The Urban Development Association is a Romanian NGO, created in 2009, but which has been developing projects since 2007.

The Urban Development Association took the mission of enhancing blind people’s lives almost a decade ago. The first project was Feel the Art, a project carried out three years in a row/3 editions (2011-2013). This was succeeded by Feel the Art on the Road (2013), project carried out in 5 cities in the country. 

Elephant Step & THATS meant equipping 5 Romanian schools for the blind with 10 iPad tablets and conducting research and the development of a prototype for the educational platform THATS  (Touch & Hear Assistive Teaching System) (2014). 

thats.wiki represented carrying out the research for the first digital encyclopedia for the blind (with tactile graphics and audio tracks) which uses assistive technology and laying the foundations for the e-learning platform. And that’s when we demonstrated that a tactile graphic can be read by a mobile app (2016).

In 2018 we created the first Online LIBRARY with tactile graphics: imaginitactile.ro. In the same year, we conducted an awareness-raising tour in 5 museums, which had as the main goal creating buzz around the tactile graphics. 

2019 was a project-rich year. Winning the RO Smart competition, organized by OMV Petrom, allowed the starting of the project that has as main goal the creation of the e-learning platform and of a 100-vehicles catalogue. Also at that time, The Country of Tactile Images Tour, which had as main goal raising awareness about the library and the software solutions, was carried out. The tour included 8 art schools and 24 blind people’s associations in the country. 

The Equal Technology – Right to Education project followed. The project had as main objective receiving Smartphone settlement for the blind from the National Health Insurance Fund and raising awareness of the developed software solutions. (YouTube Channel: here).

The ”Urban Landscape” Catalogue, the first catalogue with self-describing images was created the same year. 

In 2020, a new catalogue with self-describing images will be created. The theme will be electricity. Also, the educational platform will be enhanced with the DRAWER and PRINTER sections.

The Tactile Images project was developed with the support of The Orange Foundation – ”The World through Color and Sound”, The National Cultural Heritage Administration, The Ministry of Culture, HP Enterprise, OMV Petrom, INK Bank, Electrica S.A, Windows and hundreds of donors.

If you want to give us a hand, you can help build the Online LIBRARY by drawing, translating, creating tactile graphics and by raising awareness. This is why any type of donation will help us see our dream come true as soon as possible.

The project was born out of the necessity of empowering the blind by offering them access to individual learning. This was noticed during the workshops created with blind children and adults.

Tactile Images are representations of reality that can be perceived by the blind and partially sighted.

2014 – Proof of concept – Mobile App

2016 – Proof of concept – LIBRARY

2020 – MVP (minimum viable product)

You can find about 800 tactile graphics in the LIBRARY.

Yes. We created the infrastructure which allows sighted people (parents, teachers, volunteers) to create personalized tactile graphics. Also, we helped enrich the LIBRARY with different projects.

The tactile graphics in our LIBRARY cover a vast array of subjects such as objects, persons, events, mathematical formulas or maps.

The tactile culture does not take into account the age, but the exploration experience. What is more, the EDITOR allows adapting the information according to the knowledge of a particular blind person, the graphics being suited for both children and adults.

Yes.

Because you can use the platform free of charge and because it was created to give the blind access to information, there is no such limit. You can download as many tactile graphics you want, but if you want to sell them, you cannot do it without our approval. Please contact us.

To search for a drawing in the LIBRARY, you just have to use Search, available for both the LIBRARYand the App LIBRARY.

You can help enrich the LIBRARY by volunteering – you can translate, create sections or draw.

Right now, the App LIBRARY is comprised of 50 tactile graphics, but in April 2020 we will add another 100. What is more, users can help enrich the Library with their own tactile graphics.

Yes, we, as well as users, will help enrich the App LIBRARY.

The tactile graphics in the App LIBRARY can cover a vast array of subjects – from people to objects or maps.

The tactile graphics in the App LIBRARY are destined to all the blind people and are not divided by age. Anyway, we want to create a rating system in the future, one similar to that of Lego toys.

Yes.

You can download a limitless number of tactile graphics a day.

To search for a drawing in the App LIBRARY, you just have to use Search, available for both the LIBRARY and the App LIBRARY.

Right now, there is an editor selecting the best tactile graphics. Starting with 2020, the adding will be realized automatically.