A Demonstration of Molder: An Accessible Design Tool for Tactile Maps

Tactile maps are important tools for people with visual impairments (VIs). Teachers and orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists often design tactile maps to help their VI students and clients learn about geographic areas. To design these maps, a designer must use modeling software applications, which require professional training and rely on visual feedback. However, most teachers and O&M specialists do not have professional modeling skills, and many have visual impairments. The complexity and inaccessibility of current modeling tools thus become major barriers for TVIs and O&M specialists when designing tactile maps. We present Molder, an accessible design tool for tactile maps. A designer creates a draft map model using Molder and prints the model. Then, she uses Molder to modify the draft model by directly interacting with it. Molder provides auditory feedback and high-contrast visuals to assist the designer in the design process.