Abstract:

The curricula and didactic methodologies are changing, also regards the development of modern technologies. Especially in special education, new technologies bring many possibilities to educate people with disabilities in new ways.

The paper aims to present the joint research conducted at the Institute of Special Education Studies and the Department of Geoinformatics, Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic. Based on 15 years of extensive research, a new type of tactile map has been developed, using the most advanced 3D printing techniques available (thanks to the low price) to many organizations and target users. The research includes the concept of producing special tactile maps, testing them with people with severe visual impairments, and the use of modern tactile maps and 3D spatial interactive models in different levels of education, including long-life education.

The number of people with visual impairment increases every year, and great attention is paid to their full-fledged integration into society. The majority of information has a spatial context that can be represented on a map. For some kinds of users, in particular, those with visual impairments, using a map or 3D model as a representation of real spatial context is not only a possibility but a necessity. The team of experts from the Palacký University Olomouc developed a new type of modern multi-media tactile map, using a common smartphone (or tablet) for the auditory module part of the tactile map or 3D interactive model used by people with visual impairment. These interactive teaching aids connected with mobile devices bring new opportunities to present spatial information and its context for the target user group. The prototypes have been verified in cooperation with educational centers for people with visual impairment and blind people, and special schools.

The implementation of newly created tactile maps into the education process of people with visual impairment was realized thanks to experts from different scientific fields: teachers, special trainers and assistants, experts on didactics, GIScience experts, and cartographers. The primary research methods used include working with the target group of users, focusing on their needs and preferences. Subsequently, extensive interviews were conducted with educators involved in the education of persons with visual impairments and in the training of the independent movement of these persons. In parallel, research in the field of tactile cartography was conducted. Synthesis of the acquired knowledge enabled the design of new tactile maps and 3D spatial interactive models. The main reason to use these developed aids in the education of people with visual impairments is that they are inherently unable to understand the characteristics of space and spatial characteristics in any other way. The spoken word does not sufficiently replace the perception of the metric properties of space. The research outcomes are being published under open licenses, including methodological procedures and descriptions, to enable their use by the widest possible group of target users.

Keywords:

3D models, visual impairments, tactile maps, teaching aids, special education.