Landau, S., Russell, M., Gourgey, K., Erin, J. N., & Cowan, J. (2003). Use of the talking tactile tablet in mathematics testing . Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness , 97 (2), 85–96. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X0309700204

This study examined the extent to which use of the Talking Tactile Tablet had a positive impact on the mathematics performance of students who were visually impaired and/or had difficulty visualizing graphics and diagrams. To the extent possible, the study also explored the Talking Tactile Tablet’s impact on the difficulty of items.

The participants consisted of 8 students with visual impairments in grades 9 to postsecondary education in Massachusetts (U.S.). Four were able to read braille, and four were not braille-literate and preferred to use large print or a sighted reader. Several participants had used tactile graphics previously.

For this study, three mathematics test forms, each containing four items, were administered to the participants. The items were selected from the publicly released Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). Each of the 12 items referenced a diagram or graphical element. The items focused on geometry, measurement, patterns and relations, and statistics and probability.

Students performed better on five of the eight items when using the Talking Tactile Tablet, and performed the same—with or without the accommodation—on the remaining three. Using the Talking Tactile Tablet also yielded item difficulties that more closely resembled the item difficulties obtained by general education students during testing. Limitations of the study were reported, and future research directions were suggested.