Tactile Communication
Tactile communication uses touch-based tools to support understanding, choice-making, and expression for people with complex communication needs.
Designing for Communication
Our commitment to tactile communication is grounded in more than 25 years of designing and fabricating tangible symbols alongside educators, families, and service providers. From standardized symbol sets to customized solutions, we believe tactile communication should be practical, shareable, and shaped by the real needs of the people who use it. Use this page to understand more about tangible symbols, explore reference materials, and learn about our services. To browse ready made tangible symbols, head over to the shop.
Building connections through touch
Why it matters
Communication is a basic human right, yet for individuals who are visually impaired, deafblind or who have complex communication needs, access to communication is too often shaped by barriers rather than possibilities. At Adaptive Design, our handmade tangible symbols provide a concrete way to support both understanding and expression when visual or spoken language is not accessible or reliable.
From Touch to Meaning
Each card represents an object, action, or idea through touch, helping individuals make choices, express needs and preferences, and participate more fully across home, school, and community settings. By making communication predictable and meaningful, tangible symbols can reduce frustration, build trust, and support learning, independence, self-advocacy, and the development of more abstract communication over time. Together, these tools create pathways to connection, learning, and autonomy, making communication truly accessible.
History of Tangible Symbols
Tangible symbol systems have evolved over decades, with early work emerging in the 1960s and wider adoption in the 1990s. Schools and organizations, including Perkins School for the Blind, continue to use and adapt similar systems today, along with many programs serving individuals with visual and multiple disabilities. A universal tangible symbol system set was developed in 2009 known as STACS (Standardized Tactile Augmentative Communication Symbols).
At Adaptive Design, we build on this shared body of work by designing durable, hand-made tangible symbols that are functional across classrooms, therapy spaces, homes, and community settings. We collaborate and work closely with field professionals to best serve our clients. Our tangible symbol cards support individuals who are visually impaired, deafblind, or who have complex communication needs by providing access to meaningful communication through relationship building, predictability and emotional safety, and a strong foundation for learning and independence.
1960s
Early Influences
Van Dijk's work with deafblind children in the 1960s involved using objects and movement as communication methods, which laid groundwork for tangible symbol systems.
1980s
Formalization and Research
Rowland and Schweigert conducted initial studies on conceptually concrete symbol systems in the late 1980s, referring to them as "tangible symbol systems". They published their findings in 1989.
2009 - 2013
Standardization Efforts
The development of the Universal Tangible Symbol System in 2009 focused on standardizing a core set of tangible symbols. This work was authored by Trief, and colleagues. The system was the result of a collaborative effort involving surveys, pilot studies, and an advisory board of experts. The goal was to create a system that could be used across different settings and with various individuals.
Building on this work, and with support from the Lavelle Fund for the Blind, the STACS (Standardized Tactile Communication Symbols) set was developed and is now available through the American Printing House for the Blind (APH). Each set includes 25 tangible symbol cards, including two blank cards and instructions to support customization. These blank cards recognize that even within a standardized system, individualization remains an important part of creating meaningful communication tools.
2013 - 2022
Individualized vs. Standardized
While the STACS set aimed for standardization, there's ongoing discussion about the best approach for selecting symbols. Many experts advocate for individualizing the symbols based on the user's needs, preferences, and the context of their communication.
2023- ongoing
Expanding Access Through School-Wide Adoption
A team of direct service providers led by Danielle Pepin, Director of Vision and Hearing Services at a specialized school, collaborated with Adaptive Design to develop a school-wide tangible symbol set. The project focused on creating symbols with higher contrast to expand access for students with cortical visual impairment (CVI), to utilize objects that relate to the students' direct school experience and to foster interdisciplinary collaboration across the school community.
Beth Brady at Hunter College, and Sarah Ivy at University of Utah, joined the project to support staff training and ongoing research examining the efficacy of adopting tangible symbols as a low-tech AAC system across an entire school community.
How do we make thousands of cards annually? You can make them too!
Every year, more than 16,000 tangible symbols are produced in-house by a dedicated team of fabricators and volunteers in our NYC workshop. Our online shop represents a living archive of designs developed over the years, shaped by real-world use in classrooms, homes, and communities.
Teachers, parents, and therapists often come to Adaptive Design with an idea for a symbol but need design expertise to turn it into something durable, meaningful, and usable. We offer free design consultation, working collaboratively to create cards for individual use at home as well as large-scale, school-wide systems.
Our tangible symbols are built on a cardboard base, making them lightweight, easy to handle, and comfortable to use. Cardboard is not sensitive to hot or cold temperatures and can be easily modified, repaired, or replaced over time, an important feature for evolving communication needs.
All cards are made by hand in our workshop in New York City’s Garment District, but this is a process you can learn too. We believe in sharing knowledge and building capacity beyond our walls.
Want to try it yourself?
Watch our step-by-step video on how to line communication cards like a pro, and download the free STACS Guidebook PDF for additional instructions, including how to embed objects in the appendix. We plan to continue sharing resources to support DIY card-making and design, so if you’d like to stay informed about upcoming workshops and training opportunities, let us know.
How this work is funded
Our work in tactile communication is supported through a combination of earned income, individual donations, and foundation grants. Sales of tangible symbols through our library and APH help to sustain the program.
Since 2008, the Lavelle Fund for the Blind has been an enduring partner in our Tactile Communication Program. Its sustained investment has helped us expand access to tactile communication tools, develop innovative resources, and provide training for educators, families, and people who are blind, have low vision, or are deafblind. We are deeply grateful for Lavelle’s longstanding commitment to advancing equitable access to communication.
Ways we support communication
Tangible symbols are designed to meet people where they are, offering a tactile way to express needs, build routines, and strengthen connections. Here is how we make it possible.
American Printing House
Each year, we hand-make thousands of cards for the Standardized Tactile Augmentative Communication Symbols (STACS) kits, distributed nationally by the American Printing House for the Blind.
Custom Card Orders
We also design and build custom sets for individuals, schools, and organizations. Each card is tailored to specific activities, objects, or environments that matter most to the person using them.
Workshops and Training
Are you an educator, therapist, or organization interested in collaborating? We are always looking for ways to expand our impact.
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Can't find the tactile symbol you need? We'll work with you to design a custom card tailored to your learner, classroom, or program.
Design consultation is always free. Custom tactile symbol cards are $20.00 per card.
After you place your order, our team will contact you to gather details and begin the design process.
Resources
Continue learning how to support tactile communication.
STACS Training Videos
Short videos to help you understand and use the Standardized Tactile Augmentative Communication Symbols (STACS) more confidently in real-life settings.
Tangible Symbols Series
A video series by educator Elizabeth Torrey that explores how tangible symbols can be used as part of a meaningful communication system for learners with visual and multiple disabilities.
NYDeafBlind Collaborative Recorded Webinars
In the Recorded Webinar, scroll to the Communication drop-down and select Understanding & Supporting Communication Development: From Concrete to Abstract, Chris Russel