Effects of Microcomputer and Tactile Aid Simulations on the Spatial Ability of Blind Individuals

This article reports on a study that examined whether blind persons could learn the spatial layout of landmarks in a new large-scale space more accurately utilizing a microcomputer simulation of the environment versus a tactile graphic aid of a similar environment. The four congenitally blind subjects each explored a simulation of a 5 x 5-block residential neighborhood daily for 27 days, learning the spatial layout of the 9 landmarks in each simulation. Although they learned the spatial locations of the landmarks faster using the tactile graphic aid, the accuracy of their spatial knowledge was equal for both conditions.