Clovernook’s Tactile Literacy Program Expands with Support from Lavelle Fund for the Blind

A recent grant from the Lavelle Fund for the Blind has allowed Clovernook Center to produce a variety of 3D model kits that are being used by blind and visually impaired (BVI) students all around the world. As part of this initiative, Clovernook’s Tactile Coordination Quentin Roa works with design teams to create 3D printed models that provide an engaging educational experience for blind and visually impaired students.

The 3D prints feature inclusive design principles and are tested with end-users around the world, with direct feedback incorporated into updates. Models are designed with easily recognizable tactile features so blind and visually impaired students can assemble, interact with, and learn from these models independently, or in a classroom setting.

Clovernook Center is currently printing and distributing many of its models in Kenya, coordinated by Nairobi-based Clovernook Center Program Coordinator Dominic Kiamba. This encourages Clovernook to prioritize models that are culturally relevant to BVI students in East Africa and provide engaging educational materials where they are needed.

Classrooms throughout Kenya are currently using Clovernook-printed models of regional monuments and geographies like the Kigali Genocide Memorial, Namirembe Cathedral, Mt Kilimanjaro, and maps of the cities and elevations of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Ghana. Clovernook has also placed printers with partner organizations in Ghana, South Africa, and later this year, in Vietnam.

The Lavelle Fund for the Blind supports programs that help individuals who are blind or visually impaired live independent and productive lives which mirrors Clovernook Center’s mission.