[accessibleimage] Re: Audio-Tactile Viewers

Hi Kay and All,
If a teacher has the TTT and its authoring tool, but doesn't have the time 
or inclination to produce the actual tactual drawing, that drawing could 
certainly be produced at another location, and as long as the TTT's 
template was used, i.e. the controls around the outside of the drawing, and 
it were sized properly, the teacher could create the tags.  When you use 
the TTT's authoring tool to create the tags, you are literally talked 
through the process.  A human voice tells you exactly what to do.  (I 
really understand what you mean, though, about the importance of technical 
support for teachers who are trying to do this along with their other 
myriad tasks.)  I don't think we're yet at the stage where graphics 
intended for use on one viewing device would be readable by another.  but 
maybe that's not so far off.    Incidentally, if you want a chance to get 
your hands on a Tablet and the Authoring tool, check out

http://www.ttt-at.com

Have a great weekend, everybody.

Karen

I very much support the concept of audio/tactile as part of the critical 
path toward fostering graphical understanding for all our students.

At 11:11 AM 5/28/2004 -0500, you wrote:
>Good morning, Don, Karen, Lisa, and all!  I have spent a day or two in my
>personal "think tank" after work, spent partially in walking a quarter
>mile track outside the building where I am housed.  I have logged some
>miles while mulling over the matter of audio-tactile viewing devices.  I
>wish I could say that the audio-tactile gods spoke to me while I was
>jogging around the track, but unfortunately many questions kept surfacing
>to which I seek answers.  I have also spent time gleaning information from
>the TGD, Tactile Graphics, and SAL websites in an effort to understand and
>compare their similarities and differences.  I eliminated SAL from my list
>due to its cost and its focus on teaching braille to the very young
>student.  Plus, I couldn't find where it offered dual purpose as an
>effective audio-tactile viewer.
>
>How many audio-tactile viewers, be they TGD or TTT, or something similar
>(how many versions of an audio viewing device exist?--I couldn't locate
>others) are currently placed in facilities/institutions and being used on
>a daily basis by teachers of the blind and/or classroom teachers?  Are
>there any stats on this?
>
>How feasible is it to design and produce the overlays in one location and
>then send them to another location where the audio tags are attached by a
>classroom teacher?  Is this something that a teacher or her paraeducator
>can very easily learn to do?  This is a critical question!  I know from
>years of personal experience that the majority of classroom teachers need
>to be led by the hand through learning to use new technology (hardware and
>software).  If teachers don't have a strong technology support system,
>they tend to reject new technology, e.g., mention the word "Intelli-Tools"
>to many teachers and they "run for the hills"!  I see an audio-tactile
>viewing device as an important tool for blind students within the
>classroom where the content is generated by the teacher on site--and often
>on the fly.  For example, a teacher might need a tactile map of the state
>of Nebraska where she needs to place only a few pieces of information for
>the day's lesson.  Multiple tactile maps of the state could be produced,
>via computer graphics, for the teacher who places pertinent audio tags on
>each map as the day's assignment dictates.
>
>Or ... could the tactile graphic be designed and the audio tags attached
>by the transcriber or tactile artist, per teacher prescription, in one
>location and then, when the tactile graphic arrived at the student's
>school, would the audio tags assigned in the production location work with
>another pad or tablet in the student's classroom?  I assume this is
>possible, but I'm not clear on this.
>
>A tactile-audio viewer would go far in validating the acceptance of TGD,
>Tiger, and "toaster" graphics, which up to now have not been well-accepted
>by many braille reading students.  Highly textured and dimensional
>graphics with braille labels are a wonderful tool for braille readers and
>by no means should they be displaced, but in the present real world where
>tactile graphics are expected to be produced in record numbers, it would
>seem that the audio feature would successfully compensate for the lack of
>high dimension and varied textures, although these would still exist to a
>lesser degree.  In fact, it seems that it would more than compensate, as
>the elimination of labels would allow for more detail in the drawing and
>the audio description could be as comprehensive as one chooses to make it.
>  And what about our schools' low vision students and identified
>non-readers?  Surely, they could greatly benefit from a--shall we now call
>it a "visual/tactile-audio device"?  Oh--the possibilities!!!
>
>I sincerely hope that the patent issues regarding the TTT vs TGD are
>resolved soon.  On the surface it appears to be primarily a matter of
>semantics.  The focus needs to be on getting these devices marketed so
>that targeted populations have access to this revolutionary (not
>really--the NOMAD has been around for ages--I have one!) educational tool.
>  -- kt
>
>P.S.  I loved your stories, Don!   And ... Karen, I agree with you
>completely.  There certainly is a place for high-resolution masters for
>essential core graphics.  Bottom line--it's time to combine and coordinate
>ALL our efforts for the greater good!

Karen Luxton Gourgey, Ed.D
Director, Computer Center for visually Impaired People
Baruch college, city University of New York
Box H-0648
1 Bernard Baruch Way
New York, NY 10010
Phone: 646 312-1426
Fax: 646 312-1421
e-mail Karen_Gourgey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.Baruch.CUNY.edu/CCVIP

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