The potential for developing a tactile communication system based on Blissymbolics

Abstract

Objective: To be useful for tactile communication, tactile stimuli need to be discriminable from each other. The objective of this study was to determine whether raised-line renderings of Blissymbols have the capacity for being developed into a tactile communication system as measured by their tactile discriminability. Methods: Tactile discrimination of Blissymbols was measured by performance on a task in which participants were asked to feel a target raised-line Blissymbol and then to find the target within an array containing the target and raised-line Blissymbol foils. Results: The vast majority of tactile Blissymbols had tactile discrimination scores of 90% accuracy or better. Conclusion: Most raised-line Blissymbols can be tactilely discriminated from each other, indicating that they have the potential for being developed into a tactile communication system.

• Augmentative and alternative communication
• haptics
• tactile language system
• tactile symbols
• thermal expansion paper

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Rachel Smith for assistance in development of testing materials and data collection.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this paper.