When I had to create trifold posters and present trifolds during class projects in middle and high school, I often struggled with adapting trifold posters or creating accessible trifold posters that I could see with low vision. While I could create a trifold presentation that had all of the information I needed for a project, I often couldn’t read whatever I had written or would struggle to balance my own needs for readability with the aesthetic needs for creating a well-organized project, which would often result in projects that either a family member had to help with every step of the way or something that looked like it was put together at the last minute. Learning to adapt trifold posters for low vision and finding alternatives to trifold presentations has helped me find better ways to share information from a project I am excited about in a way that everyone can read and enjoy, including the student who originally created it. Here are my tips for adapting trifold posters with low vision, and creative alternatives to trifold presentations that students can use, including a free digital trifold template.
Why are trifolds hard to see?
For class projects or presentations that involve the use of a trifold poster, the trifold itself is typically placed on a flat table surface that the student stands either next to or in front of during their talk. They are often expected to read from the trifold board either verbatim or to provide summaries of text, as well as answer questions about how specific details of their project. This can be challenging for students with visual impairments when information is displayed outside of their line of sight, or if they have to lean in closely to read text from a page or board. To maximize space, the information may also be in a smaller font size or in a different style that can be difficult or impossible to read, or presented in a multi-column layout with text positioned close together.
Another challenge is that when asking questions, many individuals will gesture to the board to ask about specific sections like “what is that over there?” or “how did you get that number?”, when the student who is presenting may not be able to see or understand where they are pointing. For students that are masking their vision loss and don’t want to acknowledge they have trouble seeing, this can put them in a difficult position as they try to guess what someone is talking about, or strain to read information from the board.
Related links
Create a transcript that includes all text and descriptions of graphics on the board
Instead of reading directly from the trifold board, I recommend creating a document that contains a transcript of all text written on the trifold and copies of high-resolution graphics with a short image description that highlights key features/points of interest. Each section should have its own heading, a copy of the text on the poster, a bulleted list of summary/key points, and copies of any images that are included. I recommend using headings to aid with document navigation, and displaying content either on a portable device or as a printed copy that the student can reference while positioned in front of their trifold.
For students that are expected to follow a script, using a teleprompter app displayed on a tablet or laptop positioned close to the student would provide an ideal option for displaying high contrast text in very large print. Students should experiment with the scrolling speed and display settings prior to their presentation to configure settings that will work for them.
Related links
- Designing Accessible Documents With Microsoft Word
- Reading Bookshare Titles With Microsoft Word
- Ways To Use Teleprompter Apps As Assistive Technology
- Recording Video Lectures For Visually Impaired Students
Number board sections to assist with questions
Instead of using terms like “here” or “over there”, one way to help individuals ask more specific questions is to number sections of the trifold to pinpoint the topic or area they are asking about. Figures and graphs are often labeled with numbers regardless, but having the numbered sections for all content can be helpful for younger students or students who are navigating transcripts using headings.
Related links
- How To Create Accessible Diagrams For Low Vision
- Adapting Accessible Charts: Math Problems and Low Vision
Use color as an anchoring/landmark tool
With my visual impairment, I use color-coding a lot as a way of labeling and conveying information, as well as for landmarking. Making each section of my presentation a different color would make it easier for me to see where someone is pointing, and I could easily identify patterns in data or gesture to areas of interest if they were brightly colored.
One important thing to remember is that color should never be the sole means of labeling or conveying information, and that it is important to add other things like shapes, textures, or text labels that can aid with identification. For a real-world example, a stop sign is not just red, it is also a distinctive shape and has the word STOP on it so that people know what it is. I learned this lesson the hard way when I presented a project on colored backgrounds at a high school science fair and used color as a labeling tool, only to discover three out of the five judges were colorblind or had color deficiencies. Whoops!
Related links
- Paper Colors And Low Vision
- Choosing Accessible Microscopes For Low Vision
- How To Create Accessible Pie Charts For Low Vision
Add QR codes to individual areas that can provide a transcript or additional information
When I was having trouble speaking before a major presentation, I recorded audio tracks of me reading different sections of a presentation that could be added to QR codes or embedded in a digital file for playback. This provided me with the additional bonus of being able to practice what I was saying, and I could also add other content to make this presentation more interactive. Some ideas for adding QR codes to improve trifold accessibility include:
- Adding sound effects or other audio recordings
- Sharing a link to a .csv copy of data from graphs or charts
- Displaying a plain text copy of information on the board
- Adding videos or 3D models
- Showing images in a higher resolution or on a digital screen
- Instead of text links, QR codes can be used in addition to writing out hyperlinks or website addresses
- Sharing links or handouts that provide additional information
There are a few different options for creating a QR code, including:
- Using the QR creator shortcut in the iOS Shortcuts app
- Accessing a free online QR code generator- I love QR.io because it has multiple options for linking content
- Bing’s search engine has a built-in QR generator that can be accessed by searching “QR code generator”
- There are several free web browser extensions for generating a QR code from a given website
On my mobile devices, I use the Google Lens feature on my camera or the Camera app on iOS to scan QR codes, and the information is automatically displayed in large print or with other accessibility settings enabled.
Related links
- Generate Customized QR Codes | QR.io
- Ten iOS Shortcuts For Visual Impairment
- Tuva Tools and Low Vision Accessibility
- Creating Accessible Bulletin Boards For College Dorms
Attach 3D or tactile items that can be removed from the board and examined
When my friend and I collaborated on a project involving tactile models and 3D artifacts, we decided to affix the items to our trifold instead of just sharing photos of them or leaving them unsecured on the table. We attached each item using Velcro to our poster board, and would personally remove them so individuals could examine them with supervision.
For a different project on seashells, the trifold itself was placed flat on the table, and each object rested on top of a text label or container so that someone could examine it. For a classroom presentation, we used the document camera to magnify individual items on the board, and participants were allowed to examine each item tactually, placing it back in the container or in its designated area when finished.
Related links
- Free Braille Art and Tactile Image Libraries: World Braille Day 2024
- How To Create Tactile Images With Everyday Objects
Create a digital trifold presentation with Slides/PowerPoint
I am much better at designing digital graphics and using digital materials compared to physical materials, especially when it comes to things like cutting shapes and positioning items in a given area. When I was a senior in high school, I created a digital trifold template for Microsoft PowerPoint/Google Slides (linked below) and added text boxes, colored shapes, and graphics to decorate the board in a way that was visually engaging and resembled a physical trifold. The use of digital scrapbooking elements found on Pinterest made the project even more fun to design.
To use the digital trifold template linked below, set the slide size to 29.5 x 40 and set this image as the background. I presented it on a classroom projector for one event, and for another I used an external monitor connected to my computer.
Related links
Organize information in a take-away document
One of my all-time favorite tools for class projects is Microsoft Office Sway, a free web app that allows users to create their own simple one-page websites and presentations with text, images, widgets, file attachments, and more. It’s a great substitute for PowerPoint or handouts, and it’s by far my favorite Microsoft Office application. Users will need a Microsoft account to create and edit Sways, but the Sway itself can be accessed from any device with or without a Microsoft account.
In college, I present the vast majority of my projects using Microsoft Office Sway in some capacity, whether it is used as a reference/transcript tool for organizing my presentation or for providing a link to my presentation that anyone can access. Sway’s beautiful design tools and flexibility for presenting content in multiple formats with accessibility in mind are a great option for school projects, and every project I have created with Microsoft Office Sway (including in grad school!) has earned a perfect 100% grade.
Related links
- Creating Take-Away Documents With Microsoft Office Sway
- How To Use Microsoft Office Sway With Assistive Technology
More ideas for adapting trifold presentations and trifold alternatives
- For blind or nonvisual students that have no interest in creating a visual aid, one option is to record a podcast/interview going over the key information in the project, which can be shared as a QR code or on a handout. This is a fun trifold alternative that celebrates both auditory learning as well as kinesthetic learning by talking about the topic of interest.
- Looking for study tips that can be used for a project? Read The Best Study Tips For Visually Impaired Students
- Need ideas for making digital text accessible or easier to read? Browse A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
Published November 8, 2019. Updated September 2024