While in the process of REB approval I conducted observations from publicly available videos of blind individuals drawing as well as a literature review on the current state of drawing tools. Inferences from video observations were as follows:

• Drawers rely on continuous perceptual feedback to place newer marks in relation to previously placed marks throughout the drawing process. For BPSI drawers, perceptual feedback was largely tactile.

• BPSI drawers utilize both hands during drawing.

• Tools employed by BPSI drawers included raised line and traditional paper with pencil, with stencils as an aid. .

• 3D models, though not traditionally considered drawing, afforded continuous tactile feedback to produce models.

A literature search was conducted to understand the current state of drawing tools available for blind. I found that analog tools such as raised-line drawing kits and swell paper (Bornschein and Weber, 2017), as well as digital devices such as TDraw (Kurze, 1996) and grid-based drawing (Kamel and Landay, 2000) reveal innovation in primarily 2D drawing techniques for VI learners. More recently, 2.5D tactile shape displays (Siu, 2019) and pin arrays show possibilities for three-dimensional (3D) design and creation for VI individuals.

1. Participant Recruitment:

Following the approval of the REB process participants were recruited for the study via emails. Two participants demonstrated interest in the study. Detailed consent forms were signed before proceeding to interview and co-design sessions. Both participants came from an art and design background indicating their motivation to participate in the study as being able to find better tools for drawing and assist in creating them.

2. Nature of work and forms of creation:

P1 (Participant 1) is an artist who has a degenerative condition impacting their vision since a young age and is interested in pursuing industrial design. P1 is completely blind in the right eye and low-vision in the left eye. P1 engages in free form painting and creating artwork

P2 (Participant 2) is an architect who is completely blind in both eyes and lost their vision 12 years ago. P2’s work relies on creating and editing architectural drawings in relation to existing designs.

3. Tactile Facility and the Creative Process:

Participants indicated a strong inclination to continue creating and are actively participating in drawing with strategies and tools that work for them. Both participants indicated a preference for tactile feedback materials in their current work. P1 suggested “ I enjoyed painting with my fingers ‘cause I can actually feel the texture”. They also indicated using high contrast colors and guidelines to create their artwork.

P2 lost their sight 12 years ago and have since been working on developing tactile facilities since sight loss is not something they grew up with. P2 went through a training process to be able to understand drawings through touch. It took months of practice to develop what they referred to as a “tactile facility”. Before developing tactile facility P2 used word description for their work which wasn’t adequate.P2 indicated that the creative process of their design work was intact, what was missing was finding tools that adequately helped communicate their ideas.

P2: “ I’ll often say that without sight the creative process is intact, the creative process is intellectual, it’s how you think about things it’s how you solve problems, it’s how you define problems how you sort of research , do everything and then the drawing or the act of drawing that’s just the tool set, that’s like the tools that are typically used; so to me the creative process is intact I just need more and better tools to work with to more efficiently develop those ideas articulated and share them”

4. Tools and Strategies Used: Challenges and Useful Features :

P1: “I prefer to draw something I thought was either abstract or fantasy because sometimes I find it hard to mimic what was in front of me…if I was to paint an apple, well I know what an apple looks like it’s red however certain kind of apples have different tonality to it, some has a little more greenish and has a little more yellowish so it was hard for me to distinguish in that way so I would draw like probably an abstract apple what I would think the apple should look like or in an abstract way something like that”

Both participants indicated challenges and strengths with tools and materials previously used and features that they would prefer in a drawing tool.Challenges with tools mentioned were difficulties with mixing colors, using traditional tools such as a paintbrush, and creating detailed visual patterns for designs.

P2 had previously explored the Sewell Line Drawing Kit and The InTact Sketch Pad, P1 had no experience using drawing tools traditionally developed for the blind however had previous experience using materials such as the T ruler,curve ruler exacto knife and rubber cement to score and cut up designs.

Current tools and strategies used included: Origami, plasticine, embossed printers, wiki sticks(wax sticks), high contrast paint, stencils/rules/duct tapes as guidelines.

P2 stated “once coming across the wax sticks to work with, that really sort of changed what I could do and how I could share it and really became a quick way of sketching and sharing so that was liberating and really sort of got me back to the more active creative side of things graphically of working with it and being able to reconnect the creative process to the ways of really developing the concepts other than describing them in words which is never so good when you’re dealing with something physical like architectural space”