Tactile Mapping Software for Blind and Visually Impaired Navigation and Science Education

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Project SummaryThis project aims at providing/developing a model of environmental and thematic featureperception by blind and visually impaired map users. The project will also provide free, easilyaccessible, and easy to use tactile mapping software, downloadable from the Department ofGeography at University of Oregon website. The software will supply teachers with the tools tocreate navigation maps for blind and visually impaired orientation and mobility education as wellas create tactile socio-economic maps to be used as instructional materials in science and socialscience education. The Research Goals of the project are to:1. identify the most important environmental objects that are used during navigation,orientation and mobility by the blind and visually impaired2. identify how blind and visually impaired map users perceive, categorize and use theseenvironmental objects3. based on the findings from goals 1 and 2, create and evaluate a library of symbols thateffectively represent the environmental objects4. evaluate the threshold of socio-economic data representation/symbolization on tactilethematic maps5. create free, easily accessible Tactile Navigation and Socio-economic Mapping softwarethat incorporates research findings from goals 1, 2, 3,and 4Intellectual Merit. Research Goals 1-4 will be investigated through the design of empiricalexperiments involving human subject volunteers. Researchers and practitioners still do notunderstand completely how blind and visually impaired map readers perceive environmentalfeatures and then how those features are best symbolized for map use. While some researchershave begun to investigate tactile map design, very little has been reported on tactile navigationmap use and environmental perception. Moreover, little to no results has been reported on tactilethematic maps (neither design nor use). The results from the proposed research will build on thelimited knowledge base and begin to develop a model of understanding of both the environmentalfeatures (important for tactile navigation maps) and thematic value differences (important fortactile socio-economic maps).In addition, currently teachers have no automated means to produce navigation and thematicsocio-economic tactile maps for the education of blind and visually students. The TactileNavigation and Socio-economic Mapping that will be authored in this proposed project will offerthe ability for teachers and parents to create highly customized navigation and orientation mapsfor specific locations such as school, home, church, neighborhood, or playground. Moreover, theproposed software will allow the mapmakers to insert landmarks that are meaningful to the mapreader. But, one of the most substantial advantages of the proposed software is the additionalability to create hundreds of US socio-economic tactile maps, products that are flatly unavailablein any realistic way (without expensive custom-ordering from a tactile production company).Broader Impacts. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Law guarantees that this groupwill receive the materials they need for a free appropriate education. But, they don't have thesocio-economic maps they need to achieve an understanding of the country that guaranteed theireducational rights. The benefits this proposed project will bring to the underrepresented blindand visually impaired members of society are potentially monumental. The proposed project willdeliver not only theoretical models addressing the understanding map use and environmentalperception, but also the software, a tangible product that will enhance the infrastructure of bothresearch and education.