THE DEVELOPMENT OF GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS FOR TACTILE GRAPHICS IN NORTH AMERICA

L. Hasty, D. Spence

Braille Authority of North America

Lhasty2@earthlink.net

Students who are braille readers often have difficulty interpreting information in textbooks when presented in a graphic format. Design and production techniques vary widely among braille textbook production agencies. Teaching students the skills needed to interpret graphics is difficult for teachers because of lack of consistency in how information is presented. Because textbooks include significant amounts of content presented in graphic form, a need to establish consistent presentation for readers was recognized.

Through a joint project, the Braille Authority of North America and the Canadian Braille Authority have established guidelines for design and standards for production of tactile graphics, covering a broad spectrum of academic subject areas and production methods and media. The project began by reviewing all available relevant literature and research, followed by a research project, Graphics Research and Standards Project (GRASP) conducted by the joint committee and University of British Columbia. The objective of the research was to determine the characteristics of readability in tactile graphics. The Guidelines and Standards will serve as a new braille code for graphics.

This presentation will provide an overview of each of the topics covered in the Guidelines and Standards and review the research findings. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and offer comments about guidelines being used in their country.