That’s a great question. I think it’s so interesting reading your experiences with different types of blind students you have been helping and their ability to interpret graphics, some better than others. I do think that having had some vision in the past really make a difference. For those who are blind from birth like myself, I feel like our brains never got that learning opportunity and we are lacking that understanding since we have no reference point for certain things. I do much better with 3d models as you discussed. I had to take organic chemistry in college for my human biology major and the only way I could grasp that was 3d models. I didn’t have any tactile graphics to even use then but even if I did, I am sure I would not have found them helpful.
I would expect the factors which influence success in tactile graphics understanding to have been investigated in research. I don’t know whether the research has reached the point at which it would be useful in crafting a tactile graphics tutorial for the Monarch, however. We would need to ask someone who works in the relevant field, probably cognitive science.
This is such a great discussion!
To me it always goes back to the question of what is the purpose of a graphic, in the context of access. We need to consider, are they always necessary? Do they add to the content we’re trying to teach/learn/access, or do they hinder comprehension or add extra work?
I’ve been totally blind from birth as well, and I was the first blind student in my country to attend a regular school from grade 1; blind students always did elementary at the school for the blind, and those who were ready would get mainstreamed in seventh grade (middle school for us). I never had a TVI in school, though saw a TVI at home twice a week until 6th grade. I remember having some tactile graphics (maps and basic geometry, but geometry just to learn concepts or as a frame of reference, rather than an expectation on my Math notes). So similar to others here, i had no access to graphics in middle school or high school at all. Two-dimension representation of three-dimensional objects makes so little sense to me and I find little use for it to help me understand a new concept. Graphs and charts of data, on the other hand, made sense so easily the first time I got my hands on some as an adult, so much potential, and I feel like it would have been so helpful to have access to it when working for instance on Stats courses in college!
I am currently exploring the tactile viewer, so will post more later!
Exactly, Ronit! To me the concept of visual depth perception of a three-dimensional object represented in a two-dimension picture doesn’t necessarily transfer to the tactual experience, vision and touch are just different access pathways, if that makes sense. So having never had sight, I have no frame of reference for that substitution from object to picture..
When my Algebra or Physics teachers in high school saw that I was able to solve an equation or problem because I clearly understood the steps, they didn’t care whether I could graph them or not because they understood that the graphic was merely a visual representation of the equation process. Having those graphs or charts available would have most likely given me additional paths to understanding those concepts had I been exposed to them, but for other things like Biology where I needed to picture in my head three-dimensional objects, I remember always wishing for a model rather than a picture.
I would be so interested in that research! More than the success of the understanding of graphics, I’d love to see research on how much access to tactile graphics, specifically two-dimension representation of three-dimensional objects- adds to concept development/comprehension in persons who are blind.
How do you get rid of the scroll bars? I searched the context menu but can’t find the command. I think I would have an easier time reading the graphics if they covered more of the display.
It’s in the settings menu of the tactile viewer. I don’t think there’s a way to get there from the context menu.
I have also been totally blind since birth. I was provided many tactile graphics growing up, and in college, but always struggled to decipher anything more complicated than the simplest graphics. Unfortunately my experience with the tactile viewer on the Monarch was not much better. I spent much of my time playing with the 50 states maps since that is a framework I’m already familiar with. I also explored some statistical graphs. I found that all the graphs kind of felt the same when zoomed out. I really couldn’t decipher much of anything at all unless I zoomed in. Then, I had the issue with the zoomed-in graph being too big for the display. I think I still need to mess with some settings though, because I’m still finding blank space (white space)? on the side of the graphic without the scroll bar. So they aren’t filling the display completely. I agree with others that having more than 2 zoom levels would be really helpful, including a level that sizes the graphic to the display. I only explored TGIL graphics so I’m sure importing regular graphics like PDF files on the web would be even harder to decipher.
In terms of education, I think it’s important to teach tactile graphics for the sole reason that standardized tests like the SAT and GRE still use them (at least, I think they do). My own math scores suffered significantly on both tests because of my difficulty interpreting tactile graphics. Perhaps an app on the Monarch that paired a graphic with audio cues could be really helpful for a student (or an adult like me) to learn to interpret graphics with increasing complexity. Or I like the idea someone else suggested about creating AI-generated image descriptions to accompany more complicated graphics.
I’ll take just a minute here to echo what you are recommending, and what others are recommending, to have more than just 2 zoom levels. I tended to find the zoomed-out level had so little detail that, unless I was looking at something familiar like a map of the 50 states, it was useful mostly for just pinpointing the location I wanted to start zoomed in on.
And despite the limitations with having only 2 zoom levels at this point, I very much enjoyed exploring the tactile viewer. I looked at a number of scientific symbols, such as circuit symbols that were familiar from high school when my use of enlarged images was limitedly useful, as well as geometric representations. I also examined the pedigree and compound pulley images, though these were only understandable at the zoomed-in level. In familiarizing myself with the viewer, I looked at the maps of the 50 U.S. states and of the Canadian provinces; it was surprising to again appreciate just how long California, which I mostly grew up in, is from north to south. Finally, I also looked at a few familiar religious symbols, learning for the first time that Eastern Orthodox Christians have a much more ornate cross than the generic Christian cross in the TGIL (consider adding other Christian crosses such as the Jerusalem cross or the crucifix); for these symbols, the zoomed-out level was more useful.
As a further recommendation for CIE settings and likely others, consider having the tactile viewer be able to support PPTX files instead of the need to convert them to PDF. I did so with some work slides that I had put together for a recent public meeting, and I am sure that the formatting and understandability could be noticeably improved if PPTX could be supported directly. I look forward to the next modules to learn further how the Monarch will interact with word processing, tables, and embedded images.
Hi Arielle! What you’re saying here resonates a lot. Just with my very initial forays into tactile graphics on the Monarch, I’m encountering the same struggles I always have with hardcopy tactile graphics. In short, they often make little to no sense to me, and I typically need sighted support to orient myself to the image. Even then, graphics don’t tend to help me much. I definitely want to work on this, but am not sure how! Since your experience sounds similar to mine, and you’ve had your Monarch longer than I have, I wonder if you have any tips that have supported you in your access of graphics? Thanks in advance for any advice!
I would recommend trying an area of the TGIL that is very common. Look at the independent living section. It has things like baby bottles, a dinner plate with silverware, and other very common images we all know. Play around with space plus dots 4-6 and space with dots 1-3. Those two commands will thicken and thin out the lines so maybe that will help you in deciphering the images.
Just a suggestion…
This week, I explored the Butterfly Anatomy Side View graphic through the Tactile Viewer. I was especially focused on practicing zoom and pan functions, as I imagine students using these frequently when analyzing complex visuals. I zoomed into different sections using both the zoom buttons and point-and-click gestures, and I appreciated how much detail was accessible this way. For instance, the Braille labels became more precise when zoomed in, and I could follow the contours of each anatomical part with much more clarity than at first glance.
While I didn’t choose a music-related image this time, my mind kept returning to how this tool could be leveraged to represent abstract music concepts tactilely—for example, tactile timelines of a sonata form or even schematic maps of orchestral seating. These are not traditionally available as embossed graphics, but digital tactile displays might open up those possibilities in CIE and educational settings.
In terms of professional use, I envision this becoming a powerful tool for students preparing for roles that involve digital literacy, data interpretation, and accessibility review. A blind student interested in audio engineering, for instance, could explore tactile representations of waveform shapes or audio mix maps in real time. In broader CIE contexts, this could support tasks in education, office work, and advocacy.
Challenges I anticipate include spatial orientation and memory. Some students may struggle to maintain a mental map when only a segment of the image is accessible at a time. To address this, I would pair the Viewer with printouts using masking frames and teach strategies like mentally sectioning the image into quadrants.
Compared to embossed graphics, the Tactile Viewer offers dynamism: students can zoom, click, and explore interactively. That said, I would still use embossed images for assessments or when broader tactile access is necessary without screen fatigue. The hybrid approach will likely be the most effective.
Looking forward to experimenting further with custom graphics and music-based representations.
Hi Ronit,
Thank you for sharing such an honest and insightful reflection. Your point about simpler tactile graphics being more helpful really stood out to me. I’ve also seen how overwhelming complex images can be when students have to pan around and try to make sense of everything out of context. It really emphasizes the importance of intentional design and clear layout.
I also share your concern about graphics not being optimized for tactile interpretation. Just because something is technically accessible—like a PDF—doesn’t mean it’s effective. If the structure isn’t adapted with tactile users in mind, it can quickly become confusing or unusable. That’s something we’ll definitely need to keep advocating for as we integrate tools like the Monarch.
Thanks again for your perspective!
Hi William,
Thanks for sharing that beautiful moment with your wife—what a powerful reminder of how tactile graphics can spark memory and connection. I love that you explored the U.S. map together and found a bit of humor in the process; it’s moments like those that make learning feel personal and meaningful.
Your reflections made me think about the importance of building confidence with tactile interpretation. While I’m not blind myself, I work closely with blind music students, often using tactile music symbols to help them understand how sighted musicians read notation. Since many of them will perform alongside sighted peers, gaining a sense of music’s “graphic” structure becomes essential. I can definitely see parallels with how tactile graphics like maps or diagrams can support broader access and independence—whether it’s for education, orientation, or everyday visuals like weather or social media.
Thanks again for sharing!
Best,
The first tactile graphic I viewed was the different types of clouds. Zooming in and out did help with my understanding, and I found I needed to do this a few times in order to translate the full graphic and what I was getting when I zoomed in. Being able to move to different portions of the graphic With the keyboard was very helpful, and the little bars that move on the bottom and right sides were also helpful in orienting myself.
I think the tactile graphics will be very helpful not only in understanding what things look like, but also when translating pictures or other images such as charts and graphs into tactile format. I am hoping it someday becomes more seamless to do this, because right now the capabilities don’t seem to be there quite yet. I find it a little odd that when you put a picture Onto the device and open it with the tactile viewer, it does not translate the text into braille. And then when you run the picture through the OCR software in the KeyWord app, it does not put the text in the location at which it was in the tactical graphic. I find this a little disappointing as I was hoping to use the device not only for professional purposes, but also to do sudoku and other types of more visual puzzles.
I am a visual learner, despite having been totally blind my entire life. I think one of the challenges of teaching tactile graphics would be teaching them to someone who can’t innately picture things in their head. I found I often had to hold the picture of the overall image in my head while navigating the zoomed in version to keep in mind what details were where on the overall image.
I have used both embossed tactile graphics and tactile graphics on the Monarch now, and I think that one advantage the Monarch gives is the ability to display much larger graphics than could be easily displayed on paper. However, for viewing things such as a map or a tactile graphic that I would want to view while walking, I would probably prefer to use paper as this is less cumbersome to carry than the large Monarch device.
For graphics that are generated automatically by software, such as various graphs, charts, diagrams and maps, it may be possible to choose a Braille font to represent the labels without having to create them manually. I assume the result would be computer Braille, not Nemeth Code or UEB. The only somewhat automated tool I am aware of with tactile graphics functionality is Imagemagick, which can convert between graphics formats and carry out a variety of transformations. There are also extensions for the R statistics package that may be relevant.
- I choose the United States Electoral College map. I used the shortcut keys for panning (space and dot 1, etc.), changed detail, and inverted the braille. These commands were new for me with the Monarch.
- I was able to see the images a little clearer, and zooming in and out made the image easier to read.
- I envision being able to use these graphics for a clearer and more instant option for accessing graphics. I see this being beneficial if a teacher is referencing a map or graphic for science and the student being able to pull it up instantly with or without support allow the student to see what the teacher is showing their peers. This also allows the students to access graphics similiar to how their peers would when working on their chromebooks that they can reference to increase their understanding.
- I think the biggest challenge with using the tactile viewer would be the panning and zooming in options. I think for a while it may slow down the student with accessing and reading the graphic. I also think figuring out if the graphic they are accessing or finding is similiar to the one being shown by the teacher, as well as, if there is too much or too little information.
Optional Extension: The graphic I chose to explore is one that I embossed back in November for my student. I was able to get it done before the student needed it during 2nd period, but being able to access it digitally made the process easier so that it was even more instantaneous. I think that the Monarch will be better for being time effective, however, I believe that previewing is still important, and a paper copy of the image may be useful if there if information needs to be reduced or different information needs to be added.
I live in Louisiana and thought it would be a great idea to see what was available in the Tactile Graphic Library. There were several options. I started with the outline of the state. It was easy to feel. Then, I tried opening the choice that showed parishes. It did not work to zoom in and enlarge the graphic. I got a graphic of the state in the middle of the screen. I touched a part of the graphic and double tapped the action button and got a sound with no other response. I also tried zooming with no luck. Upon my return from the NFB convention, I updated the Monarch to the newest version and tried the parishes again. I am happy to report that it is working now. I found out that they were just an outline without being labeled.
I moved onto the Louisiana flag. This one worked. I was able to zoom in on the flag and pan around the flag to feel the image. I think that I would have a tough time understanding the graphic if I did not already have knowledge of the image. Even when I zoomed in the graphic, it was hard to understand the details. Being able to zoom and pan a graphic is helpful.
I was also able to find Ruston on the Louisiana state map. It is great that the Braille is available when the graphics are zoomed in. I enjoyed browsing through the tactile graphics in the library.
I can see how great this would be for my students to have when attending college and accessing graphs. I will definitely need to spend time with the students who are preparing to go to college on how to read graphs and charts. Even if they do not get a Monarch, it will be an important skill that they need to learn. I can see that they might have difficulties with interpreting tactile graphics if they have not learned this skill.
I also would like my students to have a better understanding of the layout of what is on their computer screen. I used inserts from an index card box with tabs to show my students how the ribbons work in Microsoft applications. Therefore, I know that having a tactile prop helps the understanding of visual concepts. The Monarch could also help with the layout and other concepts that are visual on the screen.
Hi Ronit,
I agree with what you said about interpreting the graphics. It can be difficult to understand the details. The zooming in and panning does help. I think that the more we feel diverse types of tactile graphics the easier it will be to interpret the image. I know personally that I will need much more practice!!
Being able to read charts and graphs tactilely will be so important in school and in jobs that require them to be read and understood.
It sounds like you have a remarkably interesting job and that the Monarch could be a valuable tool with the multiple line display.