A sample map plate showing the African Continent as it will appear in the new Talking Tactile Atlas.

A sample map plate showing the Northeastern United States as it will appear in the new Talking Tactile Atlas.

• The Atlas allows individuals who cannot access printed material to explore maps and learn about the geopolitical world. Users place one of the raised line, textured and color printed map sheets on the TTT, and then press on various regions and points to hear human-voice identifications of each feature.

• A “main menu” is accessed by pressing tactile control icons on the side of the map sheet; this offers a range of tool options providing in-depth information, including historical timelines, interesting facts, language samples and a distance calculator.
• At the heart of the Atlas is the Index tool, which permits the user to scroll through an alphabetical listing of all places represented in the Atlas.  The user can select a desired place name; then the system serves as an audio “coach”, guiding the user’s hand to the requested destination on the map.  This is a crucial (and unprecedented) accommodation that enables individuals who may never have been confronted by a map before to independently locate places of interest to them.