I’ve been encountering items on maps for the blind for some time now, and I’m fascinated by the fact that each map I encounter is done differently — there are quite a few approaches to the problem of providing visual, geographic information to the visually impaired. The most recent iteration is this Radio Praha report about a map for the blind of Prague’s historical centre:

The relief map comes in A3 notebook format, in sixty pieces, and is printed on specially pressed thin plastic. It can be read by means of various raised layers and other three dimensional elements such as points and lines. Important orientation points, monuments, streets and metro lines, along with Braille inscriptions all serve to colour the tangible picture of the city offered to those using the map. To make it more accessible to international visitors, the key in Braille relief is also provided in English.

The map is the brainchild of cartographer Radka Fuxova, for whom this subject was his university thesis and who has made maps for other Czech cities — Brno and Ostrava — as well.

Previously: Virtual 3D Maps for the Blind; Maps for the Visually Impaired; Maps and Directions for the Blind; Online Maps for the Visually Impaired.