DEVELOPMENT OF TACTILE PAPER FOR LOW VISION

THE TECHNOLOGIES OF PRESSURE SENSITIVE PAPER AND ENCAPSULATION HAVE ADVANCED REMARKABLY IN RECENT YEARS. TO BE DETERMINED IS WHETHER PARTICLES, ACTIVATED BY MILD HEAT, PRESSURE, OR OTHER MEANS, CAN BE ENCAPSULATED IN A PAPER MATERIAL SO THAT WHEN STIMULATED, WILL PROVIDE IMMEDIATE COLORED, RAISED IMPRESSIONS. THE COLOR CONTRAST AS WELL AS THE TACTILE REINFORCEMENT WILL BENEFIT THE LOW-VISION PERSON; THE TACTILE IMPRESSION WILL BENEFIT THE BLIND. THE ACTIVE AGENT, TO BE ENCAPSULATED IN A SELECTED PAPER, WILL BE STIMULATED BY A PENCIL-LIKE DEVICE, ALLOWING THE USER TO DRAW OR WRITE IN FREEHAND FASHION, CAUSING A COLORED RAISED IMPRESSION. NO EQUIPMENT OTHER THAN ""PAPER'' AND ""PENCIL'' WILL BE REQUIRED. EXISTING DEVICES OR TECHNIQUES EACH REQUIRE TRAINING, EQUIPMENT, OR ARE INADEQUATE. DEVELOPMENT OF SUCH PAPER AND PENCIL WILL LESSEN THE ISOLATION OF THE VISUALLY HANDICAPPED, PROVIDING A COMMUNICATION TOOL AVAILABLE TO HANDICAPPED AND NONHANDICAPPED. INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE VISUALLY HANDICAPPED, SCHOOLS, EMPLOYERS, AND AGENCIES SERVING THE HANDICAPPED PROVIDE A SIGNIFICANT MARKET FOR THE COMMER-CIALIZATION OF THIS INNOVATION. SINCE ENCAPSULATION TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO CHEMICALLY TREATED PAPERS HAVE ADVANCED IN RECENT YEARS, THE FEASIBILITY OF THESE INNOVATIONS NOW MERITS EVALUATION.