Welcome to TVI Resources!

Overview

TVI Resources is built for teachers for students with visual impairments who want straightforward, ready-to-use materials for students who are blind or visually impaired. If you’re wondering where to find practical classroom aids, sample lessons, tactile graphics, or scripts to generate accessible materials, this site pulls all of the resources that I have created together in one place.

TVI Resources focuses on immediately useful options: embossable templates, 3D-printable tactile objects with instructions on how to improve/extend them, helpful small computer programs for Windows, Linux, and MacOS systems, and simple command line scripts you can run with minimal setup. The goal is to save you prep time and give you tools that can be appliued to your instruction immediately. All at zero cost to you (or only the cost of filament of braille paper).

What you’ll find here:

• Printable and modifiable templates (PDF/SVG) for tactile diagrams, manipulatives, and enlarged text.
• 3D models (.STL) and build notes for low-cost tactile objects you can print or reproduce locally.
• Small scripts and source files (Python, shell, or simple web tools) that let you generate accessible versions of common classroom materials with minimal setup.
• Practical tips for making tactile graphics, labeling, and low-tech adaptations that work in real classrooms.

Why Open Source Resources?

Free, open-source, shared resources make it easier for teachers to adapt, reuse, and improve classroom materials. We know many teachers can’t afford specialized commercial equipment, so this collection prioritizes items you can print, build, or repurpose affordably.

When educators share tools and examples, we all benefit: you gain tested ideas you can use tomorrow, and others gain from your real-world feedback. If you try a resource here, please add a short note to its page about how it worked in your classroom (what students liked, what to change). Those short, practical reports help other teachers make quick decisions. Especially as these comments get directly back to me and I can iterate on the resources based on your feedback.

Free and open materials enhance accessibility

Providing resources at low or no cost and publishing the processes to recreate them does more than save money — it actively lowers barriers to access and builds capacity:

• Affordability and equity: Low-cost options let schools with limited budgets give every student access to needed materials, rather than requiring an individual purchase of expensive specialized tools.
• Local adaptability: Open files and step-by-step processes let teachers modify items to match their curriculum, language, or student needs without waiting for a vendor update.
• Reproducibility: When we share source files (SVGs, STLs, scripts) and clear build notes, other educators — or local makerspaces and families — can reproduce materials reliably.
• Transparency and trust: Open processes show exactly how a resource was made and tested, so teachers can judge fit and safety for their classroom and adapt when necessary.
• Community-driven improvement: When teachers share feedback and better versions, the whole collection improves. Small, practical patches (better contrast, different tactile spacing, clarified instructions) often matter more than starting from scratch.

Examples of what “free and open” will look like on this site:

• A tactile map published with both a printable PDF and an SVG source so you can change labels or scale it for different paper sizes.
• A 3D-printable objects with an STL plus an alternative pattern for cardboard or foam so classrooms without a printer can still make it.
• A short Python script that converts classroom worksheets into large-print and tagged PDF outputs, packaged with usage notes so it can be run with minimal configuration.

Contribute and share what works

If you adapt or improve a resource here, please share your files, short notes, or revised instructions. Even a one-paragraph classroom note — what worked, what you’d change, which students benefited most — is incredibly valuable. We encourage contributors to publish their materials under an open license (for example, Creative Commons) so others can reuse and adapt them freely.

By keeping costs low and opening up the how-to, TVI Resources aims to empower teachers, amplify practical innovations, and create a living library of tools that grow with classroom experience.