultaneously. All visitors preferred the audio-description to start describing where their fingers were and to activate, pause, and stop it themselves. On the tactile picture, everybody explored the global (shape) outline of each element and, when struggling to identify the element, activated the audio-description. They preferred two layers of audio-description: the first identifying the element and the second reading the curator’s information. Regarding the global elements in the tactile pictures. They preferred that the global (shape) outline was clearly defined - easy to feel from both the inside and the outside without interruptions (e.g., from textures) - and straightened out so that curves become angular. Although tactile texture attracted their attention, they preferred that it was used only on specific elements (e.g., those mentioned in the curator’s information). Finally, they preferred that tactile pictures be printed on swell paper: line width 1.2 mm and height 0.6 mm, and audio-descriptions read by a female alto voice. We suggest that certain exploring strategies and preferences are universal to haptic touch and universal to hearing regardless of personal experience and, thus, that the development of new tactile and/or auditory pictures should be based on these.

Through the use of tactile maps, I will show how they help contextualize the news, to follow and comprehend current events, on a global, national and local scale. They enhance understanding of geopolitical concepts especially, illuminating locations and relations of places. Through a series of demonstrations using a tactile globe, and national, regional and local street maps, I will describe to the audience how I read map and diagrammatic materials – going from the level of North America, then California's position, to San Francisco and surrounding Bay Area counties, down to the streets of my neighborhood and the floor plan of my residence.

Numerous topics in the natural sciences are presented using graphics. Arrows are often used with straight, curved, or dashed shafts, showing electron movements or those of atoms, as well as those leading to an enlargement of a section in a picture-in-picture representation. Arrows represent both temporal and spatial dynamics. And sometimes, all of this can be found in a single representation. At the blista, we have developed materials and methods to convey and make real dynamics tangible. For example, chemical reaction mechanisms can be understood as a board game! Dynamics also play an important role in biology. Whether at a nerve cell axon, a chemical synapse, or in cellular metabolism: In all these vital processes, transport processes through a biomembrane play a central role. These processes can be approached with the perspective of a board game as well: a simple setup with a manageable set of rules leads to biologically correct dynamics. In this spirit: Let's play - and learn along the way!

Learning path for blind children aged approximately 4- 12 years. With this learning path, the relationship between objects and associated drawings, which can be produced by different viewpoints, is explained step by step. The learning path increases in complexity and difficulty level. With the use of insights the transition is practiced with objects and drawings. It is not about the concepts hammer, umbrella or windmill. But about how they are depicted seen from varying points of view. In the preparatory phase nearby objects are depicted in real life size. And intermediate 2 ½ D forms are also used to experience the transition to a flat drawing. In the initial and continuous phases the insights and object become increasingly complicated. And scale is also introduced. A few examples of the 19 insights: - Something round can be depicted straight - Humans, animals or objects can have a varying number of limbs/legs from varying points of view. - Occlusion: parts of an object can be hidden from sight by another object. - The same object will be depicted large when it is nearby and small when it is further away. Three boxes with lessons, drawings and materials accompanying each phase are developed. These boxes where internationally introduced online (due to Covid) but never presented in real life. This conference is an ideal place to show this learning path to everyone working in educational settings. Where drawings often are an essential part of the curriculum. Whereas a lot of blind children have a hard time understanding them because drawings are a made from a visual point of view. During workshops in which we tested the materials with blind adults we heard things like: ‘I wish I had known this at an early age.’ ‘I always thought I was stupid because I did not understand drawings at all.’ ‘The teachers thought giving me a drawing would make me understand. But this only complicated things for me.’

As part of the project "Technology for developing tactile maps of historic gardens", a comprehensive technology to developing tactile maps of historic gardens has been proposed. It covers: selection of the map content at various levels of detail, use of open data resources, design of tactile and graphic signs, principles of map generalization and editing, and reproduction using low-cost printing technology. The new approach is that people with visual impairment (PVI) have been involved in the whole process of maps design by the methodical assessment of solutions proposed at different stages of tactile mapping. There were organized 8 sessions with a group of 20 PVI each. They verified: tactile and graphic signs, editing rules, printing techniques, legibility and understanding the content of final maps. Testers were diversified in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, tactile skills and the specificity of visual impairment. The tests were based on methods and rules used in cartography (semiotics), tactile education (symmetrical difference) and IT (Technology Acceptance Model), adopted for PVI purposes. There were no relationship between tests results and characteristics of the testers. It means that the proposed solutions are legible and understandable to users due to their parameters. Our approach has been verified during development of the tactile maps of historic gardens, which support PVI to learn about gardens in Baroque, Renaissance, Romantic, English and Japanese styles. We created 13 maps and printed them using UV technic. Directly from the map, via QR code and NFC tag, PVI can connect with audiodescription with instructions on how to use the map and descriptions of the garden and its style. The maps has been given to park managements, the Polish Association of the Blind and schools educating blind and visually impaired children to serve blind recipients.

Public web service (tactilemaps.eu) offers the tactile maps sources in the following form: 

• Automatically prepared map sheets (in A4 form) can be downloaded, printed on swell paper, and heated in fuser. 
• Additional information in text form can be added to each map. 
• The sources from the map portal cover any point in the world. 

Come and see how it works.

Public involvement and practice change are important issues in the development of communication and information tools. In this area, the main stakeholders -people with disabilities, and in particular the visually impaired and partially sighted- are rarely involved in the design of tools intended for them. Ideographik Bretagne defends the view that it is only by working together that relevant and sustainable solutions can be designed. In 2023, tactile image workgroups of people with and without visual impairments were set up to create and produce tactile and sensory media for people with or without visual impairments. In order to answer some questions like "What is a sensory mediation medium? How can a visually impaired person take part in all the design and production phases?", they met on some occasions set by the Fablab of Brest University and the Ildys Foundation. These explorations were carried out under 3 main themes: spaces using machines (anticipating dangers, space organization, use of a machine), understanding a pictorial artwork, independent involvement in a hiking tour. These days were an opportunity to: -express themselves and try one's hand at designing relief media, using all the properties of the materials (textures, hardness, dimensions) -testing sound devices and developing procedures to enable visually impaired people to use the machines -gain a better understanding of tactile and sensory representations of blind and partially-sighted people - take advantage of the technologies available in Fablabs to create images that can be easily multiplied. With the aim of sharing results, the experiment has evolved into the creation of documented and open source kits for these 3 major themes. Each kit contains a briefcase with 3 examples of tactile and sensory media, a design method, observations and a set of elements enabling users (companies, schools, individuals) to make their own media, and expand the kit as new uses and experiments will be carried out.

Geometry, the branch of mathematics addressing spatial sense and geometric reasoning, holds significant importance in education. It occupies a considerable portion of the curriculum at every educational level. This universal presence underscores its integral role in geometry education worldwide. This importance is equally significant among children with blindness. The van Hiele Theory of Geometric Thinking that explains how students learn geometry, consists of five levels of understanding geometry, viz., Visualization, Analysis, Abstraction, Deduction, and Rigor. This exploratory research relied mainly on insights, interviews with mathematics teachers from schools for the blind in Japan, aims to investigate the applicability of the van Hiele Theory in developing geometric thinking skills among children with blindness. All teachers participating in this study, who also taught blind children daily, mentioned how they supported them in developing these skills and tactics. Specifically, they provided adequate 2D and 3D models and offered verbal cues on how to tactically touch and retain tactilely perceived information in their minds. Purposive sampling was used to select four teachers working at schools for the blind for a group interview. The data was analyzed qualitatively, using inductive analysis. Teachers unanimously affirmed that children with blindness progress through thinking process outlined in the van Hiele Theory. The teachers highlighted visualization level particularly challenging for blind children, as they learn to recognize shapes without relying on visual attributes. The challenging aspects identified included the complexity of the haptic perceptual system, requiring children with blindness to possess strong hand movement skills and the ability to integrate tactile details. Based on the findings, an adapted version of the van Hiele theory's 'visualization' level is suggested with implications for further research.

This new box includes 55 tactile cards measuring 11 x 9 centimeters. Each card is a tactile (2D textured) representation of an emblematic element from folk tales or children's literature: human or fantasy characters, animals, accessories, places, sounds. A tactile element in the card's cut-out helps to distinguish which category the card belongs to. In addition to the tactile representation, the back of the card also features the name of the depicted character, written in both black and Braille. The aim of this box of children's literature cards is to facilitate equal access to reading for blind children, by helping them to understand scriptural orals. The different combinations of cards can be used to tell more than ten familiar stories, or to invent new ones. With the cards, children focus their attention, familiarize themselves with symbolism, and develop their representations and tactile skills. The sessions focus on the development of language skills, lexicon (album-related and tactile) and Braille, enabling children to better understand and express the stories. The results show a reduction in the gap in comprehension in inclusive education, and an improvement in storytelling skills. The cards can also benefit children with dysfunctional, neurodevelopmental, intellectual or allophone disorders, making the tool adaptable to different inclusive contexts. These cards can be used in the classroom, in institutes, during individual treatment (speech therapist, psychomotor therapist, specialized educator, orthopedagogue, etc.), at home, etc. An instruction manual and pedagogical guide enable adults to adapt the tool to the needs of the children they support.

This collection of tactile maps presents urbanism-related research of a multidisciplinary group of authors, based at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, at Delft University of Technology. The 3D-printed tactile model includes multiple urban and cultural landscapes, with the aim to make learning and presenting research results more accessible and inclusive. A large part of this research is done in urban areas, but also includes cultural landscapes in rural areas. The reader will be able to feel the quality of life in the cities. This includes physical phenomena such as urban heat, but also social phenomena, specifically the socioeconomic and housing compositions of neighbourhoods, social inequalities within cities, migration between cities, urban health, accessibility to amenities as defined within the 15-minute city concept, and the effects of transportation planning on the quality of life in cities. In addition to urban areas, the maps present the topography of natural landscapes with cultural layers added by humans. The aim of the maps is to make all these phenomena tangible for both sighted and blind people, while taking into account the perspectives and needs of people with visual impairments in the map-making process. Although most of the research is based in the Netherlands, focussing on Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the maps are not limited to the Dutch context and they also provide insights into other countries, such as Lithuania, Spain, Turkey and the US, including historical maps. Building on the best practices for making 3D-printed tactile maps, we use tactile and visual variables such as heights and depths, textures and shapes to represent urban phenomena and landscapes. The maps can be read by people with visual impairments including blindness, while at the same time being appealing and useful for sighted people. In this way, we make knowledge more accessible to everyone and we present our research in an innovative and more inclusive way.

Drawing strengthens concept development and self-expression. However, many blind students are not given the opportunity to experience drawing, often because their teachers may not know how to incorporate drawing or what tools to use. Which basic skills are necessary to start drawing? This was the question we asked ourselves when we started the project ‘Draw Along’ with the assignment to develop a learning path for blind children to teach technical and creative drawing skills systematically. We discovered that each image can be reduced to seven lines and three shapes. These lines are taught in the Basic set of Draw Along through tactile experience, allowing the student with severe visual impairment to display their tactile impressions on drawing foil. Using these lines on drawing foil, students have a language to draw objects experienced through touch. The basic set of lines and shapes also provides the opportunity to engage in an equal conversation about how the blind student experiences the world through touch and how it is visually represented on paper. Multiple lessons practice drawing skills in a multimodal way. For example with the use of different materials and tools, movements, stories and music. VI schools and itinerant teachers now have access to boxes containing lessons and materials to teach drawing systematically. We will show you the lines and shapes, the multimodal way of teaching, and guidance tips for the teacher. Also the developed material will be demonstrated. Experience the unique way of communicating and expressing through tactile drawings!

Tactile map design goes far beyond raising lines and adding braille. We will introduce core principles, relevant terminology, and best practices for tactile map design and production. These include the unique considerations of tactile media and tactile reading, such as distinctions between 2.5D and 3D design, the use of braille beyond labelled callouts, effective methods for simplification, and subjectivity around informational hierarchy. We explore how the content of tactile maps should align with audience needs, preferences, and context, building on users’ own experiences to make tactile maps more intuitive and meaningful.

Through shared examples, we will demonstrate what works well in tactile map design, and what common pitfalls to avoid. Effective tactile maps must simplify complex visuals, focusing on clarity and legibility by using tactually distinguishable lines and textures. Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of tools available for creating tactile maps and graphics, their advantages and limitations, and essential dos and don’ts for creating more accessible and effective tactile maps. By incorporating these approaches, educators, creators, and designers can play a crucial role in fostering inclusion and independence and improving the wayfinding experience for the blind community.

Kadaster, Accessibility, Dedicon, and ESRI Nederland are collaborating to create automatically generated tactile maps of Dutch neighbourhoods with ArcGIS software. These maps are meant to help people with a visual impairment (VIP) orientate on their surroundings. To ensure legibility and user-friendliness of the map, human-centred design was employed. Five iterative rounds of user research were performed testing the map symbology, map lay-out, required simplification of geographic data, and design. At the show and tell, you can feel our user-validated tactile map design and tactile symbology set and discuss the research behind it. All map elements and symbology will be made available for public use. Additionally, we can discuss how software helps us to create automatically generated neighbourhood-level.

In Sweden learning materials for students with blindness contain a large number of tactile graphics produced on swell paper. At SPSM we manufacture about 3,000 image originals and print about 35,000 sheets of swell paper annually. The type of images ranges from simple shapes and figures to complex illustrations used in STEM and geography. In order to facilitate reading and provide the best conditions for the students to reach their educational goals the tactile quality of these images should be as high as possible. However, the end result is affected by several variables and choices throughout the chain of production: the complexity of the original image, the amount of detail in the drawing, guidelines that govern the design, the competence of the draftsman and choice of image software as well as technical craftsmanship and choice of machinery when it comes to printing and swelling. Furthermore, properties of different brands of swell paper in combination with all of the above-mentioned variables have significant impact on the end result. For many years, we at SPSM have worked on developing our tactile graphics and improve their quality. On this occasion we would like to share examples of how different choices and conditions affect the final product.

Development and introduction of teaching materials for young children with blindness and MDVI that encourage exploration of the outside world, tactile findings, expansion and formation of tactile space, fine motor skills, and development of concepts.

The teaching materials for children with blindness and MDVI we have developed that named “Th!nk w!th Hands!” encourage exploration of the outside world, tactile findings, expansion and formation of tactile space, fine motor skills, and development of concepts of size, shape, and quantity. 

We developed an instructional system chart for utilizing this teaching material for each of the five developmental stages of thinking based on Piaget's theory.

This project investigated the needs in relational and sexuality education for youth with a visual impairment (ages 12-18). The findings from literature and interviews led to the development of two lessons. One of these lessons focused on forming a concept of both the male and female body. The process of developing 3D body models will be discussed in this presentation.

In this workshop, we’ll explore the evolution of braille learning tools: from BrailleStudio and BraillePi to the new iPhone app Louis, which uses VoiceOver and Braille display integration. We’ll show how mobile devices can replace traditional laptops, making braille education more flexible and accessible. You’ll also learn about app distribution through TestFlight and the App Store.

A special focus will be on the future possibilities with Artificial Intelligence —such as AI-generated voices, personalized feedback, and smart progress tracking—that will further enhance learning. We invite you to join our test team and help shape the next generation of accessible education tools, empowering students with visual impairments around the world.

The learning material ‘Dot by dot: Alex and Lilani discover the world of letters’, developed in a joint project between the Bern University of the Arts and the Heidelberg University of Education, prepares children with blindness as well as children with and without visual impairments specifically and inclusively for learning to read Braille or print. In addition to this, there are now a number of inclusive games that initiate new learning opportunities. The workshop offers the opportunity to try out the learning materials and games in practice.

Sometimes you have a braille student that is struggling to follow the education methods that normally work fine for most of the braille students. They can even be seen as students with intellectual disabilities, especially when they are still young and cannot explain to us why something is so hard for them. In this session we would like to discuss the background of these students that maybe can explain why it is so hard to keep up at school. What kind of diagnostic tools do we use to gather the right information about these students? We like to share this with a case of one student. We will follow his learning path and all the challenges he faced and the solutions we found that were working for him. To make the session more practical, we will take some time to let you think of some of the solutions you would choose. At the end there will be time to exchange your insights and good practices with the whole group in cases like this.

Tactile images are indispensable to allow people with a visual impairment to form a concise mental representation of what is being described. There is an important condition: all involved must understand the underlying principles. Designers, tactile readers, intermediaries like tour guides, lecturers in museums, educational staff, etcetera: all must ‘speak the same language’. Hoëlle Corvest organized many workshops on making, using and explaining tactile images, often in cooperation with museums or culturally important sites, all over in France. They take place before the guided tour of the exhibition, enabling the key elements of the exhibition theme to be represented in concrete terms. Weaponed with this key knowledge, visually impaired participants can precisely understand the lecturer's or tour guide’s discourse. The workshops are entertaining and informative, providing ‘re-usable’ knowledge. At the same time they help tactile readers to develop a good or better reading strategy. Intermediaries learn how to use the tactile images while explaining, designers learn the needs of tactile readers and intermediaries. Participants often state that the workshop opened a new world for them, a world that obviously open to sighted people, but so far remained closed or vague to them. Hoëlle Corvest has advised on many tactile editions. She will bring some of them and use a selection to make you experience the way she works with them in her workshops.

This workshop is part of Touching Maths+, an Erasmus+ project of SPSM (Sweden), Statped (Norway), and Royal Visio (the Netherlands). Our mission is to equip math teachers and Braille professionals with knowledge and skills to improve math proficiency for Braille readers, and ensure better inclusion in mainstream classrooms. In the workshop, we will explore strategies for making math education more accessible to Braille readers using innovative tools, such as a newly designed coordinate system specifically tailored for Braille readers. You will also gain insights into the challenges faced by Braille readers and their teachers, and discover ways to overcome these through reverse adaptations(approaches initially designed for Braille readers and adapted for all students). By the end of this workshop, you will: have a solid understanding of the Touching Maths+ project. know practical techniques for including Braille readers in mainstream math education. have knowledge of key challenges, such as pre-teaching and providing equitable support to all students. The workshop starts with a hands-on math lesson, where participants learn to interpret points and graphs using our innovative coordinate system. Blindfolds are available for sighted participants to experience firsthand the challenges Braille readers face. After the lesson, participants will break into small groups to reflect on the experience and discuss strategies for inclusive education. Key discussion points will include reverse adaptations, lesson planning, and overcoming resource constraints in supporting Braille readers. This workshop is open to anyone interested in math education, whether visually impaired or not. Knowledge of math up to primary school level is sufficient. We welcome professionals, students and other participants alike to join us for an inspiring and practical session. Join us to experience our motto in action: Teach what you preach.

Roll up, roll up, take your front row seat as the Greatest Story Time Show in the World is about to start and you are INVITED!  

Step this way into a glittery world of fun where the sound of laughter and joy ring out around the world as over 7,000 children engage in an ACCESSIBLE online Literacy Programme: Marvin’s Story Time Show! 

Gwynnie-Gwyn-Gwyn, the storyteller, lovable characters and international superstar, Marvin are ready to welcome you!! 

I am so excited to present: The Marvin Story Time Show Literacy Programme, techniques, resources and the most incredible positive outcomes for children with VI. Bip-bop, bibbity-bop and groove those moves to the Greatest Story Time Show! Woohoo!

The assessment of intelligence and developmental levels in children and adolescents with visual impairments is essential for planning individualized educational programs. This requires adapted test methods that fully account for impaired or absent visual functions, as well as specific media formats and strategies. In 2018, the IDS-2 (Intelligence and Development Scales for sighted children and adolescents), developed by Prof. Dr. Alexander Grob and Prof. Dr. Priska Hagmann-von Arx, were published by Hogrefe. These scales enable comprehensive evaluations in various areas of intelligence, general development, and performance in logical-mathematical thinking, language skills, and reading and writing. Building on the IDS-2, a project team from the University of Teacher Education in Special Needs Zurich and the University of Education Heidelberg developed a test instrument. It consists of two versions: the IDS-2-BS A (for blindness and severe visual impairment) and the IDS-2-BS B (for moderate and mild visual impairment). The test materials were produced in collaboration with the School for the Blind in Zollikofen (Bern). The norming of version A took place between 2019 and 2023 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The sample consists of 233 students with blindness or severe visual impairment aged between 5 and 20 years. The norming of version B started in the same year and will be completed by the end of 2024. Both versions are expected to be published by Hogrefe in 2025/2026. The workshop will present version A of the IDS-2-BS. After a presentation of the test designs, participants will have the opportunity to view the test materials. Written descriptions of all test materials will allow participants to explore the material on their own. Finally, case studies will be presented to illustrate the scoring, interpretation and practical implications of the test.

SPSM is a special needs education resource for all kindergartens and schools throughout Sweden. We provide support to create conditions that allow everyone to learn and develop to the greatest possible extent. At SPSM, there are four different resource centres, and we work at the Resource Centre Deafblind.

According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, all children have equal value, the best interests of the child should be a primary consideration, and every child should be given the best possible development opportunities. Children are also entitled to express their opinions and be listened to. 

The Swedish School law has new provisions for the guarantee of early support measures in reading, writing and arithmetic in the Compulsory School for Pupils with Intellectual Disabilities, effective from July 1, 2024. The goal of the guarantee is to ensure that students who receive the right support early can further develop in their learning. The aim is for the support measures to be implemented early and tailored to each student’s needs. 

We will present two case studies of learning media assessment for two students with deafblindness. We will describe our process, the results obtained, and the recommendations made to the school. Additionally, we will highlight some research findings. Finally, we want to discuss with the participants what it looks like in their organizations and countries.

We will use the following questions as a starting point:

How do you conduct a learning media assessment? 

Who performs the assessment? 

At what age do you start the assessment?

How do you proceed with Braille learning? 

Feel free to let us know if you have other questions that we can discuss.

Literacy and storytelling are often considered challenging for individuals with intellectual and sensory disabilities, or congenital deafblindness. To address this, the sensory enhanced interactive storytelling technique (SEIS-T) has been developed within the practice of disabilitiy care and special needs education in the Netherlands. This sensory storytelling method focuses on stimulating interaction and communication by using forms of alternative and augmentative communication and partner strategies. 

In this workshop we will explain the method, show and analyze practice videos together and present research on joint attention and shared enjoyment in sensory storytelling. An introduction to freely available materials that support the implementation of SEIS-T storytelling will be provided, and participants will have the opportunity to explore these resources during the workshop.

Text is a powerful tool for learning, provided the reader has the skills to read and understand it. The same applies to tactile images, including representations of 3D objects.

For tactile images to be effective, everyone involved in their design and explanation must share a common understanding. This includes blind and partially sighted children, their parents, designers, didactic experts, authors and adult readers who provide guidance and explanations. 

Tactile images invite the students to ask questions, engage in discussions and stimulate curiosity. They help to identify and fill gaps in the knowledge of visually impaired children that are a result of not seeing. Well-designed tactile illustrated books offer reading pleasure, enhance literacy, build concepts, and lead to a better understanding of the world, along with all the associated benefits. 

In this 90-minutes hands-on workshop, we will explore the underlying principles of effective tactile image design. We will discuss when and how children can start learning these principles and how concept building works. Participants will become acquainted with the methodology through examples developed in the Erasmus+ Project Tacticos, which produced two tactile books: 'A Long Journey,' with collage illustrations for children aged 4-7, and 'Roundy featuring swelled line drawings for children aged 9-12. 

The workshop will be interactive, with ample room for questions and discussions. Attendees will gain insights into how to explain and bring to life books with tactile images, enhancing the reading experience for visually impaired children.

Tactile resources are an integral part of universal design, yet are inaccessible in many situations due to manufacturing constraints and high costs. This workshop aims to share an innovative process that we have developed to enable the more effective creation of tactile resources using readily available 3D design tools and 3D printing. 

A unique part of this process is adding high quality 3D designed braille to each resource in a natural way. We believe that leveraging the low cost and ease of entry to 3D printing in conjunction with open-source design tools can accelerate the development of custom accessible resources on a much broader scale.

Museums provide access to a rich array of artworks, artefacts and specimens through their collections and exhibitions. Museums are inherently inaccessible for individuals who are blind or low vision (BLV) as they do not allow touch exploration due to preservations and safety concerns. Little to no research has been found directly investigating museum experiences of BLV children, however, initial findings suggest that children’s interest in museums dissipates from a very young age as a direct result of inaccessibility. In 2024, SASSVI partnered with the University of Sydney on the "Museum for Touch" project, co-designing museum experiences for BLV children and vision teachers. This initiative focused on marine biodiversity education through multisensory workshops led by Professor Dagmar Reinhardt. Participants engaged in tactile graphics, 3D modelling, scanning and 3D printing workshops prior to an audio-described tour at the South Australian Museum (SAM), enhancing their understanding of marine life through tactile and auditory experiences. This workshop highlights an inclusive teaching model for BLV students, focusing on the WESSST tactile exploration methodology, 3D printing resources, object-based learning, and universal design for accessible museum interactions. Pre- and post-project museum experiences illustrate the impact of inclusive initiatives and advocate for systemic improvements. Workshop participants will engage in activities that sequentially teach natural history concepts to BLV students. Interactive demonstrations will showcase effective strategies for enhancing engagement and learning among BLV learners in museum settings. This project underscores the transformative potential of inclusive education in museums, offering insights into creating enriching experiences that empower BLV children to engage meaningfully with cultural institutions and natural history.

Maze tasks are important for young children from the perspective that they can learn to recognize geometric shapes and form spatial images. In particular, experience playing mazes is important for children with blindness, who have difficulty in spatial recognition, as a basic readiness for reading tactile graphs and diagrams, and for tactile-motor control as a basis for braille reading. However, while visual maze tasks are commercially available, there are no systematized and graded tactile maze tasks. Therefore, we developed the convex-line tactile maze tasks from the following perspectives: (1) presence or absence of dead-end lines, (2) number of corners, (3) number of junctions, (4) location of junctions, (5) distance between junctions, and (6) distance from junctions to dead-ends, and verified the difficulty level of the tasks with four children who are blind. As a result, no reverse movement or stopping of the fingers occurred in the tasks without dead ends, but it’s occurred in the tasks with dead ends. Tasks with more corners and junctions tended to increase reverse movement or stopping of the fingers than those with fewer. There was a tendency for reverse movement or stopping to increase in tasks with a short distance between junctions. In the tasks with a shorter distance between choice points, there was a tendency for more reverse movement or stopping. On the other hand, the position of the junctions and the distance of dead ends did not affect the difficulty of the tasks. Based on these findings, we developed 78 types convex-line tactile maze tasks for children with blindness, consisting of five instructional steps. We will introduce these tasks and the system diagram of the instructional steps.

We will show the two recent digital playful tools we have developed for blind students.

Curious fingers is a digital learning material for the youngest children who just got their braille display. It contains playful exercises that develop knowledge about the braille display and practices tactile abilities and also practise pre-braille reading techniques. It is based on an interaction between the teacher and the student. 

The braille rocket is a fun alternative to printed exercis books and contains playful exercises  for learning letters and numbers in braille. It is a web-application and works online in a web-browser, with full accessibility for people who navigate with screen readers.

The dzb lesen is a library and a production center for accessible media. With tactile media for early childhood literacy and events in special schools, we reach children from the very beginning and accompany them as they grow up. Reading and touching should be fun - with great books and varied ideas for promoting reading, we show how this is possible.

Join me for an inspiring session where we explore how vocational training and English language learning are transforming the lives of individuals with vision impairments. In this session, you'll discover how a unique collaboration between the American Language Center of Marrakesh and the Center of Training in Craft Jobs is not only enhancing crafting skills but also unlocking new opportunities in the socio-economic market.Through immersive workshops and inclusive language lessons, participants gain independence and essential tools to create sustainable livelihoods. You’ll see how skill development and language acquisition can be a game-changer for individuals with vision impairments, offering a pathway to empowerment and a more inclusive society.

With all the technologies that we have at our disposal nowadays, we can say that there is no comic book that is non-accessible on one side and accessible on the other. There is a progressive accessibility that needs to be implemented. Why? Because it's difficult. What needs to be done for the visually impaired, the blind, those with dyslexia, and those with motor disabilities are not the same adaptations. Moreover, there is an industrial issue that complements the artisanal issue of adaptive organizations. Therefore, there are scaling problems. Since we started our partnership on accessible comics with ComixSuite and La Rochelle University, we always thought that we needed to work step by step, from small, easy comics to complex ones, that’s why we tried to work on different sides. Therefore, we are focusing our effort on a set of tests with multiple comic book audio description with human narratives scripts compared to automatic audio description to bring comics to people with disabilities.

Reading together is a wonderful way to spend time with your child or grandchild, and sharing stories can create a bond that will last a lifetime. However, it can be difficult for some families to read together if one of the readers has a visual impairment. But thanks to the CBB, this is no longer an obstacle. The shared reading concept is a great invention that ensures that children’s books are accessible to everyone. With tactile images and a combination of Braille and large print, children and parents can read together at literally any level. And if it is difficult to read the text, there is always the audio pen SAM, which ensures that the stories can still be heard.

Sensory-touch books: the only type of book for all children, regardless of their characteristics. The role of books in the overall development of children is well-established. This role becomes even more important for children with special needs, provided it meets their specific requirement. But do these children have access to the available resources? Why is it that visually impaired children rarely visit libraries? 5 years ago, we established the first sensory-tactile library, the result of over 30 years of diverse efforts. In addition to books, we utilize many other tools and complementary programs. However, only a limited number of our primary audience- children with visual impairments- use the library, and there are many reasons for this. We have planned two approaches to improve access to this library; our first idea is a Mobile Sensory Library. It consists of diverse packages of books on various topics which are taken to centers working with children. These packages are loaned out on a periodic basis, accompanied by storytelling, performances, poetry, and more. The second idea is reading in families and creating groups that align with common needs. Each group consists of 10 families. We provide each family with a lending package of books. In subsequent meetings, they discuss their experiences and exchange their packages. This plan helps foster connections between children and their families. Each package includes sensory and tactile books, fiction and nonfiction, poetry, Braille with color-printed text and images, books suitable for other family members, general parenting books, and books addressing the special needs of their child. Additionally, there is a guide and a notebook for their thoughts and experiences, along with various tools to aid in a better understanding of the books.

The Project showcased in this Seminar:

‏”A Backpack Full of Books" (Kooleh Poshti-ye Ketab)  

‏This is a family reading initiative, aiming to:  

‏- Spread the joy of tactile and Braille book experiences among family members.  

‏- Strengthen bonds, communication, and mutual understanding within families.  

‏- Showcase diverse tactile-sensory books and highlight literature’s transformative role in children’s and families’ lives.  

The Swedish National Agency for Accessible Media; MTM, provides inspirational materials to children expected to become Braille readers. These materials are distributed to the families in collaboration with the Low Vision Centres throughout the country. 

Participants will learn:

The purpose, concept and content of the different material kits. 

How the Vow Vision Experts work with the materials together with the children and their families at Swedish Low Vision Centres

In 2022, the Braille working group of European Blind Union established European digital resource for braille. livingbraille collects the data from all over Europe and world, bringing the European braillists unique opportunity to get a rich braille experience and knowledge at one place. Everyone can become a part of livingbraille easily and contribute to this initiative with braille experience in their country. We collect information about braille learning methods, techniques, about digital braille resources, braille displays and practically everything related to braille. This website is going to be a landing page for 2025 EBu Braille 200 initiative. We would like to present this as a poster presentation, explaining the necessity to contribute to our collective European braille website. We also want to inform our colleagues about this website, which can become their inspiration and knowledge database, as more and more people come to add their braille knowledge and experience. We would like to have a possibility to install a poster of livingbraille and a stand-post for a person delegated by our group to share information about this braille resource with the participants.

When Celia's legislation changed in 2022, we received a new task, which was to provide materials for preschools. We used laser cutting technology to make moulds for tactile graphics and prepared a package of learning material for children with visual impairments. The material consists of tactile images and a story, which encourage children to use their hands and bodies. There are tactile graphics for pracitising staying on the line to prepare for reading braille, "spot the difference" types of tactile images, tactile images of common items and a story for which the child can follow the movements of the main character. It also includes the braille cell, and braille characters for the child with visual impairments and for the other children in the class.

Me & Ricky are a series of lessons for young blind childeren in the age of 4-7 years. This project is designed by a group of experts who have teached young blind childeren. The intention of the lessons Acquiring these skills do not come naturally for them. The lessons are diveded in 5 series of lessons. 1. Is a series of lessons about body awareness, they are about Me. 2. Is a series of lessons about body awareness of the other, Ricky (a hand puppet) 3. Is a series of lessons about the spatial orientation nearby Me 4. Is a series of lessons about the spatial orientation in a langer space 5. Is a series of lessons about spatial orientation with small objects (farmanimals) This explains why we have chosen for the titel Me & Ricky, it is important for childeren to develop Me first and the orther (Ricky) hereafter. All the lessons are made in a playfull way suitable for younger childeren. Songs, drama and a lot of trying out themself are incorporated in the lessons. During the development of the materials for this project we paied extra attention to the size and the firmness of the materials so a young blind child can easy manipulate with them. The need for this project is emerged from the practice of the teachers who saw that young blind childeren do not get spatial concepts naturally and it helps them if we teach these concepts step by step. All the schools in the Netherlands have a set of Me & Ricky and the feedback from the teachers is very positive. They are very enthusiastic about the structured way in which they can offer the spatial concepts

Standardization of the braille code is extremely important to promote its usage in a country. We need a braille authority to finalize standard braille code and ensure its adoption and promotion. DAISY Consortium is providing training and technical support in low- and middle-income countries in production of books in accessible formats. We have delivered these trainings in more than 40 countries in the past 5 years. Our training includes production techniques to convert accessible digital books into braille. These training sessions provided opportunities to us to get glimpse of status of standardization of braille in these countries. We also found some unexpected gaps in braille production methods and systems in developing countries. In this presentation, we will share some of our experiences and observations of where we need to plan our interventions. Some of these areas include: Status of awareness and adoption of UEB in countries where English is one of the official languages. Braille authorities and standard braille code for local languages. Availability of language tables in braille translation systems such as Liblouis and Duxbury. local language support in refreshable braille displays Level of knowledge and skills of braille production We will also discuss some of the positive outcomes of these experiences such as the: enhancements of DAISY Pipeline - open-source tool from the DAISY Consortium to support easier methods of braille production discussions during such training in Kenya started the process of bringing stake holders together and development of grade 2 braille code for Kenyan Swahili braille and adding the same in Liblouis. Addition of several local language braille tables in Liblouis such as Sinhala, Chichewa, Swahili, etc. We need to come together to make a collaborative effort to address these issues to take braille into new age in low- and middle-income group countries.

What does a castle look like? And the moon? And a jellyfish? For blind children, things that are too big, too far away or too dangerous to be touched, are not so easily understandable. While sighted children usually develop an understanding of basic concepts through incidental learning, children with a visual impairment need to learn these concepts in an intentional manner. Touching original objects or models or getting things described are different methods on how to get a better idea of the environment. At the German Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted (DBSV) we believe that books are a great tool for young blind and partially sighted children to discover the world. As for every other child, books are for them a door to fantasy, a way of travelling to far places without moving from the chair. Unfortunately, there are too few appropiate books for visually impaired children, with quality and attractive tactile pictures. Our aim is to change this situation by creating tactile books in which children can enjoy touching different materials, awaken their curiosity, develop their fine motor and tactile skills and interact while moving the tactile elements from page to page. The books prepare blind and visually impaired children for reading in a very playful way. All the DBSV children books contain text in Braille and large print and also haptic and three-dimensional elements, many of which are interactive: doors or windows can be opened, figures moved, houses built or pears picked. Some of the books also include audio content. The books are designed in an inclusive way, also giving much importance to colors and graphic elements, so that they are attractive to both blind and sighted children. The production of the books is mostly handmade. Some elements are created with the help of technologies such as 3D printing, laser cutting, plottering or relief printing. But many others are produced by hand in order to achieve the desirable diversity of materials.

For its Braille literacy programme directed towards adults, dBSV has created a collection of tactile graphics as pre Braille training: Many adults who are learning Braille face challenges with tactile sensitivity, making it difficult to accurately distinguish the small Braille dots. To address this, the tactile graphics presented here are used as part of a structured Braille teaching program, offering learners the opportunity to improve their tactile skills through simple, engaging exercises. The collection includes a variety of worksheets featuring geometric shapes, line patterns, and tactile mazes. These activities are intended to develop learners' sense of touch in a playful and practical way. By practicing with larger, more accessible tactile forms, learners gradually improve their ability to perceive finer details such as Braille dots. Repeated exposure to these simple tasks not only builds confidence but also strengthens the necessary tactile discrimination skills required for successful Braille reading.

Join us for an interactive workshop exploring the power of tactile storytelling through the creation of accessible illustrations. We will guide participants in using reclaimed materials to design and construct tactile artworks that can be enjoyed by both visually impaired and sighted individuals with the creative process led by the participants’ sense of touch. This hands-on experience will foster creativity, problem-solving, and a deeper understanding of the importance of inclusive storytelling. Key Outcomes: Participants will gain practical skills in creating tactile illustrations using recycled materials. Attendees will develop a greater appreciation for the role of tactile experiences in storytelling. The workshop will promote a sense of community and shared creativity among participants. Materials: A variety of recycled materials, such as cardboard, fabric scraps, buttons, and natural elements and necessary tools will be provided. The authors each contribute a unique skill set to the workshop: Stephanie Simpson is an educator and illustrator with a background in mixed-media crafting and visual storytelling and Wilna Combrinck is an educator and graphic designer with experience in multimodal tactile design for children.

At Accessibility Library Celia, we had a book project where we produced swell paper images to braille books for small children. However, we wanted to find a way to use also our existing plastic tactile images. At the end of year 2021 we had an idea about to offer Christmas themed pictures and books to braille readers at school. We created a package that schools were able to order for their pupils. In the package, we combined plastic tactile images and books. All the books recommended could be loaned from Celia both braille and audio, even though we emphasize braille. We have had packages from various themes, such as Christmas, Halloween, summer activities, autumn and starting the school. Our latest package was themed artificial intelligence, space and stars and in the package we had pictures of an UFO, planet Earth and so on, and suitable books to the theme, of course. We recommend books e.g. in Instragram and also we have developed a way to monitor the effects of recommendations. Also we collect feedback about packages. We aim to encourage children to read books especially in braille, and get the feeling about tactile images.

A Children's Book Classic in a New Design

Taking our adaptation of the classic children's book „The Gruffalo“ as an example, we will show the developments in product design, especially for tactile children´s books, over the last 10 years. In 2014 in one of our first and most popular multi-material books, the Braille was still partially glued in as text areas and the book was bound in a folder. With the new edition of 2024, „The Gruffalo“ has been published in a new guise. With the combination of traditional printing, contemporary design and an interactive book concept, we inspire children and adults anew for (Braille) reading, touching and discovering. 

Which aspects of the illustrations in the original book did we transfer into tactile elements? How did we create exciting and varied tactile illustrations? Which interactive features enrich the storytelling in the tactile realization?

Integrating multisensory experiences into learning instructions has shown improvements in learning outcomes. Based on the idea that multisensory experiences can scaffold learning, we co-created a multisensory device to offer engaging technologies for braille learning. This device consists of a six-button box, in which each button press elicits a specific tone, a haptic vibration or a sound and a haptic vibration. Twelve blind and thirteen visually impaired participants—including children, adolescents, and adults—along with ten sighted individuals, placed their fingers on the device to experience various braille letter patterns through auditory-haptic feedback, haptic feedback alone, or auditory cues.  Participants reported enjoyment while interacting with the device, experienced a feeling of competence and felt less nervous. Most participants preferred the auditory-haptic modality, but preferences varied between groups: blind children favoured auditory-haptic and auditory modalities, while visually impaired children also liked the haptic modality. We discuss differences in sensory sensitivity and additional diagnoses, such as autism and cerebral vision impairment, as possible explanations for the varying modality preferences observed between groups. Future research will explore the adaptation of these devices for children with multiple impairments.

One of the most common methods for representing the three-dimensional world on a two-dimensional plane is linear perspective. By teaching its basic principles, tactile artists can help learners organize objects and information in a way that is familiar to those who already understand perspective, while also introducing these concepts to newcomers.

A highly effective way to teach perspective is through "flip-pics," a method we use at the Colorado Center for the Blind. Flip-pics are intuitive tools for introducing the structure of perspective to individuals who are unfamiliar with it. By creating clear examples, we allow participants to explore how perspective images are organized, enabling them to separate and layer elements for better understanding. Once they grasp these concepts, participants will have the chance to create their own flip-pic, which they can take home and share.

LEGO Braille Bricks is a fun and inclusive concept to teaching braille to blind and visually impaired children through play. Its universal design helps them develop academic skills while fostering inclusion with their sighted peers.

Now available in 34 countries, this initiative is making a real difference! Come discover our journey so far and hear inspiring testimonials from beneficiaries.

Have you ever tried to put braille on existing 3D models? When I started working with 3D models and 3D printing for VI I always wondered if there was a way to do this. I have tried various ways, but I was very happy when I found a way to do it with the free software of PrusaSlicer. PrusaSlicer Slicing software has evolved increasingly in the past few years. PrusaSlicer nowadays is way more than just a piece of software to prepare your 3D model for 3D printing. They keep improving their software and now it has a couple of interesting features that, if combined, lets you add braille on existing 3D models very intuitively. Basic knowledge of handling 3D models is required. This means that the workshop is aimed at sighted people with knowledge of the 3D printing process.

The National Research Agenda for STEM Education for Students with Visual Impairments (VI) published 12 goals in 2022 to achieve full inclusion and access to STEM education for VI students. A selection of these goals was applied to create a video series exploring and demonstrating nonvisual lab techniques to use in a college structural biology research laboratory. The topics covered include measuring liquids, measuring temperatures, performing gel electrophoresis, acid-base titration, labeling supplies, lab safety, and growing bacteria colonies. Goal 1, Collaboration, was achieved by a sighted biochemistry research assistant collaborating with professional blind scientists, a post-secondary student who is blind, and science supply companies to plan the content for the video series. The research assistant and student co-created videos by planning, filming, editing, and distributing content together. Goal 3, Skills to Succeed in STEM Education, and Goal 9, Transition and Mentorship, were explored by providing the student with an accessible biochemistry lab experience with the mentorship of the research assistant. Goal 8, Identity, and Goal 11, Personnel Preparation, were addressed by posting the videos on social media and on the Perkins Accessible Science portal to reach a wide audience. Goal 10, Technology Exploration, was addressed by using combinations of access technology to explore the effectiveness of using them as lab tools, and foster opportunities to co-create the videos. Goal 12, Advocacy, was implemented by contacting science supply companies for samples of accessible tools, and advocating for the need for more accessible lab equipment. Attendees will leave with concrete accessible strategies to implement in their laboratories, and be challenged to continue to implement the goals listed in the agenda in their teaching and research.

In this presentation, the co-authors of The Second Edition of Essential Tools of the Trade: A Guide for Completing Functional Vision, Non-Visual Skills, Learning Media, and Expanded Core Curriculum Evaluations will introduce the newly-developed Non-Visual Skills Assessment and provide a coherent framework and practical tools for conducting rigorous Non-Visual Skills Assessments, Learning Media Assessments, and Literacy Needs Assessments for school-aged students accessing the curriculum through the tactile sense. Learning Objectives (3): Participants will be able to identify the steps necessary to provide rigorous Learning Media and Literacy Needs assessments for tactile learners. Participants will be able to identify the non-visual skills necessary for braille literacy. Participants will be able to identify the benefits of the Non-Visual Skills Assessment and subsequent training to build tactile literacy. Julie Majzel, M.Ed., MA, CTSVI, is currently a doctoral candidate in Reading, Language and Literacy. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, a Master’s of Education Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, with specializations in Teaching English as a Second Language and Early Childhood Education, and a Master of Arts Degree in Special Education/Visual Impairments. Julie taught in non-traditional settings for more than 20 years, served students from birth through the master’s degree level, and has been a TSVI in Colorado and Texas for nearly a decade. Julie is a Curriculum Lead Teacher at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and a member of the 2024 Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities K-12 Braille Literacy Subcommittee, dedicated to improving braille instruction. Julie is also the co-author of Essential Tools of the Trade: A Guide for Completing Functional Vision, Non-Visual Skills, Learning Media, and Expanded Core Curriculum Evaluations.

When someone is acquiring limitations in the auditory and visual sense, the touch becomes an important and trustworthy compensatory sense. It is important that people, who are deafblind, learn how to use the tactile channel in an optimal way. And that they receive the right support for this. The sense of touch deserves extra attention given the extra dependence on the tactile perception within the deafblind targetgroup. In this workshop you will learn and experience what the Tactual Profile - DeafBlind (TP-DB) brings you in terms of information and awareness. Do the items contribute to the need for greater awareness for as well the professional as the client? Does it help to give more direction to further interventions? We will take you with us in the developments, dilemmas, choice moments and above all the further implementation of TP-DB. There is also space in this workshop to exchange findings and experiences with each other.