Pictographs used by the national Park Service on maps and signs. Can you figure out what each one means?

The forms of communication in the previous activities explored in this packet so far have relied on the eyesight of the participants to read their messages, but what about in situations where that isn’t possible?

Fingerspelling, such as that taught to by noted disability rights advocate Helen Keller by her teacher Anne Sullivan, is a form of communication in which words and letters are taught by physically shaping the hands. In this activity, participants will practice recognizing symbols only through tactile input, rather than a visual (written) or audio (spoken) input.

Have students stand in a line, facing the back of another student. The first student, at the end of the line, draws a picture on the back of the student in front of them. The student who was drawn on then draws the same picture on the back of the student in front of them, and then so on up the line. The final student, at the very front, goes to the board and draws out what they felt.

How accurate were they? What changed? Have the first student (who came up with the design at the back of the line) go forward and draw their original design next to the assumed one.

Standards for Pictogram Telephone