[Blindmath] poorly prepared tactile graphics

[Susan Mooney]

Unfortunately, there are several places producing braille which do not use certified braille transcribers or anyone experienced with teaching braille readers. Not all transcribers are great with tactile graphics and vice versa.  It's usually a team effort.  Some graphics which make sense and are useful to sighted students can become useless when rendered exactly for blind students.  Modifications can be done which do not change the graphic but do make it less cluttered and more easily discernible.  What looks "pretty" and great to the eye can be totally useless to the blind reader.  Obviously it's very important for graphics to be precise but this precision can be accomplished in a highly readable way, again w/o the clutter.  Some graphics need to be displayed in what is called "overlays" or sections. 

I think it's helpful to not only you but to the braille production agency/company to know what the errors or weaknesses are and how they can correct them and/or modify the graphics.  It would also be helpful to tell the alternate media office at your school that the work you received was sub par and that they need to adjust payment or not use that particular company again.  As with any product, when a company is hit in the pocket book it forces them to change and bring their standards up.  Quality braille work is done by quality places.  Blind students should not have to settle.

Susan M.