1. Rebecca L. Renshaw, MEd, COMS NCLVI Fellow, University of Pittsburgh George J. Zimmerman, PhD, COMS Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh

2. This poster discusses the use of a tactile map of a large outdoor space (garden and play area) used to teach a four year old student with minimal light perception about the spatial location of various landmarks (specific play area) within the space. Data regarding accuracy of spatial judgments and retention of spatial layout knowledge will be presented.

3. Map Dimensions - 11” X 17” Map Materials Foam Board = Base Felt = Grass Velcro = Concrete Dollhouse Bricks = Pavers Aluminum Foil = Fountain Foam = Playground Wooden Popsicle Sticks = Song Bench and Pillars Puff Paint (shapes) = Picnic Area and Swing

4. Outdoor large-scale play environment Created specifically for exploration for children who are blind and visually impaired in an approved private school Landmarks Entrance Gate Playground Area Swing Song Bench Fountain Sensory cues Auditory: water fountain, song bench, playground area Tactile: playground area, grass, brick, railing Proprioceptive: slope of brick area

5. Guided and self-exploration of map Guided and self-exploration of garden Time Period: Spring = 16.5 hours Fall = 12.75 hours

6. Two dependent measures: Tactile Map Time Data = time to tactually locate landmarks on map Route Travel Time Data = time to travel to landmark in the Garden

7. Participant improved on measures of time when locating landmarks on the tactile map. Entrance Gate – 10.88 seconds to 2.07 seconds Playground – 3.30 seconds to 2. 36 seconds Swing – 25.11 seconds to 10.05 seconds Song Bench – 45.27 seconds to 3.155 seconds Fountain – 20.18 seconds to 2.07 seconds

8. Participant improved on measures of time when locating destination in the Garden. Entrance Gate – 26.1 seconds to 22.1 seconds Playground – 24.7 seconds to 10.4 seconds Swing – 2:07.2 minutes to 49.3 seconds Song Bench – 2:52.3 minutes to 1:38.3 minutes Fountain – 2:20.4 minutes to 33.4 seconds

9. Data Collection – Collected over nine sessions Each session lasted approximately one hour Tactile Map – Time needed to locate landmarks on the map decreased Route Travel – Time needed to locate landmarks in the Garden decreased

10. Single subject design limits the generalizability of the results Repeated exposure to same sequence of the routes may have caused the decrease in time Before each lesson, the O&M specialist traced the routes on the tactile map using hand over hand assistance rather than allowing the student to review the route independently.

11. Results revealed a decrease in the time needed to locate landmarks on the tactile map and actual landmarks in the Garden More research needs to be done using a control and experiment group