Influence of Base Material of TRUCT Braille on Readability of TRUCT Braille

When they are printed together with visual characters, recently transparent-resinous-ultraviolet-curing-type (TRUCT) Braille signs are becoming more and more popular in Japan. These signs are made by screen printing whose technique can be applied to various base materials, such as paper, metal, and plastic. TRUCT Braille signs have begun to be used in public facilities, such as on tactile maps and on handrails. Naturally, it is expected that Braille beginners will utilize these signs. However, it is not easy to read when printed on base material on which it is difficult for the forefinger to slide. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of base materials on the TRUCT Braille reading. We used fine paper and laminate film as the base material, and measured coefficient of kinetic friction between forefinger and their base materials. The coefficient of kinetic friction for fine paper was one-third that for the laminate film. As the subjects, twelve acquired visual impaired persons of Braille reader were examined. They were asked to read verbally randomly-arranged characters printed on fine paper and laminate film. Reading time was one minute and was repeated twelve times for each subject. As the results, most subjects could read TRUCT Brailles significantly faster and more correctly when they were printed on fine papers than when they were printed on laminate films. We found that base material influenced on TRUCT Braille reading.