Frequently Asked Questions
Where are you?
The National Centre for Tactile Diagrams is based at RNIB in the heart of Birmingham in the UK.
Can I visit the Centre?
We do have visitors to the Centre on a regular basis, and have open days on request. If you wish to visit please contact us to make arrangements.
Can I call for advice?
You can call us for advice on anything related to tactile graphics. Where we are not able to help directly, it is usually possible for us to put you in touch with someone who can.
How do you produce your graphics?
We use a number of methods depending on the criteria of our clients from hand-made thermoform diagrams to embossed graphics using the latest embossers. The majority of our low duplication work is designed on computer and produced on swell paper.
Can I order tactile graphics from outside the UK?
Yes, we do produce graphics from our archives for other countries. But we are typically not able to undertake new design for people or organisations outside the UK. Please see our International pages.
Do you e-mail graphics for production by others?
Currently we do not send out digital copies of graphics. This is to ensure the quality of our graphics when produced are as high as the designer intended them to be, and to preserve copyright. We are exploring methods which will allow us to distribute graphics digitally, for a possible future service.
What is your turnaround time?
The speed at which we are able to design and produce tactile graphics varies throughout the year depending on the level of demand, the availability of our designers, and the complexity of the design. We usually aim to be able to produce materials within three weeks, occasionally we may take a little longer, and we can often produce materials faster than this.
Is there a difference between a tactile diagram and a tactile graphic?
We typically use the term diagram to refer to any type of graphic including charts, maps and pictures. In this context the terms are interchangeable.