Toys with touchable sky, mountains, rivers, and sea to develop intellectual curiosity in blind children

Abstract

For blind children, it is difficult to recognize and understand intangible spaces, such as the sky, mountains, rivers and sea. In this study, we prepared several sample toys based on cognitive features of blind children to (A) promote their interest and curiosity about these spaces, and (B) convey concrete information to allow the children to further understand the mutual relationships among the spaces. We repeatedly improved these toys through trial use by two blind children during their education to develop final models of toys with various materials and tactile sensations.