How to make a tactile map

Esha’s tactile maps are special because you can use the same map for both kinds of disability – hearing and visual.

This post deserves to have a page to itself, and it will soon be on the resources center on the Esha website (www.braillecards.org).

How to make a tactile map

Base material: Canvas tied to a hard cardboard base makes the best base, because it is sturdy and has a long life.

Labels: The labels should be in Braille, and all the relevant languages. The font for the languages should be small, so that we can fit as many languages as possible. In India, that would be 3 languages at most places.

Topography:
This section lists our understanding of the use of eco-friendly materials for most features that you are likely to meet in a location map. They are by way of suggestions. Feel free to use or not use.

Grassy areas – Green Velvette Paper. Green provides the visual connect and velvette paper provides the tactile connect.

Fence – matchsticks in the right pattern, depending on the distance between fence bars.

Stairs: Matchsticks again. the head shld be cut off before use.

Corridors: Lined with twine for corridors inside the building and with thicker twine for outdoors.

Walls: Please consult the blueprint and use thicker twine for thicker walls. This will give the user some idea of how thick the walls are.

Doors and Windows: Broomsticks. Broomsticks use a thinner wood, so matchsticks mean an even staircase and broomsticks mean doors and windows.

Stage: Sandpaper. In a classroom/conference room/theater, the stage needs to be marked out clearly. Sandpaper is the most distinguishable way of marking out this prominent part of the room. Sandpaper can also be used to mark the table in a room (e.g., the CEO’s room with a huge table that needs to be marked out clearly)

Rocky decoration: Typically found in gardens, pulses (esp red gram pulse) is the best way to represet semi circular rock decorations.

fountain: Blue velvet paper or blue decoration paper. This provides both the visual and the tactile input.

How to make a tactile map
1. Start with the blueprint of the building /facility. This should cover all outdoor areas as well, and to scale.
2. Find a canvas of the right size. The size should not be more than A3 if you can help it.
3. Mark out the doors, windows and stairs FIRST.
4. Create the biggest outlines with the thickest twine.
5. Create the smalelr outlines. ONLY create outlines for features that will be used by the visitor/user. e.g., if the DG set is closed with a stell mesh gate, make sure that the mesh gate is indicated, but the DG can just be labelled as DG.
6. Create the filling for floor surfaces that need to be filled. Some floor surfaces that need filling arre: Stage, Work area desks, BIG tables in conference rooms, CEO rooms etc.
7. Indicate prominent pieces of furniture that the user is likely to encounter. Also indicate fire fightint equipment because the blind walk against the wall and will be hurt by them if they are not marked. Any other things that are likely to hurt them on the wall must also be indicated.
8. Create labels – braille and the local languages. For the hearing disabled, please also create labels for high noise areas that they should avoid and zero noise areas where they should be careful.
9. Cover your map with a cling film and store. THen, when you have a visitor, Viola! Out comes the map – and your visitors will be so delighted! After each use, cover with cling film and store again.

Some more interesting links for you..and whats new at Esha..

Every time i search, the world has done something else that is wonderful. These are the new good ideas:

http://www.readhowyouwant.com/braille/Home.aspx

http://www.ideasrs.com/my-net/new-products/99.html – Someone thinks Braille Cards are a bright idea!

http://www.rambhai.com/News/Be-little-more-inclusive-Get-braille-visiting-card/ – and Rambhai has 22 votes so far on this news story.

If you want to send Braille Greeting cards to someone you know, or to a blind school that you have otherwise been visiting, tell us at Esha. We make Braille greeting cards now.

I am on my way to creating a wikipedia entry about braille enabled visiting cards in India.. want to help?

We have also started making tactile maps for offices that want these maps for their visitors. There’s a lot of new stuff thats happening at Esha.. all of it good

Bing.com – Test Results and some new links..

This afternoon, i was testing Bing one more time. Have to admit that the search results are getting much better.

Today, the search was predictably on Braille Visiting cards. And Viola! i found 2 new links that were missed by google all this while methinks. Here they are:

Someone had a nice experience with Chandru..http://latikaroy.org/josBlog/?p=164

And Someone thinks Braille Cards are a bright idea!

What more can i say.. makes mah day.

Chandrashekhar, the entrepreneur responsible for all those great looking visiting cards, just got married this month. He is on Cloud 9, of course, and you can congratulate him here.. i will pass on the messages.. OR, if u really want to make his day, call him!

The things people do for an impressive business card….

Stumbled upon this today:
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/05/100-really-creative-business-cards//

And they really are VERY creative calling cards. At least some of them are. That set me thinking 0 what’s the big idea? Simple. The owners of these cards want to stand out, and they want to be remembered. So does everyone handing out a business card.

Why am i laughing so hard? Because, thats just what a braille enabled card does too.. it makes people talk to you, and it makes them remember you.

Shameless self promotion? You bet… but really.. that list had me doing two things really hard – thinking, and laughing!

There’s a simple way to do things, and even Sherlock Holmes thinks its usually the best.

Of late, i have been getting multiple cards orders, all unsolicited. but what makes it special is that these people saw the value in the product when they called me. They all said “its a fantastic idea!” None of them told me about helping the blind et al, but all of them said that it was a great product.

Thank you, everyone of you.. and finally, my stand that braille enabled cards are not just good for the blind, they are awfully good for you… stands vinidicated.. in whatever small way..

Thank you, to the little God sititng up there.

New Post – Updates, and Rapidex English Speaking Course, in audio

Blind visitors at Van Vihar National Park are discovering the wildlife treasures through Braille scripted information put up at various points at the park. In a first of it kind endeavour, volunteers of Arushi, an N.G.O. in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, created about two dozen aluminium Braille sheets that give information about the animals of the park. Read the full story here.

And then, heard about this organisation called Ekansh. Do visit.

Another important thing: A lot of the visually disabled children are looking for the Rapidex English Speaking Course in audio. I have recorded the full book and have the audio version with me. If you know of anyone who needs this book, just let me know, and i will have the tapes sent across..

Volunteers wanted and audio books available.

Harish, who is a visually disabled student of B. Com, needs help with his books.

 

We need volunteers who can read out these books and convert them to audio. The books are in Hindi.

And of course, these audio books are available for any other visually disabled person who wants to use them.

In addition, I am looking at creating an online library of educational audio material for the visually disabled. If you are interested, please send me audio recording of any chapter, any curriculum, any level, and i will add it to the online library. Class 1 to MA, anything is fine. You never know when it will save someone time if at least some part is available already. No effort is too small. PItch in people!!

The Delhi Center!

Yes, finally, we have it! Esha now has a Delhi center. This center offers all the 3 services:

1. Braille enabled visiting cards

2. Theater Workshop for sensitisation.

3. Accessibility Audit of offices, schools, et al.

So, if you live in the NCR region and want your visiting cards braille enabled, it can now be done much faster! Write to me at esha_braille@yahoo.com for more information, or you can always go to the website(www.braillecards.org)

Oh, and we also have some more Customer Testimonials! What’s more, they are already uploaded on the site too.

 Nisha, who lives in my building and is a very sweet mother of 2, has kindly agreed to update the site from time to time. I love her for it! Nisha is also available for freelance web based work, just in case you’re looking for someone…

Looking for someone in NCR region

Esha is looking for another beneficiary – in the NCR region.

We have a lot of work coming our way from the NCR region and a new delivery center is in order.
If you know of anyone who is:
A. Visually disabled to the extent that their normal employment options are impacted because of the disability.
B. Interested
C. Would like to be groomed into an entrepreneur.
D. Is available to work part time (but is committed)
E. Needs the money.
F. Is based in the NCR region.

Please ask them to reach me at esha_braille@yahoo.com

This person will be groomed and mentored over a 5-6 month period, to run their own show as entreprenerus, using the revenue streams of Esha, or any other revenue stream that they deem fit. At the moment, Esha has 3 revenue options (all 3 are designed for delivery by a visually disabled person):
1. Braille enabled visiting cards, stationery and greeting cards
2. Theater Workshops for Team Building – for corporates, schools and residential complexes.
3. Accessibility Audit of a building – for offices, schools, and other public places.

Have a Good Day!

Someone likes Esha!

I just mentioned to a friend about Esha, and she liked it so much…

I was touched by what she wrote.. esp. when she said that

“where Indians visiting overseas don’t feel ‘wow’ at seeing braille in elevators, movie theaters and all major corporate communications.. because in that tomorrow, we have it all in India too..”

That is close to what i have always wondered.. when we ask for everything that is world class, why dont we ask for inclusive environments.. it costs us nothing, and only adds to a space.. why dont we?

The Esha Braille website is up!

Finally!!

Its a simple website in black and white, no pictures. That is to show the black and white, pictureless world of the people we work for.

Feedback is welcome, and it will really help if you could just add a link on your blogs about the work we do at Esha. We do not have the resources to advertise, but I do believe that it is possible to spread the message through word of mouth. You might just help someone who is looking for this information.

www.braillecards.org

Please go there, and tell me what you think!