True, I've used my Optacon many times to look at raised-line drawings in
math and physics books. I still remember the first time I looked at sine
waves. Once you do this, though, you realize how poor even the best
descriptions are. The guy who said that 'a picture is worth a thousand
words.' wasn't kidding; but perhaps he was underestimating the number. A
description can never really take the place of a picture - even one felt one
small piece at a time as it must be done with the Optacon.
As for three-dimensions. I'm still not very good at visualizing a three-d
picture from feeling a two-d drawing. Being almost totally blind from
birth, I think the software just isn't there to do the job very well. I can
do it a bit - I had to to do three-d integrals - but much of that can be
done algebraically, and I tried to do them in that way as much as I could.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Melissa Williamson" <williamson@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, February 09, 2006 7:34 PM
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: about the optacan
Actually, pictures are doable with the optacon. (Not photographs, of course.) You use the camera to trace around the outline of whatever is drawn. Obviously, you can't tell color. However, I very effectively used mine to look at drawings.
As to two dementionality, the sighted see in three demensions just as we feel in three. Therefore, they must mentally adapt to 2 demensional representations just as we who cannot see must. The difference is that the sighted are bombarded with 2 demensional representations from infancy. The blind have to learn to make use of 2 demensional representations with far less exposure to them. This skill is very important for children and teens these days as almost all standardized tests make use of drawings and diagrams.
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