Clearvision is home to the UK's only lending library of books with textured tactile pictures. This means that all the illustrations are made up of different materials, which feel like the object they're representing, for example, a tree would have rough material for its bark, and cool, smooth fabric for the leaves.

In the picture on the right here, Guide Dog Witty has a soft furry coat and a shiny nylon and rough leather harness. These pictures are great for helping children understand the purpose of illustrations: to represent something from the real world (or someone's imagination) in a book. They're also a lot of fun! Many children, and adults too, love tactile pictures, and we're delighted to be able to lend these books through nurseries, schools, colleges and Sensory Support Services. The majority of our books are made by volunteers., who create them through sewing or collage.

We're put putting on some free Zoom workshops on how to make a tactile book, ahead of the Typhlo and Tactus international tactile book competition. Anyone can give it a go. They're running at 8pm on Monday 17th January, and Tuesday 1st February 2022. They’re all the same (so you only need to sign up for one!) and will run for one and a half to two hours. Signup for each closes three days before the class, email info@clearvisionproject.org to book a place.

In the mean time, visit our Making Tactile Books webpage for the basics and see the videos below.

Videos:
Tactile books: what they are and who they’re for

Designing a tactile book:

Making a tactile book: practicalities

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ClearVision's beautiful Barn Owl Christmas cards go on sale today. They're £3 for a pack of 10, plus postage and packing. Contact the office on info@clearvisionproject.org or 0208 789 9575 to buy some and support our work, getting brilliant books to the children and families who need them.

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