A close-up shot of a man's hands feeling a Direct Access tactile map board.

Tactile and Sensory Maps

Our A4 and A3 sized sensory maps give blind and partially sighted people access to information which improves spatial awareness, empowering them to engage with an environment independently.

In a post-COVID world where people are encouraged not to touch static maps or Braille signage, our paper-based sensory maps issued to visitors provide a hygienic-friendly solution for personal use.

Sensory maps can not only help visitors to identify sensory friendly spaces within your site but can be used as a guide for finding areas that are quieter and less crowded, spaces that have seating, and spaces with tactile engagement and accessible activities.

By providing our team with an existing map of your site, we will help you accommodate people with low vision to fully decipher the specifics of a site through touch rather than sight.

Sensory Maps are printed on swell paper, which has two sides – a white, slightly textured side and a smooth liner. Using our on-site tactile graphics machines, we can make outlines, symbols, and text rise off the page, allowing it to be fully accessible to people with visual impairments.

Swell paper maps are denser than regular maps in that they are not actually printed on regular paper, but are also considered the best-practice standard for providing accessible written information.

A scan of the Expo City Farm site for COP28 UAE with a key and corresponding translations of map elements in a braille format.
A photograph of the front cover of the Access Guide which Direct Access produced for Cannock Chase. The cover has a dark green colour scheme with a mixture of yellow and white text. It reads "Cannock Chase access guide. Welcome to the Access Guide for Cannock Chase". Underneath this text is the Cannock Chase logo. A photograph on the cover shows a young white woman with downs syndrome riding a bike with stabilisers joyfully. Next to her getting in close for a photo is a white male companion who is off his bike and holding it with one hand. He is also smiling happily. Behind them is a bike trail through some woods.

Access

Guides

A Tactile Braille Map Board displaying a museum map and its corresponding key, featuring QR codes and accompanying text which reads "audio description" and "sign language".

Audio description

and transcription

A young woman sits on her sofa practicing sign language while looking at her iPad.

Sign Language and

Captioned Videos

A scan of the COP28 UAE site map with a key and corresponding translations of map elements in a braille format.

Tactile and

Sensory Maps

Cheerful adult man with down syndrome using laptop at home.

Website

Accessibility

Direct Access logo.

Unit 3706,
Platinum Tower JLT-PH1-12,
Jumeirah Lakes Towers,
Dubai,
UAE.

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