A fast, inexpensive means of creating tactile "drawings" of graphs and networks for blind students

The communication of graphical information inherent in the sciences and engineering professions is a challenge when the intended recipient is blind. This paper describes several methods for producing raised 2D graphics for blind students. Most existing methods require advance preparation for each new drawing, are comparatively slow and may require moderately expensive materials. They are not suitable for real-time in-the classroom generation of images. However, they do produce long-lasting drawings. This paper also describes an inexpensive technique for generating raised 2D simple graphs and networks in real time. The technique is intuitive and takes no training. An aide or fellow student can generate depictions of graphs as the lecturer is producing them for the class, thereby enabling a blind student to understand and participate in discussions of spontaneously generated figures. Blind students can also create the figures themselves using the same materials, and the results are readily interpretable by sighted people.