TACTUS

Visual and Tactile

Dialogue Tool for
Children

Design School Kolding

DK: DESIS Lab
Denmark
Project Team: Jacqueline De Abrew,
Maja Lindstrøm Freese
Promoter(s).
Marielund Special School
Lab for Social Innovation,
Design School Kolding

Funder(s).
THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS

Aknowledgements.
To the teachers, pedagogues and childen at Marienlund School
Context.
Marielund School is a newly
established special school
welcoming 95 new pupils in
August 2017. All the pupils
have socio-emotionally
challenges and therefore,
the school needs a particular
accommodating learning
environment. It is of pivotal
importance that the pupils
learn to express feelings and
needs in order to cope in the
real world later in life.
The Project.
A dialogue tool using
tactile elements to
empower children with
cognitive challenges to
express thoughts and
feelings.
The design Process.
The project is developed in close
collaboration with psychologist
Lene Kiel Jespersen, and with
employees and children at
Marielund School.
All collaborations have been
pivotal both for understanding the
challenges and to secure
anchoring and implementation of
the tool from the very beginning.
 Governance and Policy Making

Co-Design
Children Empowerment

The aim of TACTUS is to create a tool, that supports the pupils at the school in being vital through the correct
learning. TACTUS enables pupils with socio-emotional challenges to attend common schools to the point where
 Activism and Civic Participation

Designed and Qualified with the Pedagogues

and Children

The project is designed in collaboration with pedagogues divided into control groups and working groups
constantly qualifying the project progression
 Social Interactions and Relations

Interaction and Collaboration Between

Home and School

The employees at Marielund School use three hour each week on conversation with the children and their
families. A lot of efforts are put into listening and implicate the children in the dialogue, which is very difficult due to
 Skill Training and Design Education

Dialogue Tool

People Empowerment

Support Coherence Between School and

Home

TACTUS uses tactile elements to supports the children in telling about incidents, expressing feelings and start
reflections. It is a huge help for both pedagogues and parents and supports them in finding the correct approach
 Storytelling and Visualisation

Creation of Visual Storyboards

Tactility

The project is all about storytelling and visualization, which has been the ongoing approach through the project
process. Constantly asking the question of which products best catch the emotions at present and thereby,
support the expression and conversation
www.designskolenkolding.dk/en

Direct link to all projects

in our DK: DESIS Lab:

https://www.designskolenkolding
.dk/en/lab-social-inclusion

anc@dskd.dk

Design School Kolding

DK: DESIS Lab
Denmark