Tactile Graphics are useful for children with vision impairments. The reason for this is that these graphics provide raised surfaces so that children can gain an understanding of certain maps and drawings. In primary school, I had a close friend who had one lazy eye that she was nearly blind in. For this reason, she had a great deal of trouble both learning to read and write. Additionally, she had a great deal of trouble understanding geographic maps because she was unable to imagine the exact shapes of the continents in her mind.
Through utilizing Tactile Graphics, she was able to feel the shape of the continents and memorize not only where they were, but was also able to trace a stencil of their shape based on what she felt. This is precisely why Tactile Graphics are absolutely a great tool for children who are vision impaired to use because it allows the child to utilize a different part of their senses in order to understand academic concepts. By using what the child can feel, Tactile Graphics show them how to visualize a shape in their mind that they may not be able to conceptualize in the traditional manner of sight.
Tactile Graphics will continue to helpful to children who are visually impaired because it will allow them to understand key concepts such as geography, graphs, paintings and diagrams.
-Anonymous