The Tactile Literacy Program at Clovernook Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired has a global reach and is impacting children with blindness or low vision in the United States and around the world. The program is geared toward creating accessible books that can be read by sighted individuals and people with blindness or low vision at the same time.
Dual readers include both print and braille pages by incorporating embossed braille pages inserted between illustrated/print pages to create a shared reading experience.
For early print readers, storybooks are filled with engaging illustrations and representations of the world within the narrative. By replicating objects found within the storybooks with kits of 3D Models, Clovernook Center provides a similar sense of engagement and learning.
Since launching in 2020, Clovernook Center has partnered with more than a dozen schools in six different countries to provide reading materials through its Tactile Literacy Initiative. In 2022, Clovernook Center expanded its reach and began distributing dual-readers and tactile graphics to schools and educational centers in East Africa where braille literacy rates are low.
At Clovernook Center, materials are developed on-site with advanced technology including six 3D printers, an EinScan 3D scanner and a variety of filaments and printing materials. All tactile graphics are developed in collaboration with Clovernook Center’s blind and visually impaired staff members to ensure they are created to our high-quality standards.
For more information about our tactile literacy program, contact Samuel Foulkes at sfoulkes@clovernook.org or (513) 728-6243.