TactViz: A VMD Plugin for Tactile Visualization of Protein Structures

Jodi A. Hadden-Perilla,Olivia R. Shaw

doi:10.14448/jsesd.12.0015

Jodi A. Hadden-Perilla, Olivia R. Shaw

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.14448/jsesd.12.0015

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Abstract

Scientific disciplines spanning biology, biochemistry, and biophysics involve the study of proteins and their functions. Visualization of protein structures represents a barrier to education and research in these disciplines for students who are blind or visually impaired. Here, we present a software plugin for readily producing variable-height tactile graphics of proteins using the free biomolecular visualization software Visual Molecular Dynamics (VMD) and protein structure data that is publicly available through the Protein Data Bank. Our method also supports interactive tactile visualization of proteins with VMD on electronic refreshable tactile display devices. Employing our method in an academic laboratory has enabled an undergraduate student who is blind to carry out research alongside her sighted peers. By making the study of protein structures accessible to students who are blind or visually impaired, we aim to promote diversity and inclusion in STEM education and research.

Highlights

Tactile GraphicsTactile graphics, 2-dimensional graphics that employ raised surfaces to convey non-textual information through touch, are a major physical medium used in the instruction of students who are blind or visually impaired (Edman, 1992)
The depth-based shading applied by TactViz translates to elevation height in tactile visualization to illuminate the 3-dimensional nature of the protein structure
Through the development of TactViz, we have enabled an undergraduate student who is blind to carry out publication-quality research on protein structure and structure-function relationships alongside her sighted peers, within the setting of an academic laboratory

Summary

Introduction

Tactile GraphicsTactile graphics, 2-dimensional graphics that employ raised surfaces to convey non-textual information through touch, are a major physical medium used in the instruction of students who are blind or visually impaired (Edman, 1992). Common methods for generating tactile graphics include embossing, vacuum or thermoforming, printing layered inks or substrates, and printing on specialized papers that expand when heated. Tactile graphics methods based on the application of heat to swell or microcapsule paper are very popular due to convenience, low cost, and quick production (Rowell & Ungar, 2003; Thompson & Chronicle, 2006). The application of heat to the specialized papers causes the regions of an image that are darkly shaded to swell, or elevate and become tactile (Hashimoto & Watanabe, 2016). Variable elevation height can be used to encode additional information into tactile graphics. Electronic refreshable tactile display devices, like the Graphiti, which use arrays of pins that raise and lower to show tactile graphics, may offer multiple pin heights to likewise enrich tactile visualization

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