Tactile reading

NPR recently posted a fascinating article about how 3-D printing might change books printed for blind readers—imagine a sculptural version of Goodnight Moon, with the mittens and kitten and everything standing out from the page. There are obviously some significant barriers to overcome, but one idea is that producing non-visual "picture books" should help very young visually impaired children develop their tactile awareness, which will be useful when they start learning Braille.