Do-it-yourself (DIY) instructions for TD

Tactile graphics are non-textual information to people who are blind or visually impaired and include tactile representations of pictures, maps, graphs, diagrams, and other images.

Given below are some links which will help caregivers or instructors make Science and Math related diagrams at home by following the steps.

Click on the video button to view.

Spatial Understanding

Parts of a Plant

Water Cycle

Different types of Beaks of Birds

Below are DIY instructions for Science diagrams.. These are done by a group of  volunteers from Christ college.



Click on the thumbnail to view the instructions.


Tactile Diagram procured from Raised Line Foundation (RLF)

RLF provides tactile design and production services and is closely working with NCERT, Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan (Govt. of India), WSSCC (UN organization) and other organization working in the field of blindness to convert textbooks, resource books, manual etc. in accessible formats along with the tactile diagrams.

Vision Empower procures high quality tactile diagrams from RLF for school students and teachers based on their specific requirements. In 2018-19, VE placed orders for specific diagrams to be designed for the EVS book for Class 5 prescribed by the Karnataka State Board. These diagrams were very useful during the pilot phase to evaluate the process of diagram comprehension by children with blindness. In 2019-20, VE evaluated the use of RLF diagrams to be used for TAG (Tactile Audio Gallery) to help children with blindness to self-learn. In 2020-21, VE has procured Science tactile diagrams for students in Grade 10.

Pictures of materials we received from RLF

Tactile Diagrams created by Tactograph

Tactograph, a product from Enability Foundation enables the printing of tactile books and worksheets at an affordable price. It is a motorized x-y stage that traces a predefined picture using an adhesive fluid, creating a tactile image on a normal A4 sized paper.

To make this printing process user friendly a Graphical User Interface (GUI) is developed with image recognition algorithm. This algorithm helps the teacher to print the tactile image in just four mouse clicks. VE and Enability collaborate to create tactile diagrams for Science and Math, to meet the needs of teachers and children in schools for the blind in Karnataka.

Few pictures of TDs created using Tactograph