[access-uk] Re: Does the digital age spell the end of Braille? - News - Gadgets and Tech - The Independent
- From: Karl Proud <karl@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 21 May 2014 19:56:56 +0100
Hi John,
I didn't catch all the earlier posts on this thread but yours caught my eye. I
am unsurprised if there is a decline in the use of braille; I don't know how
common my experience is...
I lost my eyesight quickly about 12 years ago and was offered a course to learn
braille, but even then the tutor wasn't overly enthusiastic about its potential
use in my life. I agreed then and am still of that opinion. It is not that it
wouldn't be useful at particular points but simply not enough to be worth the
time or effort to learn. I wanted to know about regaining my use of a computer
as soon as possible and at that time I blagged a Jaws copy by enrolling on a
University course and claiming disability students allowance, that seemed to be
the only avenue available as I couldn't afford to buy it myself. Interestingly
I have been called illiterate for not reading braille over the years, but a Phd
and a career in academic writing would be a fair response to that.
I no longer use Jaws, but like a lot of people use a selection of methods to
access and manipulate information. The iphone for me has wrapped notetaker and
email up in one device and having one place for all contact information has
freed my pockets. As for those moments when braille may have been handy, they
are few and far between and remind me of thinking that remembering my card
number would be a great idea so I didn't have to find the damn thing back when
I was sighted. I remember it nowadays.
I hope braille doesn't get forced out before people have stopped using it but I
don't see it being anything but a niche tool, it certainly wouldn't be
necessary for most
institutions to cover their DDA responsibilities, not where I work anyway.
Regards,
Karl
On 21 May 2014, at 06:19 pm, "John Farley" <j.farley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Sorry, I am a late contributor to this chain.
Here is a short history.
I went blind in my late teens some 4 decades ago.
At that time it was essential to learn braille in order to gain employment
in a professional capacity.
I then learnt computing techniques in the world of IT using braille as my
main media. This enable me to compete effectively in my chosen line of work
and move up the career ladder.
So, after a number of years I started to use windots, an application that
would produce braille on a refreshable display from DOS applications etc.
This worked well and the ability to get into other applications than I could
before was a great improvement.
As time went by I moved across to Window-eyes. At that time the braille
output was still my major working environment, although the speech was an
additional useful add-on.
Then came the world of e-mail where my ability to fully take part in the
communications streams was essential and worked well.
I now work in an environment where most of my work is with words and now
speech is my main tool. However, whenever I need precision my refreshable
braille display is always there. It is so very useful.
Another very simple, domestic use for it is in reading numbers. That is
normally either for phone numbers or debit / credit card information. It is
so much easier when on a phone to read the numbers off from braille rather
than slowly go through the 16 digits on speech output.
I guess that if I did not have the braille unit then I would have
transcribed these to braille on paper anyway.
How do non-braille users or even non-PC users manage such tasks?
So, unless there is some future change in that kind of application that I
cannot foresee I would say that braille usage will be around for a very long
time to come.
My two penny worth.
Regards, John
Contact on : (Home) j.farley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
or : (work) john.farley@xxxxxxxxx
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