Accessible Test

Moving Ahead: Tactile Graphic Storybooks

(Continued)
Purpose

To provide print/braille storybooks for upper preschool, kindergarten and first grade students featuring tactile graphics designed to encourage tactual exploration, refine tactual discrimination, and introduce tactile symbols, simple keys, and maps in the context of a story.

Project staff

Suzette Wright, Project Leader/Author

Lois Harrell, Project Consultant/Author

Mila Truan, Project Consultant

Josephine Stratton, Project Consultant
Background

Symbolic visual displays, such as maps and diagrams, play an increasingly important role in textbooks and computer displays for students with typical vision. They present a special challenge for students with significant vision loss, who are often expected to use a tactile equivalent in the course of their studies and in test-taking. Observers have suggested difficulty interpreting tactile displays may be due, in part, to lack of early exposure. Storybooks developed in this project are designed to give young students opportunities to explore and interpret tactile illustrations that feature raised symbols, lines and areal patterns. Of equal importance, the storybooks offer exposure to braille and foster key emergent literacy skills. The print/braille text of the books is intended to be read aloud by an adult reader. Embedded text (in large print and the user’s choice of either contracted or uncontracted braille) offers opportunities for the student to explore and read single words and short phrases, just as they might read labels included in a tactile diagram.

Initially, project leader efforts focused on identifying objectives and selecting or creating story texts and graphic media to support these. Lois Harrell served as project consultant, authoring a book and reviewing drafts of other books. Project leader Fred Otto suggested the subject and objectives for another of the stories drafted. Based on input from expert reviewers, four stories were chosen from a large pool of drafts. A variety of tactile media were considered. Paper embossed graphics were selected for the first book. A combination of embossed braille and Tactile Visions graphics was selected for three books.
Multiple prototypes of each of the four books were hand-produced. Accompanying storyboards (featuring symbols from the story mounted to Velcro-backed pieces) were created to enable students to create their own tactile displays. A Reader’s Guide including information about introducing the child to the book’s tactile graphics and briefly discussing emergent literacy skills and development of tactual learning skills was written to accompany each of the books.
Seven teacher-evaluators at seven sites participated in an expert review and conducted the field evaluation of the books/storyboards with 23 students ranging in age from 4.5 to 11 years of age, spanning an eight to ten week period. Without dissension, teachers indicated texts and tactile graphics for all four books were interesting and appropriate for kindergarten and first grade students; a majority also extended the books’ value upward to second grade students. Teachers reported 94–100% of the students, in their opinion, had benefited from using the books during the evaluation period and would benefit from using the books for a longer period of time. Reasons given included: “increased motivation to read and exposure to braille and tactile exploration;” “allowed student to experience tactile graphics with a purpose;” “tactile graphics made the books more fun and motivated him to use his hands to explore and draw in information;” “helped tracking skills.” The tactile graphics were also credited with enhancing understanding of the stories for 90% of the students. Accompanying storyboards were strongly endorsed by the teachers, who stated that their use improved comprehension, offered students an important opportunity to create their own graphics, and were highly motivating. A majority of teachers commented favorably on the Tactile Visions graphics. All evaluators rated the visual graphics in the books as a “very important” component of the books, promoting shared reading with typically sighted peers and adults and supplementing tactual information for the many braille readers with usable vision. The three project consultants also reviewed prototype books, provided favorable reviews and suggested changes to specific tactile illustrations.
The four Moving Ahead Storybooks and accompanying components received approval for sale on quota. It was decided that each of the four books be produced separately to assist flow through the pre-production/tooling and production phases. Goin’ On a Bear Hunt was produced and is available.
In order to produce the second storybook (Splish the Fish), sample tests were run to ensure compatibility of the paper stock, the outside vendor’s inks, and the Tactile Visions process; several problems with paper were encountered and resolved. It was necessary to design and add a special switch and tray to the Tactile Visions machine to accommodate the book’s page size. An initial pilot run of 100 books revealed some inconsistency in registration. A debriefing addressed possible sources. Subsequent runs of the book have been problem-free.
Work during FY 2009

All final tooling for the third book in this series (The Boy and the Wolf) and the accompanying Reader’s Guide has been completed. Specifications have been written and given to Production. This book is similar in format to Splish, utilizing a combination of full-color visual graphics, Tactile Visions graphics, and paper-embossed braille. Lois Harrell is the author of the third storybook in the series.

All final tooling for the fourth storybook in the series (Turtle and Rabbit) has been largely completed.

Work planned for FY 2010

The Boy and the Wolf will be produced and made available for purchase. Final tooling, and specifications of Turtle and Rabbit will be completed and a production date will be set. The project leader, working with consultants, will identify a commercially available children’s book suited to development as the next Moving Ahead book and will design accompanying tactile illustrations.