Rebecca L. Renshaw, MEd, COMS

NCLVI Fellow, University of Pittsburgh

George J. Zimmerman, PhD, COMS

Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh

This poster discusses the use of a tactile map of a large outdoor space (garden and play area) used to teach a four year old student with minimal light perception about the spatial location of various landmarks (specific play area) within the space. Data regarding accuracy of spatial judgments and retention of spatial layout knowledge will be presented.

Map Dimensions - 11” X 17” Map Materials

Foam Board = BaseFelt = GrassVelcro = ConcreteDollhouse Bricks = PaversAluminum Foil = FountainFoam = PlaygroundWooden Popsicle Sticks = Song Bench and

PillarsPuff Paint (shapes) = Picnic Area and Swing

Outdoor large-scale play environmentCreated specifically for exploration for children who

are blind and visually impaired in an approved private school

LandmarksEntrance GatePlayground AreaSwingSong BenchFountain

Sensory cuesAuditory: water fountain, song bench, playground areaTactile: playground area, grass, brick, railingProprioceptive: slope of brick area

Guided and self-exploration of mapGuided and self-exploration of gardenTime Period:

Spring = 16.5 hoursFall = 12.75 hours

Two dependent measures:Tactile Map Time Data = time to tactually

locate landmarks on mapRoute Travel Time Data = time to travel to

landmark in the Garden

Participant improved on measures of time when locating landmarks on the tactile map. Entrance Gate – 10.88 seconds to 2.07

secondsPlayground – 3.30 seconds to 2. 36 secondsSwing – 25.11 seconds to 10.05 secondsSong Bench – 45.27 seconds to 3.155 secondsFountain – 20.18 seconds to 2.07 seconds

Participant improved on measures of time when locating destination in the Garden. Entrance Gate – 26.1 seconds to 22.1 secondsPlayground – 24.7 seconds to 10.4 secondsSwing – 2:07.2 minutes to 49.3 secondsSong Bench – 2:52.3 minutes to 1:38.3

minutesFountain – 2:20.4 minutes to 33.4 seconds

Data Collection – Collected over nine sessionsEach session lasted approximately one hour

Tactile Map –Time needed to locate landmarks on the map

decreasedRoute Travel –

Time needed to locate landmarks in the Garden decreased

Single subject design limits the generalizability of the results

Repeated exposure to same sequence of the routes may have caused the decrease in time

Before each lesson, the O&M specialist traced the routes on the tactile map using hand over hand assistance rather than allowing the student to review the route independently.

Results revealed a decrease in the time needed to locate landmarks on the tactile map and actual landmarks in the Garden

More research needs to be done using a control and experiment group