Tactile picture perception in sighted and blind people

Abstract

This paper reviews recent research on the perception of tangible pictures by sighted people and those who are blind or have extremely low vision. Raised-line pictures are useful for evaluating spatial cognition in congenitally blind people. The ease or difficulty of picture recognition is shown to vary with complexity, familiarity, and categorical information. Blind people are able to use pictorial displays effectively, but may benefit from instruction when complex depictions of three-dimensional objects involve foreshortening.