Tactile maps alt descriptions

All Able has donated several maps to the Blind Travel Summit in Texas, November 2025 hosted by the Blind Travel Foundation.

Alongside the maps donated, laminated copies of instructions and additional alt text were provided. To make this a more inclusive experience, the instructions also include QR codes to this page providing a digitally readable alternative.

The content below represents the digital alt text for each of these maps.

After the Summit, donated maps will be gifted to either the Texas School for the Blind or the American Printing House for the Blind (APH)—two nationally respected institutions serving the blind community.

Arial view of Stoke Mandeville Hospital, 1942

The original hospital on the site of what is now the National Paralympic Heritage Trust. The hospital hosted a spinal injuries centre, and in time, rehabilitation sport evolved to recreational sport, and then to competitive sport that was the beginning of what would become the Paralympic Games.

The map oriented with raised letter and braille labelling at the bottom shows the original hospital layout.

• The central clocktower is present at the bottom edge of the map area and stands proud of the map.

• Moving out to the left and right edges from the clocktower are the two radial wards which arc round in a curve, each like half of a wheel of spokes.

• Moving forwards from the clocktower are the central set of buildings and then two rows of ward buildings that run up to the main road present at the top of the map area.

• Additional hospital buildings are present in the top left corner of the map area.

• Surrounding the hospital and its interconnecting roads is a rough texture representing the grass and green areas around the space.

Level Centre

The Level centre is a contemporary arts centre in England that works with disabled creatives specialising in visual, digital and performing arts.

The map oriented with the key on the right-hand side shows the layout of the space and a raised letter and braille key.

• In the top right corner is a north marker that shows the orientation of the building. The building is pointing North-west.

• The main entrance to the building parking area is on the right-hand side. Run your hand down the right-hand wall to find the car part entrance.

• Within the car park are three parking spaces present on the left as you enter the parking area.

• From the parking entrance forward and to the right, or for someone touching the map moving left from the top edge of the entrance wall is the true entrance into the building proper.

• The building consists of several rooms and a curving outer wall on the left-hand side.

• Following the left-hand curve to the bottom point facing the reader, this is a smaller out-building that contains a meeting room and storage space.

• The key includes raised letter and braille labels, along with some icons used to indicate parking and fire exists.

• Along the left-hand edge of the map is a rough texture representing the grass surrounding the building.

Canterbury Cathedral

Canterbury Cathedral is a historic religious location in the city of Canterbury, England. The tactile map is an enlarged and enhanced version of the small paper tactile maps given out at the cathedral to visitors. This is an earlier example of All Able tactile maps before 3D braille was incorporated into the maps. The map only contains raised letter labelling.

The map, oriented with the curved end on the right-hand side shows the main cathedral space.

• Entrance into the cathedral is normally from the door in the bottom left corner of the map.

• Entering the cathedral there is the nave in the left half of the map, which is a massive, vaulted space with two rows of nine pillars holding up the roof.

• Moving right along the central area of the nave you will reach the central staircase; this leads up into the choir space where choristers would be located during services.

• Continuing along the choir space, leads to a further set of stairs which rises to the trinity chapel at the right-hand end of the map.

• Moving along the north wall of the nave, you will reach a smaller staircase which if followed takes the user along another corridor eventually leading the trinity chapel. Breaking off from this north aisle you can also reach the Martyrdom, the Northeast Transept, and a smaller additional chapel.

• Moving along the southern wall, you initially reach another smaller staircase, to the left of the staircase is the entrance to the crypts (not depicted). To the right of the staircase is the Southwest Transept.

• Continuing along the south aisle is the Southeast Transept, and another chapel before once again reaching the Trinity Chapel.

House Floorplan

This is a house floorplan taken from Rightmove; a website people use to advertise their house for sale. The floorplan was created as a tactile alternative to visual floorplans or 3D walkarounds now common on house advertisements. This tactile aid should help a vision impaired user get an idea of the space without having the visit in person first.

The map oriented with the front door hole in the bottom left corner shows the layout of the 3-bedroom house across two floors.

• The left-hand block of the map shows the ground floor. The right-hand block shows the upper floor.

• Entering the house from the front door in the bottom left of the map, there is a small toilet room to the immediate left.

• The next left after the toilet is the stairs to the upper floor.

• Directly across the stairs, and the first right from entering the front door is the kitchen. A stove top and sink have been represented.

• The next right after the kitchen, and the next left after the stairs are both cupboards.

• Following the corridor all the way along from the front door brings you into the large front-room or lounge area.

• Moving upstairs, the stair hole on the right-hand part of the map is in the same comparative space as the stairs on the ground floor.

• Moving towards the reader from the stair hole is a cupboard followed by the main bathroom including toilet, sink, and bath in the bottom left corner of the upper floor.

• Moving towards the user and right, is a large bedroom in the bottom right corner of the upper floor.

• Moving away from the user and to the left is a smaller bedroom in the top left of the upper floor.

• Moving away from the user and to the right enters the master bedroom in the top right corner of the upper floor.

• Within the master bedroom on the wall closest to the reader enters into an en-suite bathroom with toilet, sink and shower.