[accessibleimage] Re: a question about a scanner

Hi John,

I couldn't agree with you more. I guess maybe I gave the wrong
impression about tactile graphics (TG). I'm a big supporter of TG and I
think that it is important for people who are blind, and some with low
vision, to have access to as much graphical information as possible. In
most cases the verbal description is not adequate and the TG will surely
help. 

I responded to Janet because I was afraid that some people might think
that just converting the graphical information into a tactile format is
all that's needed. As you know that is often not adequate. I think the
technology that's available to help us produce tactile graphics is great
but there will be many occasions when the scanned image will need to be
modified in order for the tactile to be meaningful. In these situations
a human will need to intervene and clean up the graphic before embossing
it. I've heard too many "war stories" about administrators telling
teachers, "We bought you that technology so why do you need anything
else?"

The bottom line is that we want to continue to educate people about the
need for tactile graphics, the technologies that can help us produce
them, the issues associated with producing quality tactile graphics, and
the need to teach students who are blind or visually impaired how to
gather information from tactile graphics.

Ike

-----Original Message-----
From: accessibleimage-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:accessibleimage-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of John Gardner
Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2005 12:25 PM
To: accessibleimage@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; accessibleimage@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [accessibleimage] Re: a question about a scanner

Hello Ike, a very prescient analysis of the advantages and difficulties
of 
tactile graphics.  However having begun to depend more and more on
tactile 
graphics, I claim that most blind people who think they don't need
tactile 
graphics are just wrong.  Of course we've grown up in a world where we
had 
to make do with verbal description, but complicated graphical
information 
sure does get a lot easier to comprehend if you have the graphics.  I 
assure you that if you have tactile graphics technology available,
you'll 
make more and more use of it until you just cannot imagine how you could

possibly have lived without it.

The mistake that many people make is in assuming that tactile graphics
are 
enough.  They seldom are, particularly for the average blind person who
has 
had very little experience with tactile graphics.  As you point out,
most 
mainstream tactile graphics are cluttered.  In truth, many are really
hard 
to comprehend visually, but the difficulty is compounded if one has only

one's fingers.  Good access really requires both tactile graphics and 
verbal description.  A blind teacher who has to judge graphical
information 
made by her students would be extremely well served by a tactile copy 
overprinted in ink that can be seen by the teacher and student.  Then 
questions by the teacher and answers by the student just get a whole lot

easier.

Technology is cheap if it makes the blind person more effective.

John


At 06:38 AM 6/28/2005, Ike Presley wrote:

>Hi Janet,
>
>I've seen this sort of thing happen many times. A well meaning person
not 
>familiar with our field sees some new technology and assumes that it is

>the perfect answer for some problem. What your director probably saw
was 
>the Tiger embosser connected to a computer and a scanner. Indeed, you
can 
>scan an image and then have the image embossed on the Tiger. It's a 
>relatively simple process. Unfortunately the results may not always be 
>what you want or need.
>
>One of the biggest problems with tactile graphics is "clutter." In many

>cases, elements of a graphic may be so close to each other that when
they 
>are embossed it will be difficult to distinguish between each of these 
>items or elements. For example: an outline map of the US on 81/2 x 11
inch 
>paper will show all the states. However, the smaller states of the 
>northeast will be somewhat difficult to see visually but most people
can 
>make it out if detailed information is not needed. This image can
easily 
>be scanned into a computer using most commercial scanners. The file can
be 
>saved and then embossed on a Tiger embosser. The Tiger will produce a
good 
>reproduction of the image. However, when you try to distinguish the 
>borders of the northeastern states you will find that it is almost 
>impossible to determine the difference between Massachusetts, Rhode 
>Island, and Connecticut. The dots representing the borders will be so 
>close to each other that you will most likely not be able to
distinguish them.
>
>Depending on the complexity of the graphical information provided by
your 
>students you may be able to assist them. But as you can see from the 
>example above it could be quite difficult to tactual perceive the
minute 
>difference that may exist in a student's work. I think that you will
want 
>to have someone create a tactile graphic of the "graphic organizers and

>story webs" so that you can learn how these graphics are displayed. I'm

>not exactly sure what the director means by "graphic organizers and
story 
>webs" but I'm thinking it might be something like the organizational 
>schemes achieved with the computer programs Inspiration and
Kidspiration. 
>I think that once you understood how these organizational diagrams are 
>constructed you will be able to discuss each student's work verbally
and 
>use a model of one of the diagrams to provide feedback to the student.
I 
>think it is doable, but it will take some training on your part with 
>someone who is familiar with the graphical information and a good
communicator.
>
>Well, I've probably told you more than you ever wanted to know, but
this 
>is a tricky area of access. Timely access to graphical information is 
>available with a scanner, computer, and Tiger embosser, but the
usefulness 
>of that information will vary from item to item.
>
>Good luck and please feel free to contact me if I can be of any further

>assistance.
>Ike
>
>Ike Presley, Chair
>AER Division  5 - Information and Technology
>
>Ike Presley
>American Foundation for the Blind
>National Literacy Center
>100 Peachtree St., Suite 620
>Atlanta, GA 30303
>404-525-2303
>Please visit our website: www.afb.org
>
>If you wish to subscribe to the Braille Help listserv send a blank
message to
>        brlhelp-afb-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>and you will be added automatically.
>
>The American Foundation for the Blind -- the organization to which
Helen 
>Keller devoted over 40 years of her life -- is a national nonprofit
whose 
>mission is to eliminate the inequities faced by the 10 million
Americans 
>who are blind or visually impaired.
>
>
>----------
>From: accessibleimage-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
>[mailto:accessibleimage-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Janet
>Sent: Monday, June 27, 2005 6:27 PM
>To: accessibleimage@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: [accessibleimage] a question about a scanner
>
>Hi List,
>
>I am a totally blind teacher intern majoring in elementary special 
>education. I will begin my student teaching this fall.
>
>the director of Special education at my university went to the CEC 
>conference last April. She has had some concern whether or not I am 
>capable of performing essential functions of the job as a teacher. One
of 
>her main issues of concern is my ability to assist sighted students
with 
>images such as graphic organizers and story webs. So when she
discovered 
>information on this "scanner" she was very excited.
>
>She described it to me thus:
>
>It is a scanner with the ability to scan images and print them out as 
>exact images in a form of "Braille", something tactile that the blind 
>person can identify through touch.
>She gave me information on this scanner and other things she had 
>discovered at the CEC conference. When I went to read the brochures and

>pamphlets she had given me, I found nothing on this scanner. I am
thinking 
>I have been the one to loose the information. It was a while before I 
>finally had time to investigate all the materials she brought me.
>
>So after the long explanation, Has anybody heard of a scanner similar
to 
>the one above described? I haven't but then I haven't been looking for 
>anything like that.
>Thanks for your information.
>

John A. Gardner
Professor and Director, Science Access Project
Department of Physics
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331
tel: (541) 737 3278
FAX: (541) 737 1683
        SAP URL: http://dots.physics.orst.edu/

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