Touch and Tactile Services

When getting started with providing touch and tactile services at your organization, it helps to gather information on how best to implement these experiences into your existing offerings. Keep these steps in mind:

• Evaluate current opportunities:
  • Assess the potential for tactile experiences in your institution and brainstorm where they can be incorporated (e.g., performances, exhibits, indoor/outdoor spaces).
  • Create a system for recording tactile details (textures, temperature, etc.)as well as any supplemental tactile materials specific to that object, in collection management systems and ensure this information is accessible to staff and researchers with disabilities.
  • Consider the intent, content, and context when planning tactile activities.
• Collaborate and consult with experts:
  • Engage with the community, especially individuals with disabilities, to gather input on their needs and preferences regarding tactile experiences.
  • Consult with people who have a lot of experience touching art. This might include blind people on your staff or in your community. It might also include art conservators, exhibit installers and custodians.
  • Collaborate with artists to create tactile versions of their work or new pieces designed specifically for tactile interaction, ensuring that these works meet accessibility standards.
  • Consider additional tactile resources that are not tied to, but benefit, specific objects, such as tools and materials.
• Understand touch vs. sight:
  • Understand that touch is a distinct sensory modality and should not be considered a substitute for sight.
  • Provide braille and large print formats to make exhibits accessible to blind or low vision visitors.

To best engage with different visitors, your organization should work to provide various kinds of tactile experiences, depending on suitability for the specific materials on display. The guidelines below can help you shape these distinct tactile experiences for all.

• Consider different types of touch: There are different kinds of touch you can incorporate into your exhibitions. These include:
  • Direct touch: Allowing visitors to touch objects or materials.
  • Indirect touch: Providing representations and other opportunities through textures, models, or tools.
• Provide tactile models: A tactile model is a three-dimensional representation of an object or artwork that visitors can touch and explore.
  • What it does: A tactile model aims to replicate the physical form, texture, and shape of the original object or artwork. It provides a tactile experience that allows individuals to feel the contours, volume, and dimensions of the item.
  • Examples: Some examples of tactile models include:
    • A 3D-printed replica of a sculpture.
    • A raised model of a historical building or landscape.
    • A tactile version of a painting’s texture or surface detail, made from materials like cast plaster or resin.
  • Additional considerations: Be sure to provide detailed descriptions of features that the model cannot, such as surface textures, temperature, density, sonority, color and other qualities of the original material.
• Incorporate tactile diagrams: A tactile diagram is a two-dimensional representation of an image or concept that uses raised lines or textures to convey visual information.
  • What it does: A tactile diagram provides information about the layout, composition, and structure of an image (like a painting, map, or diagram) in a tactile format. While it can convey shapes and outlines, it doesn’t offer the full physical experience of an object but rather focuses on visual and structural information.
  • Examples: Some examples of tactile diagrams include:
    • A raised-line drawing of a painting or photograph, showing the key shapes, forms and composition.
    • A tactile map with raised lines showing physical features.
    • A tactile graph or chart to convey data points and trends through touch.
    • Raised-line drawings or diagrams for 2D art pieces.
    • Raised-line drawings of mechanicals and schematics in a scientific or similar exhibit.
  • Additional considerations: Tactile diagrams of 2D works (painting, drawing and photography) can supply information about the composition of the images, but should be used in conjunction with spoken descriptions for a more comprehensive understanding.
• Provide guided touch experiences or touch tours: Touch experiences and tours allow visitors, often those who are blind or low vision, the opportunity to explore artworks or exhibits through touch.
  • What these are: Unlike tactile models and diagrams, which are static and represent objects or images, a touch tour is a dynamic, guided experience where visitors engage with the artwork or objects in real time. Touch tours are typically led by a trained guide who provides context, descriptions, and facilitates tactile exploration. A touch tour involves direct engagement with the artwork in its physical space, with exploration, context and interpretation rather than relying solely on pre-made tactile objects.
  • Examples: Some examples of touch tours include:
    • A sculpture gallery touch tour, where visitors explore sculptures by feeling their contours and textures, while a guide provides descriptions of their form, size, and artistic intent.
    • A historical artifacts touch tour, where visitors handle replicas of ancient pottery, tools, or sculptures, with a guide explaining the historical significance and craftsmanship of each object.
    • A painting texture touch tour, where raised-line tactile diagrams of famous paintings allow visitors to feel the shapes and textures, while a guide describes the visual elements like color, brushwork, and style.
    • A performing arts touch tour: of costumes, props, and sets before performances.
  • Additional considerations: When providing engaging touch tours to your visitors, keep these nuances in mind:
    • Provide audio descriptions or recorded tours for enhanced engagement.
    • Recognize that touch tours take more time than other kinds of tours. Visitors should be encouraged to experiment with different techniques for touching, and to use all parts of their hands and arms, not just the fingertips.
    • Avoid asking questions such as “Guess what you’re touching.” This is patronizing and assumes that the point of touching the artwork is merely to determine what it looks like.
    • When sighted people notice a touch tour in progress, they may want to stop and watch and may even want to take photographs and videos. Many blind and low vision people may find this annoying and a violation of their privacy. For this reason, you may want to schedule a touch tour at a time when the space is closed to the general public or likely to be less busy, or train tour guides to gently interrupt the nosy visitor.
    • Alert gallery attendants, guards and other staff when a touch tour is scheduled. Some museums give participants lanyards or badges to indicate that they are authorized to touch the art.

Several additional accessibility considerations can make your physical spaces more easily navigable for visitors who engage via touch. These include:

• Consistent labeling:
  • Keep tactile labels in consistent locations relative to the artwork.
  • Mount the label horizontally, on a table or shelf. Braille text could also be available as a booklet that the person could carry around and read at the most comfortable angle.
  • The bottom of the label should be no higher than 48”.
• Accessible height:
  • Tactile elements should be located no higher than 52”.
• Clear instructions:
  • Use braille and large print to clearly label tactile exhibits.
  • Provide clear guidance, instructions or suggestions on how to engage with the tactile elements. This could be available in a recorded audio tour, or audio launched when the person approaches the artwork.
  • Keep in mind that braille is a transcription system, not a language. English braille will only be legible to people who read English.
  • Also keep in mind that not all blind people read braille, so consider large print labels, signage, and other alerts as well.
• Health and safety:
  • Regularly clean tactile objects to prevent the spread of germs and ensure hygiene. Provide hand sanitizing stations throughout the venue for visitors.
  • Make sure tactile engagement is safe for all visitors by considering the physical environment and materials used.
  • If gloves are required, evaluate the relative merits of the gloves’ material. Plastic gloves make it possible to feel fine textures, but can be hot and do not slide as smoothly over surfaces as cloth gloves. If in a museum with conservation staff, use the gloves that conservators use.

You can ensure that your staff are prepared to engage with blind and low vision visitors through providing proper support. Keep these tips in mind:

• Form a diverse team that represents various perspectives, including individuals with disabilities. This team can provide insight into creating more inclusive experiences.
• Provide staff with training on the properties of touch, how to assist visitors in engaging with tactile materials, and the importance of accessibility.
• Train staff to facilitate guided touch tours, ensuring that visitors are given the proper tools and instructions to engage with tactile materials meaningfully and safely. Remember that people who are blind or have low vision can also lead tours.

Finally, continuously work to improve your organization’s practices through gathering feedback and communicating with visitors. These guidelines may help:

• Start small and test tactile programming, adjusting your offerings to improve the experience for visitors.
• Collect feedback from visitors, especially those with disabilities. Create a system that allows these visitors to provide specific input on tactile services to help refine and enhance the overall experience.
• Once you’ve implemented touch and tactile services, make sure to let your visitors know! Promote your accessible services on your website, social media channels, and through direct communication. (To learn more, visit the Hub page on Communicating Access Information.)