The Association
Intention
«Punkt, Punkt, Komma, Strich» is a research project to introduce blind and visually impaired children of pre-school age as well as their sighted friends and relatives to Braille. The association of the same name has set itself the goal of designing inclusive learning aids that meet the high technical and didactic requirements of blind and visually impaired children, that are colourful and attractive and that can be purchased at an affordable price by parents and schools.
The research project is very practically orientated: bringing about an increasing orientation towards inclusion in all areas of society calls for concrete didactic concepts. This learning aid can help close the gap between inclusive aspirations and inclusive practice that is currently very evident. Thus, an evaluated set of materials is created for different target groups within the framework of a robust, well-developed concept, which is compatible with general didactic requirements as well as the specific requirements of blind and visually impaired people for a modern, activity-oriented way of learning to read.
The study materials should thus greatly facilitate the process of bringing about inclusion. At the same time, the learning aids developed during the project allow blind and visually impaired children to participate in elementary educational processes on an equal footing. Essential skills that are prerequisites for learning to read (insight into the structure of writing, getting to know textual elements, differentiation between perception processes etc.) are made equally accessible to children with and without a visual impairment in a playful way.
The team
The people behind this project are firmly convinced that any step towards inclusion, no matter how small, is crucially important, and that the use of an inclusive learning aid makes the process much easier for those affected.
Fabienne Meyer
Design researcher and visual designer
She is a Visual Designer (FH) and has been working as an artistic and research assistant at the Institute of Design Research in the Social Communication Research Unit at HKB since 2009. The first time she had anything to do with sensitising the sense of touch of blind children of pre-school age was when she helped design a tactile book in collaboration with Petra & Vivian Aldridge (teachers for the blind). Fabienne Meyer then delved deeper into this topic by founding the BFH research project “Join the dots” (2009-2011) and was in charge of the SNF project “Punkt, Punkt, Komma, Strich” (2013-2015). As the project manager, Fabienne Meyer is responsible for not only coordinating the briefings for the prototypes but also for designing the exercises and incorporating these in the action-based stories, as well as for their content and presentation.
Prof. Andréas Netthoevel
Graphic designer and research lecturer at the Bern University of the Arts
He is a graphic designer and has been a lecturer for visual communication at Bern University of the Arts since 2000, and a research professor since 2012. He founded the “2. stock süd” design office in Biel/Bienne in 1990 and remains its Co-Director. In the PPKS research project, Andréas Netthoevel is responsible for the overall management of the team. He is also in charge of theoretical and practical design aspects, expedites the production technology research and clarifications and is instrumental in the design process for the learning aid.
Martin Gaberthüel
Graphic designer and academic assistant at the Bern University of the Arts
He is a graphic designer, has worked at the Institute of Design Research in Social Communication Research Unit at HKB since 2010 and is co-owner of the “2. stock süd” design office in Biel/Bienne since 1995. Apart from his collaboration in the BFH research project “Join the dots”, Andréas Netthoevel and Martin Gaberthüel developed the new corporate design for the Bern Centre for Blind and Handicapped Persons. The overall design concept received several international awards, most recently the “red-dot-award best of the best” from the North Rhine-Westphalia Design Centre. In the PPKS research project, Martin Gaberthüel is responsible for the overall and detailed design and for preparing the print data for production.
Matthias Jungen
Economist and certified business educator
He is an economist with a degree in business education. He first came into contact with the project during his earlier work as coordinator of the BFH Centre Art in Context at Bern University of the Arts. Since then, Matthias Jungen has been assisting the association on all matters related to fund-raising, PR work and on economic issues.