Tactile picture books

TPB´s commission from the Swedish government

In recent years TPB has produced several tactile picture books for children. There is a marked interest and demand for these books and TPB considers the production of tactile picture books to be of great importance. TPB has been commissioned by the Swedish Government to pay special attention to the necessity of providing tactile picture books for children.

Tactile picture books are usually adaptations of printed originals. The tactile picture interprets the original picture, using vivid colours, shapes and textures to translate the illustration. The original text is included in the book, both in large print and in braille, but some of the pictures in the printed book may be omitted in the tactile book. The pictures may be too complicated to transfer, or the illustration may be a repetition of a previous one.

Through tactile picture books, visually disabled children are introduced to texts and pictures at an early age, just as sighted children. In addition it promotes braille usage. The use of tactile pictures in ordinary braille books is also increasing.

Tactile pictures - pictures to touch

In order to make pictures accessible for visually disabled people, certain criteria must be met. For instance, it is necessary that lines and surfaces in the picture are elevated. These pictures are called relief or tactile pictures, pictures to touch and feel. The fingertips convey information usually gathered by the eye.

But elevated lines and surfaces are not enough. A relief picture has to be simple and clear, without unnecessary details, and it must not be too small. Touch cannot convey as much information as the eye, the eye discovering more detail than the fingertip. The objects need to contrast clearly with the background.

The objects and their details can be distinguished from each other by means of the material employed, but shape plays an equally important role. It is mainly through shape that we recognize and identify objects, visually or through touch. In order to make the shape of objects clearer, we emphasize their characteristics, thus making it easier to recognize them through touch.

Tactile picture books for children

The first conscious contact with pictures is often made through what is called "object books"; simple books picturing everyday objects, such as a ball, a spade, a flower or a bird. These simple books are often read by children and adults together. While reading, the adult points to the picture, encouraging the child to say the name of the object in the picture.

In time, picture books give way to storybooks with more complex pictures. The reading of a text is supplemented with conversations based on the illustrations. Growing older, the child develops its capacity to interpret and talk about pictures. When children reach school age, they are expected to be able to solve different tasks with the help of information provided in texts as well as in pictures, and sometimes only with the help of pictures.

Visually disabled children must have the same opportunities as sighted children in learning to understand and interpret abstract objects and phenomena. It is therefore important that they have access to tactile pictures at an early age. It is only through pictures and models that we can develop an understanding of the size of small insects, or huge buildings such as the Eiffel Tower.

Tactile pictures in braille books for adults

Only a few braille books for adults use relief pictures for illustrations. In June 1998 TPB published a city guide for visually disabled people, "Getting in touch with Stockholm". The city guide was a part of the European project "European Cities Within Reach". One aspect of the project was the publishing of cultural guidebooks to various cities, making them accessible to visually disabled people.

"Getting in touch with Stockholm" suggests a series of walks around the central part of Stockholm. It focuses on sculptures and those parts of buildings, which may be interesting to touch for persons with severe visual impediments.

The guidebook is available in three versions: in large print, with clear and simple pictures; as a cassette book with pictures and maps in relief; in braille with pictures and maps in relief. The guide also lists those museums that are accessible to visually disabled.

The guide´s author is Anna Tellgren, relief pictures by Annica Norberg, and maps by Monica Strucel.

The price for any version (Swedish or English text in large print, braille, or as cassette book) is SEK 200 (plus VAT in Sweden). Unfortunately the braille version is sold out in English, but the cassette version does include a book with tactile pictures. Orders can be placed via:
Postal address:
TPB
Punktskriftsförsäljningen
SE-122 88 Enskede
Sweden

E-mail: pfors@tpb.se

Phone number: +46 (0)8 39 93 96 at the following hours:
Monday - Friday 9am-12, 1pm-3pm.
Also for sale at the same price is:
A guide to the production of tactile graphics on swell paper (1995), by Yvonne Eriksson and Monica Strucel. (Not available in braille.)