tactile sensory aid

a device that makes use of touch to help individuals cope with a hearing or visual impairment. An example of a tactile sensory aid is a vibrator that cues a person with hearing loss that the doorbell is ringing. Other aids provide assistance with reading, and a number of electronic travel aids facilitate orientation and mobility for people with visual impairment. Although tactile sensory aids are also called tactile aids, the latter term is sometimes used more explicitly to refer only to devices that convert auditory information into patterns of skin stimulation—either vibratory (for a vibrotactile aid) or electrical (for an electrotactile aid)—for use in communicating with and teaching speech production to people with profound hearing loss. See also tactual display.

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Psychology term of the day

May 8th 2024

pluralism

1. the idea that any entity has many aspects and that it may have a variety of causes and meanings.

2. in philosophy, the belief that ultimate reality is composed of more than one substance or fundamental kind of entity. Compare dualism; monism.

3. the existence in a society of people having different religions, ethnic origins, and cultural backgrounds. —pluralist adj.