6 reasons to use
haptic signals
Adjust the signals
to your own needs
Description of
rooms and surroundings
Category: Other
Use your index finger to make a tick movement
on the shoulder.
Category: Person
Write an opposite V on the back.
Category: Person
Bend the fingers and place all the fingertips
against the back. Move the hand from side to side in a shaking movement.
Category: Person
Pat both hands one after the other against the
back. Repeat the movement as long as people are applauding. When the applause
dies out, clap more gently and let the hands slide downwards.
Category: Computer & smartphone
Move the index finger back and forth along the
back according to the direction of the arrow.
Category: Food & beverage
Write an Ø (small circle with a line through
it) on the upper arm.
TIP: The Danish word for beer is Øl.
Category: Food & beverage
CATEGORY SIGNAL
Shape a hand as if holding a glass. Loosely
grab around the upper arm with the little finger hand side downwards. Move the
hand up the arm.
TIP: Can be used as introduction to different
beverages
Category: Colours
Place a flat outstretched hand palm against the
upper arm. Point the fingertips upwards. Turn the hand 90 degrees forwards.
Category: Care
Use two fingers and thumb to squeeze gently
around the upper arm.
Category: Colours
Use a flat, outstretched hand. Place the palm
against the upper arm, the fingertips pointing forward. Move the hand upwards
and turn it 90 degrees.
Category: Person
Move the hand upwards on the back with fingertips
pointing upwards while spreading the fingers like a blush spreading across a
person s face.
Category: Person
Slowly drum the fingers against the back.
Repeat the movement.
Category: Food & beverage
Use the tip of your thumb to cut a slice over the shoulder.
Category: Other
Make a cut into the upper arm using the index and middle
fingers. Hold the cut
for a moment.
Category: Colours
Make a fist and place the little finger hand
side against the upper arm. Move the
hand round in a small circle.
Category: Food & beverage
Bend your fingers and place all fingertips on
the shoulder and remove them again.
Category: Other
Hold two fists against the back and move them
as if turning the wheel of a car.
Category: Food & beverage
Fingers wiggle up the upper arm like bubbles
fizzing. The fingers spread out and jump from the shoulder.
Category: Food & beverage
Shape the hand as if holding a glass. Loosely
grab around the upper arm, the little finger hand side downwards. Keep the hand
in this position as long as people are toasting.
Make a double clap or gently squeeze the arm,
when people drink.
Category: Food & beverage
Place the index and middlefingers
against the upper arm, fingertips pointing upwards. Make a short quick movement
downwards along the arm and outwards.
Repeat the movement.
Category: Food & beverage
Make a fist and place the little finger hand
side towards the shoulder. Move the hand around in a circle shaped movement.
Category: Food & beverage
Make a fist and place the little finger hand
side towards the shoulder. Move the hand around in a circle shaped movement.
Category: Colours
CATEGORY SIGNAL
Spread your fingers and move the hand down the
upper arm making a waving movement from side to side.
TIP: Can be used to introduce all colours
Category: Person
Shape a hand as if holding a glass.
Loosely grab around the upper arm, the little finger
hand side downwards. Move the hand up and down as long as the coughing
continues.
Category: Person
Quickly draw a vertical line down the back
using the index fingertip. Quickly draw another vertical line parallel to the
first.
Category: Person
Make a short and quick downwards movement on
the back using only one fingertip. Repeat the movement.
Category: Other
Draw a big cross.
Category: Other
Using index fingers of both hands,
poke both fingers close together on the back. Lift the fingers, move them
outwards and make two new pokes.
Category: Rooms & surroundings
Place a flat, outstretched hand, the little
finger hand side against the back. Move the hand in the relevant direction.
Category: Person
Draw a line on the recipient’s arm by the elbow
using the edge of an outstretched hand.
Category: Person
Move the hand down the back in a slow movement
with a flat hand and with fingertips apart pointing upwards.
Category: Person
Write an L on the back of the recipient hand.
TIP: (L comes from the danish word for doctor = læge)
Category: Rooms & surroundings
Place a flat outstretched hand with the little
finger hand side against the back. Tilt the hand up or down like a door opening
or closing.
TIP: Can be used in room description
Category: Computer & smartphone
Rest your hand on the recepient’s back and make two pokes quickly one
after another using the index finger.
TIP: Can be combined with SCREEN and placed
according to where to double click on the screen.
Category: Other
Make a fist and place thumb and index finger
hand side against the back. Move the hand down the back while opening it to
indicate that something has been dropped.
Category: Person
Draw a winding line upwards using the
fingertip.
Category: Person
Place a flat hand, fingers spread against the
back, ingertips pointing upwards. Slowly bend the
fingertips against the back until the hand is made into a fist (like toes
curling).
Category: Computer & smartphone
Draw a reversed L on the back (a short vertical
line then a horizontal line turning to the left).
Category: Other
Draw a big minus on the back consisting of a horizontal
line and one dot above the line, and another dot below the line. The dots are
made as small circles.
Category: Person
Using index and middle finger of one hand, make two dots simultaniously
with some distance between them (for eyes). Place one finger horizontally above
the dots and move it upwards (as an eyebrow).
Category: Person
Shape a hand as if holding a glass. Place the
thumb and index finger hand side against the back and shortly tilt the hand
forward down and then back again to show eyelids closing shut and opening by
bending the wrist.
Category: Other
Use all fingers on one hand to grab the back as
if taking something.
Category: Other
Make a wiping movement from side to side using
the edge of the hand and turning it back and forth against the back.
Category: Food & beverage
CATEGORY SIGNAL
Draw a circle on the upper arm using the
fingertip
TIP: Can be used as an introduction to
description of food
Category: Food & beverage
Bend the fingertips and place them against the
upper arm. Rotate the hand back and forth. Make sure the fingertips touch the
upper arm during both rotations.
Category: Other
Write a capital G on the back.
TIP: Can be used as abbreviation for greetings
such as Good morning, Good night, Good evening etc.
Category: Colours
Stretch the fingers and place a flat palm
against the upper arm, fingers pointing upwards. Move the hand downwards and
away from the arm in as weeping movement.
Category: Person
Push gently twice behind the elbow using a flat
hand.
Category: Colours
Use a flat outstretched hand with the
fingertips pointing forward. Make a light sweeping movement upwards on the
upper arm. Repeat the movement.
Category: Person
Draw a curved (sulky) line using the fingertip.
Category: Rooms & surroundings
Poke twice against the upper arm and simultaniously make a poke on the back showing where the
person is located in the room.
TIP: Use YES to indicate that your hand has
been noted
Category: Other
Write a capital C on the upper arm. Make a dot
in the middle.
Category: Other
Somebody wants to hug you. Gently grab the
upper arm with your hand and and give the arm a
little squeeze. Push gently on one arm to indicate whether the person uses the
left or right cheek.
Category: Care
Draw a line across the back of the hand.
Category: Person
Drum quickly with shifting fingers against the
back. Repeat the movement.
Category: Care
Make a poke on the inside of the elbow joint
and thereafter a poke where the injection will take place on the body.
Category: Person
Write the letter i on the back. Include the dot
above.
Category: Other
Place your hand outstretched on the back and
flip it palm down and palm up. Repeat the movement as long as interpretation is
going on.
Category: Other
Place a flat hand, palm down on one shoulder. Hold
the position for a little while
Category: Other
Make a dot on the back and a drilling movement
with the index finger a few times. TIP: Use
the signal as soon as the conversation turns ironic
Category: Rooms & surroundings
Knock on the back using your knuckles.
Category: Person
Scratch up and down the back using the
fingertips. Repeat the movement as long as the laughter continues.
Category: Other
Move your hand down the upper arm using a flat
horizontal hand little finger against the arm.
TIP: Can also be used for speak softer
Category: Other
Use capital letters. Each letter is written
preferably in one movement, without lifting the finger.
Category: Computer & smartphone
Draw a small circle on the back. Let your
finger continue round and round as long as the machine is loading or working.
Make a short stop every time the finger passes the top of the circle.
Category: Person
With the index finger of one hand make a poke
on the back to indicate the recipient’s position.
With the other hand draw parallel lines using
the index and middle finger towards the poke to show that people standing
around are looking.
Category: Rooms & surroundings
Write a capital T on the upper arm. Draw a
circle around the T.
TIP: T stands for Teleslynge (the Danish word for loop system)
Category: Person
Use thumb and index finger to make two parallel
lines down the upper arm.
Category: Rooms & surroundings
Write a capital M on the upper arm and draw a
circle around it.
TIP: Can be used in combination with DIRECTION
Category: Computer & smartphone
Place the thumb and little fingertip against
the upper arm with the other fingers curled (like a phone receiver) and touch
the arm with the little finger and thumb in turns.
Category: Other
Move your hand up the upper arm using a flat
horizontal hand, little finger against the arm.
TIP: Can also be used for speak up
Category: Other
Press a flat outstretched hand firmly against
the arm.
Category: Person
Use thumb and index finger to draw two parallel
zig-zag lines down the back (like shaking legs).
Category: Other
Use a flat, outstretched hand, palm against the
back and fingertips pointing upwards. Move the hand from side to side a couple
of times.
TIP: Can also be used to erase a wrong signal.
Category: Person
Clap gently a couple of times on the back,
shoulder or upper arm using a flat, outstretched hand.
Category: Rooms & surroundings
Clasp fingers together and move them around on
the back like ants.
Category: other
Write one number at a time on the back preferably
in one movement without lifting the finger.
Category: Person
Draw a cross on the back of the hand using two
fingers held close together.
Category: Other
Draw a tick on the back.
TIP: Or write OK using capital letters.
Category: Colours
Place the thumb and index finger hand side
against the upper arm. Open and close the hand repeatedly with thumb and index
finger outstretched. Repeat the movement.
Category: Person
Use the little finger hand sides to push something
from each side towards the middle of the back. Lay down flat one hand after the
other on top of each other.
Category: Other
Press your thumb firmly against the upper arm
and remove it with a sweeping movement.
Category: Person
Draw an exclamation mark on the back.
Category: Person
CATEGORY SIGNAL
Use thumb and index finger to make two parallel
lines down the upper arm.
TIP: Can be used as introduction to all
descriptions of personal caracteristics.
Make the signal narrow for a slim person or
wider for a larger person.
Category: Food & beverage
Draw a circle on the upper arm.
Use the edge of the hand to illustrate how to
use the knife to push food back into the centre of
the plate:
Upwards / downwards / from the left /
from the right.
Category: Colours
Use two fingers to make a small curve on the
upper arm.
Category: Other
Draw a question mark on the back.
Category: Rooms & surroundings
Draw a long horizontal line across the back.
Category: Rooms & surroundings
Move both hands downwards on the back with
fingers spread like rain falling.
Category: Person
Move the hand back and forth with the back of
the hand against the back and fingertips pointing upwards. Flip the hand and
repeat the movement, as if turning pages in a book.
Category: Other
Move both hands upwards and outwards on the
back towards each side.
Category: Other
Use the index finger and thumb to draw a small
vertical rectangle on the upper arm.
Category: Colours
Draw a horizontal line by moving the side of
the index finger along the upper arm. TIP: Can be combined with BEVERAGE for
red wine.
Category: Other
Using both index fingers draw the two halves of
a heart simultaneously on the back.
Category: Rooms & surroundings
CATEGORY SIGNAL
Draw a large rectangle on the back to
illustrate that room description starts. Then draw the actual shape of the
room.
Make a poke where the recepient
is placed.
At last, draw the furniture, windows, doors,
etc. Use the large rectangle as introduction to all room descriptions.
Category: Rooms & surroundings
Draw the shape of the room. Make a poke where
the recipient is placed. At last, draw the furniture, windows, doors, etc.
Remember to describe the room from the point of
view of the recipient.
If you move, you might need to draw the room again
seen from the deafblind person’s perspective.
Category: Person
Slowly draw a vertical line down the back using
the fingertip. Slowly draw a vertical line parallel to the first one.
Category: Computer & smartphone
CATEGORY SIGNAL
Using both index fingers draw
the upper frame and the two sides of a screen on the back.
TIP: Can be used as an introduction and frame
to show where elements on a screen are placed.
Category: Person
Place a flat, outstretched hand, the little
finger hand side against the back. Move the hand down the back in a vertical
line.
Category: Food & beverage
Write a capital S on the upper arm.
Category: Person
Use a flat outstretched hand, palm against the
back and fingertips pointing upwards. Move the hand from side to side a couple
of times.
Category: Other
Use two fingers put together to make a bow on
the upper arm in one movement.
Category: Person
Write a Z using your index finger.
Category: Person
Draw a curved (smiling) line using the
fingertip.
TIP: Can be made wider or firmer to underline a
great smile.
Category: Person
Draw a horizontal line on the back with a wavy
line rising as smoke.
Category: Rooms & surroundings
Use all fingers to drum gently down the back.
Category: Food & beverage
Fingers wiggle up the upper arm as bobbles.
Category: Rooms & surroundings
Poke twice against the upper arm using your
index finger.
Category: Rooms & surroundings
Poke twice against the back using the index
fingertip. Place the poke on the back indicating the position of the speaking
person in the room.
Category: Other
Use the index finger to tap the upper arm a few
times as if tapping the glass for speech.
TIP: Can be used in combination with
INTERRUPTING
Category: Rooms & surroundings
Draw the outline of the stairs upwards or
downwards on the back.
TIP: Can be combined with DIRECTION
Category: Other
Push firmly upwards underneath the elbow.
TIP: Use FINISHED when it is time to sit down
again.
Category: Care
Place your hand on top of the recipient’s hand
and slide gently towards the fingers. Keep your hand still on top of the
recipient’s hand, when the recipient is not allowed to move.
TIP: Use FINISHED when the recipient is allowed
to move again
Category: Other
Place a flat outstretched hand, palm against
the back. Point the fingertips upwards. Hold this hand position for a moment.
Category: Rooms & surroundings
Draw a circle (a sun) on the back. Place all
fingertips on the sun and spread them out as rays. Let the rays radiate in the
actual direction of the sun compared to the position of the recipient.
Category: Person
Make a quick sweeping movement upwards on the
back using a flat outstretched hand.
Category: Computer & smartphone
Use your fingertips to make a sweeping movement
sidewards on the back.
Category: Computer & smartphone
Use both little finger hand sides to push something
from each side towards the middle of the back. Lay down flat one hand after the
other on top of each other.
Category: Person
Shape the hand as if holding a glass. Open and
close the hand against the back with fingers outstretched. Repeat the movement.
Category: Food & beverage
Thumb and index fingertips are put together and
moved down the upperarm and back up again (as a tea
bag being dipped).
Category: Care
Draw a line up the index finger.
Category: Person
Let the index and middle fingertips walk back
and forth a few times on the back. Continue as long as the person is thinking.
Category: Other
Use the index finger and thumb to draw a small
vertical rectangle on the upper arm.
Category: Other
Poke twice on the upperside
of the recepient’s wrist.
Category: Other
Draw a small cross on the upper arm.
Category: Computer & smartphone
Let the fingers ‘type’ against the back as if
typing on a keyboard.
Category: Person
Place the index and middle fingers against the
back and shift from finger to finger, only one finger at a time touching the
back.
Category: Other
Move the index finger side back and forth
against the upper arm.
Category: Rooms & surroundings
The index and middle fingers walk across the
back.
Let the fingers walk in the actual direction.
Category: Food & beverage
Fingers wiggle down the upper arm as water
flowing.
Category: Other
Place the hand beneath the elbow and let the
fingers wiggle against the forearm.
Category: Colours
Place the fingertips against the upper arm.
Make a quick and short movement downwards. Repeat the movement.
TIP: Can be combined with BEVERAGE for white
wine
Category: Rooms & surroundings
The position of windows are
drawn on the back illustrated by straight lines.
TIP: Can be used in room description
Category: Person
Use thumb and index finger to make two parallel
lines down the upper arm.
Category: Person
Draw wavy lines on the back as if writing on
paper.
Category: Person
Join the fingertips and place them against the
back.
Open and close the fingers against the back,
separating and joining the fingertips.
Category: Colours
Stretch thumb and index finger and place them
against the upper arm. Tilt the hand forward by bending the wrist.
Category: Other
Pat gently a couple of times on the back,
shoulder or forearm using a flat, outstretched hand.
Category: Person
Make a double poke on the upper arm.
TIP: Can be combined with room description to
show where the recipient is in the room.
6 reasons to use
haptic signals
Adjust the signals
to your own needs
Description of
rooms and surroundings
Haptic signals – 139 new and known signals is a
collection of the most common haptic signals used by people with visual and
hearing impairments, deafblind people and their relatives and interpreters in
Denmark.
By using haptic signals you can get information
that others get through sight. This provides a better opportunity to
participate actively and on an equal footing with others in social interaction.
It is our hope that haptic signals will become a natural part of every day life for all deafblind people and people with
visual and hearing impairments.
Previously published and new signals have been
collected and standardized in this book in alphabetical order, so that it can
be an inspirational platform for the further development of signals both in
Denmark and internationally.
The signals have been developed and chosen by
deafblind people and people with visual and hearing impairments in
collaboration with their contact persons and a reference group consisting of
representatives from different parts of the deafblind community in Denmark.
The word haptic is Greek and means touch.
Haptic signals are signals drawn on the body – typically on the upper part of
the back, shoulder or upper arm.
The signals can be performed simultaneously
with conversation and can thus be used to make a visual description of what is
going on in the room during the conversation or to illustrate for example the
shape of a sculpture. With haptic signals, deafblind people can get information
discreetly about the surroundings or about other people s mood and facial
expressions, while the conversation can continue undisturbed.
If a person smiles, if people laugh at a joke,
if your dinner partner raises his glass to make a toast, if the meeting
commences or if a comment is said with irony. All these situations could lead
to misunderstandings. These are all situations where visual interpretation is
useful to help the deafblind to respond right away.
Haptic communication is not a language in
itself, but is used as a supplement to speech, sign language or other forms of
communication, when necessary. Some of the signals have been developed with
inspiration from Danish sign language.
Haptic signals are useful for deafblind people
and people with visual and hearing impairment, but blind people and the
visually impaired can also benefit from haptic descriptions. Using signals can
provide a better overview of a room or a building or even make it possible to
manage a meeting.
For persons with a narrow field of vision, the
signal DIRECTION can be of great help to locate where in the room sign language
is performed.
• when you would like to receive information discreetly and
without disturbing those around you
•
when your
hands are occupied by sign language, braille reading or investigating something
• when there is too
much noise to use your residual hearing
• when something is
best described by drawing the shape of it, e.g. a room and its furnishings
• when you need to
relax your arms/hands/ears/eyes, but still need to receive brief information
• when you need to
orient yourself in a certain direction
Each signal belongs to a category. Most
categories have a specific category-signal, which can be used to introduce a
signal in order to tune into a certain context. For example in the beginning of
a haptic description of a dish, it might be useful to introduce with the
category-signal FOOD. If the description concerns somebody s reaction, it might
be useful to start with the category-signal PERSON.
There is no category signal in the category
CARE, since the situation is usually given in advance for example at the
hospital, at the doctor s, at the dentist s etc. Signals belonging to the
category ‘Other signals’ do not have a category-signal.
Category: Person
Category signal: PERSON
Category: Rooms & surroundings
Category signal: ROOM
Category: Colours
Category signal: COLOUR
Category: Food & beverages
Category signal: FOOD / BEVERAGE
Category: Computer & screens
Category signal: SCREEN
Category: Care
No category signal
Category: Other
No category signal
Get started by selecting a single category or
five signals that will be especially useful to you. When those signals have
become a natural part of the communication, you can learn more signals.
You can also experiment with the size of the
signals, the pressure and where on the body a signal will be easy to perform
and receive. In the book most of the signals are performed on the back, the
shoulder or the upper arm, but they can also be performed elsewhere on the
body. The importance of a signal can be enhanced by using a larger movement, by
repeating the movement or by adjusting the pressure. For example repeating the
signal for LAUGHING indicates that people are still laughing. If a person is
very angry, the signal for ANGRY can be performed with more pressure on the
back.
Be aware that it might be difficult to receive
signals through a thick sweater, and it can be difficult to perform signals, if
a hood or a large collar is in the way.
Haptic signals are very suitable for describing
a room and how it is furnished. Begin by drawing a large square with both index
fingers on the recipient’s back. Then draw the outline of the room. Then draw
the positions and shapes of tables, doors and other relevant objects in the
room. The outline of the room provides a basic framework to describe what takes
place in the room afterwards. Note that the room must be described from the
position of the deafblind person. If you change places, it might be necessary
to make a new description based on the new position.
Many haptic signals are linked to people s
moods and reactions e.g. in a conversation. Is the other person smiling, does
she seem angry or disappointed? Is she crying or laughing? All this information
is important to receive in order to respond immediately to the present mood of
the conversation. If appropriate begin by using the category signal PERSON.
To show whether a signal has been understood or
not, the receiver can give feedback by:
- nodding (I understand)
- shaking one’s head (I don’t understand)
- lifting the hand (to say stop)
- wiggle fingers in the air finger tips
pointing upwards (as the signal for WHAT)
Exercise 1
Participants form a circle. One person draws a
haptic signal on the back of the person that he or she is standing next to. He
or she repeats the signal on the back of the next person and so on around the
circle. When the signal reaches the first person again, he or she says it out
loud.
Is the signal still the same?
Exercise 2
Use haptic signals to describe visually the
room you are in. Start by drawing the outline of the room by using both index
fingers and then place windows, doors, tables and chairs in the room. Use
regular speech or sign language at the same time to explain what you are
drawing.
Exercise 3
A plate of
food is best described by referring to the numbers on a clock face: Are
potatoes placed at 3 o’clock ? Is the meat placed at 6
o’clock? … and are the vegetables placed at 9 o’clock?
If the food has a remarkable shape or colour, then
describe it. If necessary use the category signals for COLOUR and FOOD at the
beginning of the description.
Exercise 4
Go for a walk. Find trees, buildings, rooms,
sculptures and other objects that can be described by drawing them on the back.
Enjoy haptic signals!
ISBN
978-87-989299-7-0
Copyright: Danish DeafBlind
Association
2018
The signals in this book are performed on Dorte
Eriksen and Gerd Nielsen by contact person Anette Rosenqvist and interpreter Riinette
Askgaard.
The signals are developed by deafblind people
in Denmark and selected by Dorte Eriksen, Gerd
Nielsen, Charlotte Dohm and Pia Hesse in cooperation
with experienced interpreters and contact persons.
Thank you to everybody involved in the making of
the book.
Editors: Pia Hesse & Gerd Nielsen
Photos and graphics: Niels Holst - Grafisk
Værksted