title: The potential for developing a tactile communication system based on Blissymbolics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To be useful for tactile communication, tactile stimuli need to be discriminable from each other. The objective of this study was to determine whether raised-line renderings of Blissymbols have the capacity for being developed into a tactile communication system as measured by their tactile discriminability.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tactile discrimination of Blissymbols was measured by performance on a task in which participants were asked to feel a target raised-line Blissymbol and then to find the target within an array containing the target and raised-line Blissymbol foils.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The vast majority of tactile Blissymbols had tactile discrimination scores of 90% accuracy or better.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most raised-line Blissymbols can be tactilely discriminated from each other, indicating that they have the potential for being developed into a tactile communication system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Studies, Purdue University , West Lafayette, IN , USA.
authors.forename: Mick D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Isaacson
authors.forename: Lyle L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Lloyd
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D014110:Touch; D055698:Touch Perception
keywords: Augmentative and alternative communication; haptics; tactile language system; tactile symbols; thermal expansion paper