Learning a new area with and without the use of tactile maps: a comparative study

Most of the literature on tactile maps for the visually handicapped has concentrated upon production techniques and upon symbol discriminability, with very few studies evaluating the use of maps in complex settings compared with other learning techniques. A small-scale study is presented, in which six subjects learned two new areas of their city, in a counterbalanced design: three learned the first area with the aid o f a tactile map and the second without; the other three subjects learned the second area with a map and the first without. The availability o f a map conveyed no overall advantages to these skilled travellers, either in terms of speed of travel or of information gained; but individual differences in preferences for and in the use of the maps were noted. Congenitally blind individuals would seem as able to benefit from tactile maps as are the adventitiously blind; but the general benefits of such maps should not be overstated.