Means of transportation play an essential role in our lives. There are a lot of train lovers out there or car collectors. Blind people, on the other hand, struggle to know how a car, plane, or yacht looks. We created the ”Vehicles” tactile catalog of vehicles to allow the blind to explore all these independently, with a mobile phone.

 

 

  1. About the “Vehicles” catalog
  2. The independent study of the catalog
  3. How can you get the ”Vehicles” tactile catalog?
  4. Other self-describing tactile catalogs
  5. Help us create more catalogs

1. About the “Vehicles” tactile catalog

People are always on the run. Some travel by bus, be it summer or winter, others trade their cars for bikes when the weather allows it. But what about the blind?. They can hear the noise of the vehicles or the motorbikes around and the planes in the sky, but they do not have clear mental pictures about these means of transportation.

So, we thought, why let them explore those massive objects that help us travel from one place to another? The self-describing tactile catalog of vehicles was created with the help of OMV Petrom. It includes tactile drawings of cars, bikes, planes, trams, ships, buses, trains, and many other means of transportation.

The catalog contains 90 tactile drawings. You can also find them in the Tactile Images LIBRARY. Just press download, print on swell paper or emboss with an easy and cheap technique. We thought about inexpensive ways of embossing, with wood adhesive and a syringe. Learn how in these videos!

2. The independent study of the catalog

The greatest thing about the “Vehicles” catalog is that it contains self-describing tactile drawings. This means that it can be explored independently by a blind person, at his/her own pace. He/she can use either any QR Code Reader to study the information or download the Tactile Images READER mobile app for an enhanced experience and independent exploration. The app is on the App Store, and it’s free.

This mobile app plays the role of the specialist over the shoulder and can be considered the blind’s virtual assistant. It helps guide the hand on the tactile graphic and gives audio information simultaneously, just like a real person would do.

3. How can you get the “Vehicles” tactile catalog?

It’s easy to get the tactile catalog of vehicles. You only have to access this link and write your name and e-mail address. It’s fast and free!

4. Other self-describing tactile catalogs

The “Vehicles” catalog is not the first self-describing tactile catalog we are creating. In 2019, we created the “Urban Landscapes” catalog with the help of ING Bank Romania, which you can download free of charge.

The second one is the “Portraits” catalog, which we created with the support of the Romanian Ministry of Culture, the Romanian Cultural Heritage Administration, and the Historical Consulting Center in Bucharest. Find out more about it in this article!

We also created the “Tactile Network” catalog, which contains electricity-related graphics. We created the catalog with the help of Electrica S.A., and you can read more about it here.

5. Help us create more catalogs

Because tactile catalogs are expensive to create, there are many topics blind children still need to explore. We want to help them create accurate pictures of the world around and willing to make as many self-describing tactile catalogs as possible.

Do you have an idea about a tactile catalog and want to be our sponsor? Please do not hesitate to contact us or donate to help us complete other catalogs for the blind.

Do you have any questions about self-describing tactile catalogs? Write in the comment section below!

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