Tactile graphics are images which are read by touch rather than sight. Blind people are routinely provided with text materials in braille, audio or large print, but the pictures, diagrams and maps which accompany the text materials are often omitted or only very briefly described. However, many blind people thoroughly enjoy looking at a well designed and supported tactile image. Tactile graphics are just as useful to a blind person for study, work and leisure activities as a mainstream image is to a sighted person.
"I've been using tactile diagrams all my life, and have found them vital for understanding different types of relationships and concepts both at work and in my leisure" - DT, blind individual.
However converting a visual graphic to an appropriate tactile graphic is not simply a matter of taking a visual image and making some kind of "tactile photocopy". The tactile sense is considerably less sensitive than the visual sense, and touch works in a more serial manner than vision. Therefore the visual graphic needs to be re-designed to make sense in a tactile form for blind and partial sighted readers.