USING TACTILE MAPS TO IMPROVE THE PRACTICAL SPATIAL KNOWLEDGE OF ADULTS WHO ARE BLIND

This study evaluated the effects of three instructional methods-direct experience, cartographic representation, and verbal description-on th e spatial knowledge of 30 adults who are blind. During four sessions, the participants learned a large, complex route in Madrid that include d eight landmarks. In the first session, the experimenter guided the p articipants along the route, and in the subsequent sessions, the parti cipants guided the experimenter. The results showed that the participa nts' practical spatial knowledge was better when they learned the rout e with a tactile map than in either of the two other conditions.