The Makers program recently partnered with the Illinois State Fair under a working contract to fabricate a series of five tactile, braille maps of the fairgrounds. This custom project was requested by the Illinois State Fair manager to increase accessibility options for blind or visually impaired fairgoers. The fair currently has multiple maps of the grounds in which visitors can locate specific buildings, parking gates, and restrooms that remain the same year-round, although they are not accessible to blind or visually impaired individuals.
The Makers program engineer team designed the maps using the original design files of the current map to be consistent with the pre-existing state fair maps posted around the fairgrounds. The maps were then printed out of a material called acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA). ASA was chosen due to its excellent UV resistance alongside its ability to withstand a variety of weather conditions. Due to the size of the fairgrounds, each map was printed in smaller pieces and then assembled into the final shape of 5×4 feet.
Once the tactile maps were all assembled, they were delivered to a local autobody shop located in Springfield called Kulavic's Auto Body. Kulavic's voluntarily sealed each tactile map through a method called sandblasting then applied multiple finishing coats to protect the maps from any harsh or extreme temperatures. Each tactile map will be mounted alongside each existing map that is displayed around the fairgrounds currently to be accessible for the blind and low vision.
