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The Hero’s Journey – a tactile interpretation

image description: An A3-size tactile storytelling board, made of robust, thick, white plastic. It depicts a winding pathway with different textures along the route, with written elements in black text, accompanied by their braille version, and a key at the bottom for the different textures.

At the beginning of October 2024, TSM postdoc, Sophie Vohra, travelled to Boise Idaho to learn from and present at the first Mosaic Convening, hosted by Prime Access Consulting (PAC). There she enjoyed being shown PAC’s tactile storytelling board.

She particularly enjoyed the tactile interpretation by Maria Braswell, Inclusive Design Specialist, and Rob Itri-Vincent, Director of Design at Prime Access Consulting. You can read it below.

The Hero’s Journey – a tactile interpretation

As you get oriented, you’ll notice a title at the top centre of the piece, along with a horizontal legend located in the bottom left corner.

This horizontal graphic represents a large, winding path that evokes the image of a river. The path begins at the top left of the page, weaving down and around, curving up and down, left and right, and finally ending at the top right. It is defined by two thick strokes that transition from solid to dashed and back to solid again. The solid lines signify the parts of the journey known to the Hero, while the dashed sections symbolize the new or unknown territories they encounter.

Within the path, various textures represent the Hero’s emotional states. Each texture is mapped to a Braille label inside the path to indicate the feelings experienced at different stages of the journey. Additional Braille labels outside the path identify each section of the journey.

Now that you have had a few moments with the tactile, please journey back to the top left where you’ll encounter Braille and printed text that reads “1. Status Quo.” At the bottom left of the Braille, a leading strip guides you down to two thick, solid horizontal lines approximately 2 inches apart vertically, representing the ‘path’ or ‘journey.’

Starting at this section of the path the texture is smooth and unobstructed – you’re “content” as this is the first phase, “1. Status Quo”.

As you continue to the right, your fingers will pause at a sandpaper-like texture, which evokes curiosity. This represents the next phase, “2. The Call”, labelled to the right of the path. This phase is akin to when Gandalf knocks on Frodo’s door. The path curves down and slightly to the left, transitioning into a more unstructured texture that feels a bit confusing, you are uncertain. This is next phase of the journey, “3. Refusal”, labelled to the left of the path. Why would Frodo want to leave the comfort of his hobbit hole? Notice now that the texture of the path outline has transitioned from a solid line to a dashed line indicating that we have now left the “known,” and have now entered the “unknown”.

Switching back to the right, the texture within the path becomes smoother again, with two leading rails guiding you down and left like a slide. This transition instils a sense of confidence; you are no longer unsure, but rather “brave” as you navigate the curve. Notice how the Braille labelling of “Brave” is orientated vertically to follow the path of your finger? This moment signifies the next stage, “4. meeting your mentor.” As you proceed, you feel a mix of “excitement and nervousness” as the texture shifts into a series of flowing up-and-down curved lines, resembling small waves or the sensation of butterflies in your stomach.

At this point, the path curves downward and back to the right, leading you to a series of broken lines that create larger ups and downs, similar to a roller coaster. This section feels uneasy, resembling “panic” as you enter the next phase, “5. Test, Allies, and Enemies”, labelled to the left of the downward curve. Should Frodo and the Fellowship go over or under the mountain?

Continuing right, following the path through its ups and downs until the texture becomes uncomfortable and somewhat sharp—of all the textures encountered so far, this one is the least pleasant. This represents the next phase, “6. Final Conflict,” labelled at the bottom of the winding path. This is where Frodo and Gollum battle for the ring above the fires of Mount Doom.

The path then curves upward and slightly to the left, revealing a smoother, more rounded texture that brings a sense of “hope”, suggesting the sharp discomfort has passed. Again, notice how the Braille label of the word “Hope” is orientated vertically, now moving up, following the path of your finger. This is the next stage, “7. Growth”, labelled to the right of the word “Hope”. 

As you continue along the path, the pattern transforms into a series of comfortable inverted dots, symbolizing “joy” in the next stage, “8. Reward.”, labelled to the right of the inner curve. Hurray, Middle Earth is saved!

Finally, the path curves and shifts to the right as you encounter a series of columned lines that gradually fade away, allowing you to experience “relief” in the final stage: “9. Returning Home.” labelled above the path.