Tactile symbols representing elements of time made with diamond shaped poster board with the top point clipped off. The backing includes materials such as foil, contact paper, and netting material. The shape is the most important, but the backing can vary depending on what materials you have and what the child can tactually discriminate. Using different backings to form smaller categories can be helpful. For example, you will see that months of the year have foil backing while the days of the week have netting. Just remember, touch is the sense primarily in use so the texture of the material should be distinct. 

Note: These symbols are the ones utilized at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, so they reflect that social environment. You may need to create symbols or adapt symbols specific to the environment of the student.

If you are starting from scratch with a symbol, try to pick something that will make sense to the student. As you look at the symbols you will see that some are based on visual information and some on possible tactile information.  It is important to consider the individual’s perspective when creating the symbol. These symbols are highly abstract so it is important to note his/her visual and tactile access when designing the symbol. A part or a piece of an object often works. By necessity, however, some symbols have to be arbitrary, because there is no obvious item to place on the symbol. When that’s the case, the student will learn the meaning through repeated association.

Shape: diamond with top point clipped off

Background: various materials such as netting, foil, contact paper