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Tactile Skills Matrix

Tactile Doodle device with stylus
November 9, 2023

Tactile literacy skills like creating and interpreting tactile graphics and recognizing braille characters and symbols can be difficult for many young learners to grasp. That’s why we created the Tactile Literacy Matrix! Use this resource to locate APH products that support the development of skills and concepts that contribute to students’ tactile literacy. Navigate through the 18 matrix dimensions to view a list of recommended APH products. Click on the active link for each recommended product to obtain more detailed information regarding the product’s purpose, components, target population, price, and related products from APH’s shopping site. 

Keep in mind the following as you use this resource: 

  • You are encouraged to periodically revisit the online Tactile Skills Matrix because new products will continue to be added in the future. 
  • Many of the recommended APH products introduce and address multiple tactile skills and therefore appear in more than one listing. 
  • Tactile skills are often addressed concurrently, instead of in a sequential or linear fashion, during the use of many of the recommended APH products. 
  • Teachers and parents are encouraged to find alternate ways to use the recommended products to broaden the types of tactile skills introduced. 
  • Although intended for a specific age or grade level, many of the recommended APH products can be tailored to multiple student populations. For example, an older tactile reader might benefit from using a kit intended for a young child if he or she is new to the use of tactile graphics. 

Braille Awareness 

The following APH products support Braille Awareness: 

 Creating Graphics 

Tactile literacy involves more than just reading tactile graphics. Tactile literacy also involves the ability to create, draw, and embellish graphics. The following APH products allow students to Create Graphics using a variety of tactile drawing/art materials and methods either as stand-alone tools or in combination with each other. 

 Exploration of Real Objects 

The following APH products encourage Exploration of Real Objects by facilitating hands-on experiences with common objects and shapes. 

 Familiarity with TG Methods 

It is very important that tactile readers become familiar with a variety of tactile methods (e.g., microcapsule paper, embossed paper, thermoform, collage, interactive materials). The following APH products and materials contain graphics produced using one or more tactile methods. This list contains a representative sample of products across the various types of methods. Visit APH’s Shopping site for additional tactile graphic products. 

Microcapsule Paper

Thermoformed/Vacuum-formed 

Embossed Paper 

Interactive/Movable Pieces 

Collage 

The following materials can be used to create collage graphics: 

 Hand Skills 

The following APH products support the development of Hand Skills such as reaching, twisting, turning, stringing, transferring, sliding, holding, grasping, etc., within purposeful contexts. 

 Line Tracking 

The following APH products support Line Tracking skills by encouraging students to trace different types of tactile lines and paths (e.g., dotted, solid, dashed, etc.) within tactile worksheets, board games, activities, and storybooks.  

Part-Whole Relationships 

The following APH products demonstrate Part-Whole Relationships.  

 Reading Charts and Tables 

The following APH products provide practice Reading Charts and Tables.  

Reading Graphs 

The following APH products provide practice Reading Graphs, including readymade tactile graphs and templates for designing tactile graphs. 

 Reading Maps 

The following APH products provide practice Reading Maps, including readymade tactile maps and templates for designing tactile maps. 

 Shape Recognition 

The following APH products support Shape Recognition by encouraging students to compare and identify different types of textures (e.g., rough, smooth, bumpy, etc.) within tactile worksheets, board games, activities, storybooks, and more. 

Spatial Understanding 

The following APH products support the development of Spatial Understanding by introducing and reviewing basic concepts (above, next to, between, center, across from, beside, etc.) and concepts related to directionality and orientation and mobility (compass directions, types of intersections, etc.). 

Symbolic Understanding 

The following APH products build Symbolic Understanding by demonstrating how objects and things in the real world are sometimes represented by abstract tactile drawings or symbols.  

Systematic Scanning 

The following APH products support Systematic Scanning by encouraging students to explore a tactile display in a systematic fashion—top to bottom, left to right, clockwise, etc., within tactile worksheets, board games, storybooks, and more. 

Texture Discrimination 

The following APH products support Texture Discrimination by encouraging students to compare and identify different types of textures (e.g., rough, smooth, bumpy, etc.) within tactile worksheets, board games, activities, storybooks, and more. 

Transition from 3D to 2D 

The following APH products facilitate students’ transition from 3D objects/models to 2D tactile displays. 

Understanding Perspective 

The following APH products encourage Understanding Perspective by introducing and reviewing concepts such as top view, side view, front view, cross section, flips, rotations, etc., within tactile worksheets, science overlays, puzzles, and more. 

Using Keys and Legends 

The following APH products require Using Keys/Legends within maps, games, storybooks, and activities. Symbols, line paths, textures, and/or braille labels are used to find meaning in the accompanying graphic(s).  

 If you have additional recommendations for APH products that should be listed under each of the tactile skill areas, share your ideas with Karen J. Poppe, Tactile Literacy Product Manager, at kpoppe@aph.org as she continues to update this Tactile Skills Matrix.

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