Non-Visual Coloring

Non Visual Coloring and Learning the World

Representing Images

Great for teaching kids parts of things, shapes and their usual color int he world, especially things they cannot get their hands on. We can give them a tactile graphic.  (A picture with raised outlines.)  Tactile graphics and pictures can give people an awareness of what something might look like.  For example an alligator.  I can't bring an alligator into the classroom so I would like them to understand the shape and how it is similar and different to things they know and have felt already.  I give them comparisons like, an alligator is bigger than a dog but smaller than a car.  I teach them that they are usually the color green.  I will give them the tactile graphic and guide their hands around the picture if they are little, or if they are older, let them explore it.  I will identify the different parts with them like legs, tail, head etc so they understand the orientation of the image on the page.  I can do multiple things from here, I can give them green textured paper. (For an alligator, I'd give them bumpy green paper) and they can cut and adhere them inside the lines of the tactile graphic or we can cut out shapes of the parts and assemble seperatly.  Or we can color!  

Coloring

How does a child know which color is which in their crayon box?  Braille Labels on crayons, or we could use scented colored pencils or markers.  (My Favorite option is to have the scented coloring items braille labeled.  That way they get the dual sensory experience like other children do, just different senses.  You may be wondering, how do they know where to color?.... I had been wondering this too until I student taught and got to observe coloring in action.  First you give the child the tactile, outline of an object, for this example we will say its an alligator again.  I show them the parts then have them show me the parts so I know they are observing the picture correctly.  I will then teach them how to hold a pencil, crayon, colored pencil if they don't know how.  I have them use their free hand to find the spot in between the lines (ex, the body of the alligator) they will spread their index finger and middle finger to find the spot within the tactile lines and color between their spread fingers.  They can move their fingers around the picture and color, staying in the tactile lines using their fingers.  The tactile lines make it easier for the artist to stay inside the lines because they can also feel when the colored pencil, crayon or marker hit it and that can be another way to know not to go outside it.

Check out how to make pictures on the Perkins braille writer if you want to make your own tactile images out of braille symbols!  I will have another post about that coming soon.