The Tactile Mapping Dissemination Project objective is to disseminate products about tactile mapping for students who are blind or visually impaired learning STEM. This project is based on a previously NSF-funded project, Tactile Mapping Software for Blind and Low Vision Science Education (HRD-0533251). Two primary products were developed from that funded project: 1) TaME-a Tactile Map Editor, and 2) The United States national, and state, scale tactile socioeconomic maps.
The dissemination process for the current project will include development and subsequent evaluation of materials to aid in effective and efficient dissemination of information about the TaME and the US and state tactile socioeconomic maps. These dissemination materials include: software tutorials, Best Practices in Tactile Map Production, and National Geography Standards-based lesson plans and activities designed to integrate the tactile socioeconomic maps into K-16 geography curricula. All activities are designed to meet the three project goals:
Project Goal #1: Author software tutorials and Best Practices in Tactile Map Production, including guidelines for tactile map design and production;
Project Goal #2: Develop and deliver hosted and self-guided workshops to K-12 state schools for students who are blind and visually impaired, to universities, to organizations providing significant educational outreach, and to RDE-funded Alliances for Students with Disabilities in STEM;
Project Goal #3: Produce National Geography Standard-driven lesson plans, activities, and guidelines for integrating the tactile socioeconomic maps into geography curricula.
The external formative and summative evaluation for this project will be conducted by Donald A. Ouimet, the Director of the Oregon School for the Blind, and by Sherry Hahn, the Digital Learning Coordinator at the Washington State School for the Blind.
Project materials will be disseminated at Dr. Lobben's Spatial and Map Cognition Laboratory website at the University of Oregon Eugene. Workshops and trainings are planned for the Oregon School for the Blind, the Washington State School for the Blind, multiple universities and educational organizations with outreach missions, and NSF-funded Alliances for Students with Disabilities in STEM.
