[bookshare-discuss] Re: about the optacan
- From: "Julie Morales" <mercy421@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 9 Feb 2006 15:53:57 -0500
Hi, Shannon. I know what you mean, but really, the cost isn't any more
prohibitive than any of the other devices we use for notetaking. If the
Optacon was ever brought back, even at the same price it was last listed as,
it wouldn't be any more than the 20-cell Braille Lites. It would be nice to
be able to have access to something like that again. Take care.
Julie Morales
Life is a gift from God. What we do with it is our gift to Him.
----- Original Message -----
From: "shannon" <shannon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, February 09, 2006 9:41 AM
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: about the optacan
Hi Brenda,
Thanks for the response. Evan had already set me straight about my
perception of how it worked. It still seams that it would be a very useful
tool to have. You just can't get the same information from a scanner. Like
Melissa,said seeing the drawings from your kids, being able to understand
how hand writing looks, different fonts, the applications seam to be
endless. It does surprise me that there is nothing like it on the market
any more. There is an obvious market for it. I can see how the cost of it is
prohibitive. It always amazes me how expensive things are. That is just
simple market baring the load. A smaller market has to carry the cost.
Shrug. Unfortunately that is how it works. Smile
Thank you again for filling me in. I had never heard of one and then with in
the last week it popped up all over the place.
Shannon
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brenda Mueller" <brendin@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, February 08, 2006 8:55 PM
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: about the optacan
> Shannon,
>
> No, you're not correct about what happened with the optacon. It didn't
translate things to braille. We had to learn and recognize print symbols to
use it. It took effort. So those of us who were trained with the optacon
actually know the shapes of print letters and such.Here's a funny think
thing. One day I was looking for a place to throw my thrash away. I found
the garbage can and happened to notice the raised print letters there. I
traced my fingers over them and red it. It said "Push." I laughed outloud.
You mean that sighties just read and follow the signs?
>
> Once I was at a convention for NFB when I was a member. For some reason
their rooms and other doors hadn't been marked in braille. I was given the
assignmet to mark those doors in braille. Well, I read the raised print
based on my optacon knowledge
> Then I pulled out my dymo tape, slate and stylus and marked those doors in
braille with a door number so they could find their rooms. It took me
hours, but I got the job done. People just don't know how much work it
takes to make a convention work.
>
> No, I'm not picking on you.
>
> Braille was important enough to me to do the work. There is still a
question.
>
> When will it ever be possible just to read in braille?
>
> Did you ever read about the experiences of Louis Braille.
>
> Maybe I'm wrong about the name, but he invented braille. At that time
there were just raised prinnt books.
>
> Blind people had to just read that and the limitted collection in those
raised pringt books.
>
> He got in a lot of trouble before braille was ever introduced.
>
>
>
> Probably the book with that story is only in braille.
>
>
>
> Anyway, there is part of the story. Sighties think voice is the end-all
answer. I remember a time though when I curled up with my book and just
read in bed. If the night house mother came around I hid my volume of
braille and closed my eyes against the flashlight. But I looked at that
book with my fingers. No voice.
> I just read. That world isn't here now. I read in voice at home and
accept the scanning mistakes.
>
> Now here's a question. If kids read those scanning errors in voice how
can they learn to spell?
> There's one more thing. I keep my pencil handy to write things down, my
slate and stylus. I can still write a letter in braille if I want to. A
part of being blind is using everything you've learned. That's no joke.
>
>
>
> Use all your resources, blind guys. Nothing you've learned will go to
waste.
>
> Evan Reece, are you from WSPC? I am, too, but now a blind linguist working
for Defense.
>
>
>
> Evan,
> Thank you for the answer. That does sound like a really great thing. It is
too bad that they don't make it anymore. What did they come up with to take
it's place. I would think a toy like that would be in great demand? It
sounds kind of like a CCTV only instead of a TV, it has a brail display. Do
I have that right?
>
> Shannon
>
> Brenda Mueller
>
> To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank Email to
> bookshare-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the Subject line. To get a list
of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.
>
To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank Email to
bookshare-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the Subject line. To get a list
of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.
To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank Email to
bookshare-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the Subject line. To get a list of
available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.
Other related posts:
