[access-uk] Re: The Benefits of Braille - for Tink

  • From: "Ray's Home" <rays-home@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 18:51:35 +0100

To chip in here, I think also its that Braille tuition has fallen so far down 
anyone's agenda that teaching it often is not thought about  at all.  I suspect 
too that some people have an attitude problem, i.e. its a strange medium with 
no resemblance to print and, even if rehab officers haven't forgotten it 
entirely, they haven't the time, or will not make the time to teach it.  I did 
come across someone, not in the statutary or voluntary service rehab sectors, 
but an Accesss IT person, who told me how glad he was that he didn't see much 
evidence of Braille being used at a school for the visually impaired,and that 
they were geting straight on with using computers instead.  In other words, he 
thought Braille was an irrelevance.

Also, and a bit more controversially, there are some Local Authorities that 
positively discourage anyone telling newly VI people of the full range of 
services available to them, simply to keep demand down, and thus reduce the 
need for and cost of service provision.

There is no denying that learning Braille in later life is hard work so, no 
matter whether you believe there is some conspiritorial element in all of this, 
it remains that most newly blind adults are going to be reluctant to take up 
the challenge of learning Braille, especially now that there are easier, more 
immediate alternatives out there.  Personally, I'm glad I had the opportunity 
to learn it all those years ago, because it gives me a little more flexibility 
in my fortunate position of being able to see print, hear speech and use touch, 
so that if a Braille note taker bargain were to come my way, I could use it 
fully.

Let's not forget too that deaf-blind people have no alternative to Braille for 
reading and getting information, other than hand signing language.

Ray

Personal emails:  Email me at
mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dave" <groups.dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, July 08, 2005 6:11 PM
Subject: [access-uk] Re: The Benefits of Braille - for Tink


> Partly because of attitudes like yours, where people are not convinced of 
> the benefits of braille compared to the difficulty of learning, shortage of 
> volunteers, people not being confident to leave their homes, etc.
> 
> Cheers
> Dave
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Tink Watson" <tink@xxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Friday, July 08, 2005 5:25 PM
> Subject: [access-uk] Re: The Benefits of Braille - for Tink
> 
> 
>> IS there any indication why local societies are not encouraging the
>> uptake of Braille? Is there an active movement to quash this skill or is 
>> it
>> simply disinterest?
>>
>> It seems that much can be put down to a lack of advocacy amongst
>> rehab workers, which begs the question again, why the apathy?
>>
>> Tink.
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf 
>> Of
>> Dave
>> Sent: 08 July 2005 17:03
>> To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Subject: [access-uk] Re: The Benefits of Braille - for Tink
>>
>> Not everybody has a regional office of RNIB and many local societies do 
>> not
>> encourage people to learn.  Many rehab workers also find Braille difficult
>> and tell newly registered clients that they would never use it.  The 
>> quality
>> of rehab is off topic, but while there some good ones, the quality is
>> extremely variable indeed.
>>
>> Computers would be equally alien to some rehab officers and societies.
>>
>> Cheers
>> Dave
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Tink Watson" <tink@xxxxxxxxxx>
>> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> Sent: Friday, July 08, 2005 4:32 PM
>> Subject: [access-uk] Re: The Benefits of Braille - for Tink
>>
>>
>>> I'm curious to know where the supposition that there is no
>>> opportunity to learn Braille, originates from.
>>>
>>> I was given the opportunity to learn Braille from my mobility worker
>>> at the time, I know that my regional RNIB office is currently teaching
>>> several adults to learn Braille and that there are home study courses
>>> available also.
>>>
>>> Is this really a matter of opportunity among adults or simply that
>>> most adults do not wish to tackle the steep learning curve?
>>>
>>> There's clearly no doubt that Braille users are strongly supportive
>>> of it's benefits and with good reason, but the decline can't entirely be
>>> put
>>> down to opportunity. I cannot be the only one who has had an opportunity,
>>> but found no practical reason for using the skill.
>>> Tink.
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
>>> Of
>>> James O'Dell
>>> Sent: 08 July 2005 14:45
>>> To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>> Subject: [access-uk] Re: The Benefits of Braille - for Tink
>>>
>>> But the enigma in this case is how to preserve braille at all, if the 
>>> vast
>>> majority of blind people are older and don't have the opportunity to 
>>> learn
>>> it.
>>>
>>> James
>>>
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