Join the dots  —
Alex and Lilani discover the world of letters

The content of each volume follows on from the previous one, and each volume is a self-contained unit. The format was chosen so that the text and illustrations could be shown in an appropriate size whilst still retaining a handy and uncluttered format for pre-school children.
In addition to handiness, the project team felt it was important to follow the formal conventions of booklets or books for sighted people as closely as possible so as to keep the visual barrier as small as possible. This is why the booklets are held together with a stitched binding, which also lets you open a double page completely without any haptic irritation when you slide your hand over the binding between the pages.

The content of each double page forms a text/image or tactile exercise unit. The tactile exercise tasks on the double pages are embedded in an exciting story. The main protagonists in this series of learning aids are Alex, a life-size Braille dot, and Lilani, a small line. So as to guarantee an economic production of this series of learning aids, the emphasis was on integrated supporting aspects of learning to read with opportunities for initial action within the text, and not necessarily on an extensive collection of material. However, each volume comes with instructions and suggestions for related games and exercises for parents and significant others reading aloud or along with the children to ensure that the variety of materials and activities necessary for sensitizing the sense of touch can still be provided.

The nine volumes come in a tidy, practical storage box that includes a Braille cube.

This first inclusive learning resource introduces preschool children with blindness as well as with and without visual impairments to writing in nine volumes. The inclusive design allows the whole family to join in on the journey of discovery. This enables equal participation in elementary educational processes.

On the current learning materials market, there are no support materials available for private purchase that introduce blind and visually impaired children to Braille together with their sighted environment. Sighted children acquire the sensory and cognitive prerequisites for the acquisition of written language before they start school. Blind children (and children with severe visual impairments who depend on Braille) need an appropriately prepared and designed environment for these basic learning processes.

The three research projects conducted by our team have shown that this learning material is able to close the gap between inclusive aspirations and inclusive practice for the acquisition of written language by blind and visually impaired children.