Modern Tactile Maps In Special Education

Abstract

The majority of information has a spatial context that can be represented on a map. For people with visual impairments, using a map as a representation of a real spatial context is not only a possibility but also a necessity. At the Department of Geoinformatics, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic, the research team has developed prototypes and methodology for the creation of a modern type of 3D tactile maps, linkable with mobile devices. The prototypes have been verified in practice in cooperation with educational centres for people with visual impairment and blind people, and in special schools. It is comprehensive research focusing on a number of scientific challenges. The implementation of newly created tactile maps into the process of education of people with visual impairment was realized thanks to the active cooperation of experts from the Institute of Special Education Studies, experts from the Department of Geoinformatics, Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic, educators from many special education centres, and teachers from special schools. The development of prototypes was possible thanks to cooperation with the target respondents (people with visual impairments) and their willingness to evaluate maps, to evaluate the use of tactile maps in training, and their readiness to cooperate on modifying the proposed prototypes through the user testing.