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MAD Lab

Touching The News: What do the 12 signs of the Zodiac look like?
Touching the News

Touching The News: What do the 12 signs of the Zodiac look like?

12 signs of the zodiac with braille labels

Title: Twelve Zodiac Signs

Description: Twelve symbols laid out in a grid, 3 across and 4 down. From left to right, top to bottom.

  1. Aries (ram). The symbol represents the face and horn of a ram.
  2. Taurus (bull). The symbol represents the face and horns of a bull.
  3. Gemini (twins). The symbol represents companionship.
  4. Cancer (crab). The symbol represents the connection to both material and spiritual worlds.
  5. Leo (lion). The symbol represents a lion’s head and mane.
  6. Virgo (virgin). The symbol represents the first three letters of the Greek word parthenos, which means “virgin.”
  7. Libra (scale). The symbol represents a scale.
  8. Scorpio (scorpion). The symbol represents the stinger of a scorpion.
  9. Sagittarius (archer). The symbol represents the arrow of a centaur aiming to the high realms.
  10. Capricorn (sea-goat or mountain goat). The symbol represents the body, head, and horns of a goat with the tail of a fish.
  11. Aquarius (water bearer). The symbol represents ripples of water.
  12. Pisces (fish). The symbol represents two fish tied together, swimming in opposite directions

Download Graphic

ZIP folder contains files for producing tactile graphics on 8.5 x 11-inch paper, portrait:

  • PRNs for ViewPlus Columbia / Delta, APH PixBlaster, IRIE BrailleTrac / BrailleSheet;
  • PDFs for Swell, Microcapsule or PIAF;
  • Reference PDFs with corresponding large print text (not for tactile production).

Printing Instructions and Supported Embossers

How to unzip/uncompress: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, MacOS.

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What is the layout of an NBA Basketball court?
Touching the News

What is the layout of an NBA Basketball court?

Illustration of a basketball court with braille labelsTitle: NBA Basketball Court

Description: Aerial view of a standard NBA basketball court, a horizontal rectangle. Two equal sides of the court are mirrored by the (vertically drawn) half-court line, which bisects the center circle. Each side has a three-point line arching around the key (shaded rectangle, also called free throw lane) and basket. At the top of the key is the free throw circle (dashed line within shaded area, solid line outside), bisected by the free throw line. There are four midcourt area markers along the side lines. The graphic includes a key to abbreviations and scale line showing 12-ft distance.

Download Graphic

ZIP folder contains files for producing tactile graphics on 8.5 x 11-inch paper, landscape:

  • PRNs for ViewPlus Columbia / Delta, APH PixBlaster, IRIE BrailleTrac / BrailleSheet;
  • PDFs for Swell, Microcapsule or PIAF;
  • Reference PDFs with corresponding large print text (not for tactile production).

Printing Instructions and Supported Embossers

How to unzip/uncompress: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, MacOS.

Source: NBA Official: Court Dimensions

Related articles: Did Moving The Arc Bring The 3-Pointer To A Breaking Point? FiveThirtyEight.

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New from Touching The News: Tactile Map of Gaza Strip and West Bank
Touching the News

New from Touching The News: Tactile Map of Gaza Strip and West Bank

Braille labeled map and key of Israel/Palestine, including Gaza and West Bank.

Title: Israel, Gaza, West Bank

Description: Map of Israel-Palestine, Gaza Strip, West Bank, Golan, and neighboring countries. The map includes a north arrow and scale, approximately 1 inch = 40 miles. The Mediterranean Sea borders to the northwest, Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, Gulf of Aqaba to the south, and Egypt to the southwest. Countries are represented by an empty fill with solid borders. Gaza on the west and West Bank on the east, occupied Palestinian territories, are represented by a textured fill. The Dead Sea overlaps the border with Jordan, partially within the West Bank. Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are represented by circles. Golan, a disputed territory of Syria is to the north, with Lebanon to its north and Jordan to its south.

Download Graphic

ZIP folder contains files for producing tactile graphics on 8.5 x 11-inch paper, portrait:

  • PRNs for ViewPlus Columbia / Delta, APH PixBlaster, IRIE BrailleTrac / BrailleSheet;
  • PDFs for Swell, Microcapsule or PIAF;
  • Reference PDFs with corresponding large print text (not for tactile production).

Printing Instructions and Supported Embossers

How to unzip/uncompress: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, MacOS.

Source and related articles: Israel’s borders explained in maps, BBC news; Mapping Israeli Occupation, Al Jazeera; The toll of Israeli strikes on Gaza: Mapping the destruction left behind, Washington Post; The World Factbook Israel map.

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Touching The News: What will the Harriet Tubman $20 bill look like (when it happens)?
Touching the News

Touching The News: What will the Harriet Tubman $20 bill look like (when it happens)?

Digital illustration of $20 bill with braille labels, including Harriet Tubman on front, Washington Monument, White House, and Andrew Jackson statue on back.Title: Conceptual Rendering of Harriet Tubman $20 Bill

Description: Concept drawings of the front and back of the Harriet Tubman $20 bill, including braille labels where they would appear on the printed bill. Front of bill shows Harriet Tubman, from head to below shoulders, wearing a large-collared jacket. Back of bill includes images of the Washington Monument, the White House, and a statue of Andrew Jackson on a horse.

To the best of our knowledge, there are no planned accessibility features for this new bill design.

Download Graphic

ZIP folder contains files for producing the 3-page tactile graphics on 8.5 x 11-inch paper, portrait:

  • PRNs for ViewPlus Columbia / Delta, APH PixBlaster, IRIE BrailleTrac / BrailleSheet;
  • PDFs for Swell, Microcapsule or PIAF;
  • Reference PDFs with corresponding large print text (not for tactile production).

Printing Instructions and Supported Embossers

How to unzip/uncompress: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, MacOS.

Source and related articles: When will Harriet Tubman adorn the $20 bill? Washington Post, Putting Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill may take years. Here’s why. New York Times, Biden’s Treasury will seek to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, an effort the Trump administration halted. New York Times. Learn more about Harriet Tubman.

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Touching The News: What does the International Space Station look like?
Touching the News

Touching The News: What does the International Space Station look like?

side-by-side graphic and diagram of International Space Station with braille labelsTitles, from left: International Space Station,  International Space Station Diagram

Description: 3-page graphic containing an illustration of the International Space Station as seen from the Zenith (above), a layout diagram, and a key to abbreviations. The drawing shows the truss system horizontally, with solar arrays extending vertically up and down on the page, radiators up, and a series of connected modules. The diagram shows the same layout, using lines to connect feature labels, as well as the orientation with directions Aft, Port, Forward, Starboard (Zenith and Nadir omitted for clarity). The key contains abbreviations with additional information.

Download Graphic

ZIP folder contains files for producing the 3-page tactile graphics on 8.5 x 11-inch paper, landscape:

  • PRNs for ViewPlus Columbia / Delta, APH PixBlaster, IRIE BrailleTrac / BrailleSheet;
  • PDFs for Swell, Microcapsule or PIAF;
  • Reference PDFs with corresponding large print text (not for tactile production).

Printing Instructions and Supported Embossers

How to unzip/uncompress: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, MacOS.

Source: International Space Station Facts and Figures

Related articles and podcasts: NASA Podcasts, NASA 3D models for 3D printing, Spacewalk to Install First New Solar Array Concluded

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Touching The News: What does NASA’s Mars Ingenuity Helicopter look like?
Touching the News

Touching The News: What does NASA’s Mars Ingenuity Helicopter look like?

Mars helicopter tactile graphic with braille labels, front and top views with legs, fuselage, and 2 sets of rotors.

Title: Mars Ingenuity Helicopter

Description: Side and top views of Mars Ingenuity Helicopter with braille labels. Side view labels from top: telecommunication, solar panel, rotor system, fuselage, landing system. Top view shows solar panel, telecommunication, and rotors with arrow showing rotation, labeled: rotating carbon fiber blades, 1.2m diameter.

Download Graphic

ZIP folder contains files for producing tactile graphics on 8.5 x 11-inch paper, portrait:

  • PRN for ViewPlus Columbia / Delta, APH PixBlaster, IRIE BrailleTrac / BrailleSheet;
  • PDF for Swell, Microcapsule or PIAF;
  • Reference PDF with corresponding large print text (not for tactile production).

Printing Instructions and Supported Embossers

How to unzip/uncompress: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, MacOS.

Source: Mars Helicopter Ingenuity Quick Facts, Mars Helicopter Status Updates, Mars Helicopter Ingenuity Fact Sheet (PDF)

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How many daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases are there in the US and the World?
Touching the News

How many daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases are there in the US and the World?

graph with braille labels, two lines increasing and decreasing from origin along x- and y-axes

Tactile graphic title: Daily confirmed COVID-19 cases per mil people: US and world, updated May 25, 2021

Description: Braille graph with two plotted lines. Solid line for US, dashed line for World. X-axis is Date (2020-2021) with markers for Mar 1, Jul 1, Nov 1, Feb 1, May 1. Y-axis is Cases per million, from 0 to 800. Solid line (US) peaks around 750 cases per million people in February 2021. Dashed line (world) peaks around 50 cases per million people in early February and mid-April of 2021.

Download Graphic

ZIP folder contains files for producing tactile graphics on 8.5 x 11-inch paper, landscape:

  • PRN for ViewPlus Columbia / Delta, APH PixBlaster, IRIE BrailleTrac / BrailleSheet;
  • PDF for Swell, Microcapsule or PIAF;
  • Reference PDF with corresponding large print text (not for tactile production).

Printing Instructions and Supported Embossers

How to unzip/uncompress: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, MacOS.

Source: Our World In Data – Daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases per million people, Our World In Data – COVID Cases

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What percentage of the population have received at least 1 dose of the COVID-19 vaccine?
Touching the News

What percentage of the population have received at least 1 dose of the COVID-19 vaccine?

graph with braille labels, line increasing from origin along x- and y-axes

Tactile graphic title: Share of the population that received at least 1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine, through May 17

Description: Braille graph with a plotted line increasing from the origin along the x- and y-axes, reaching approximately 47% in mid-May. End of line is labeled “US,” with another tick labeled “world” at about 9%. X-axis is Date (2020-2021) with markers for Jan 1, Mar 1, May 1. Y-axis is Percentage, from 0 to 100. Note that this does not equal percentage fully vaccinated, but rather those who have received at least one dose.

Download Graphic

ZIP folder contains files for producing tactile graphics on 8.5 x 11-inch paper, landscape:

  • PRN for ViewPlus Columbia / Delta, APH PixBlaster, IRIE BrailleTrac / BrailleSheet;
  • PDF for Swell, Microcapsule or PIAF;
  • Reference PDF with corresponding large print text (not for tactile production).

Printing Instructions and Supported Embossers

How to unzip/uncompress: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, MacOS.

Source: Our World In Data – Share of population who received at least one vaccine dose, Our World In Data – COVID Vaccinations

Vote on next week’s graphic

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What does the Rolling on the Floor Laughing Face (ROFL) emoji look like?
Touching the News

What does the Rolling on the Floor Laughing Face (ROFL) emoji look like?

Four emojis with braille labels: grinning face, grinning face with squinting eyes, face with tears of joy, rolling on the floor laughing face

Title: ROFL Emoji (and 3 others)

Description: Four emojis, from top left to bottom right, all with circular head, and open, smiling mouth. Grinning face: oval eyes. Grinning face with squinting eyes: squinting eyes as sideways “V” shapes. Face with tears of joy: closed eyes as curved lines, upward eyebrows, one tear on each side of face. Rolling on the floor laughing (ROFL) face: head rotated 30-degrees, squinting eyes, one tear on each side of face.

How to use emoji on your iPhone. How to use emoji on your Android device.

Download Emoji Graphics

ZIP folder contains files for producing tactile graphics on 8.5 x 11-inch paper, portrait:

  • PRN for ViewPlus Columbia / Delta, APH PixBlaster, IRIE BrailleTrac / BrailleSheet;
  • PDF for Swell, Microcapsule or PIAF;
  • Reference PDF with corresponding large print text (not for tactile production).

Printing Instructions and Supported Embossers

How to unzip/uncompress: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, MacOS.

Submit Your Ideas and Touch The News

Sign up

Sign up to receive tactile graphics files to print at home.

Back to Touching The News Gallery

How big was that iceberg that broke off Antarctica in February?
Touching the News

How big was that iceberg that broke off Antarctica in February?

Map of antarctica with braille labels, detail map of Antarctica and iceberg with braille labels.

Tactile map 1: Antarctica Map

Description: Map of Antarctica with scale lines, showing longitude lines, Antarctic Circle line, and location of Halley VI Research Station.

Tactile map 2: A-74 Iceberg Map

Description: Detail map of Antarctica showing A-74 Iceberg location, with scale lines, lat/long lines, location of Halley VI Research Station, and labels for Weddell Sea and Brunt Ice Shelf.

Source: NOAA, USA Today, Space.com, British Antarctic Survey.

The A-74 Iceberg covers about 1,270 square kilometers. Cities with similar areas: Phoenix, US (1,230 sq. km); Los Angeles, US (1,215 sq. km); Wellington, New Zealand (1,388 sq. km); Delhi, India (1,483 sq. km); London, UK (1,579 sq. km). Source: The Measure of Things.

Download Maps

ZIP folder contains files for producing 2 tactile maps on 8.5 x 11-inch paper:

  • PRNs for ViewPlus Columbia / Delta, APH PixBlaster, IRIE BrailleTrac / BrailleSheet;
  • PDFs for Swell, Microcapsule or PIAF;
  • Reference PDFs with corresponding large print text (not for tactile production).

Printing Instructions and Supported Embossers

How to unzip/uncompress: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, MacOS.

Submit Your Ideas and Touch The News

Sign up

Sign up to receive tactile graphics files to print at home.

Back to Touching The News Gallery