[access-uk] Re: RNIB, how inefficient are they?

  • From: "Jackie Brown" <jackieannbrown62@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 14:15:38 -0000

Well Karl, you are definitely wide of the mark on that score although, of
course, you are entitled to your opinion, (smile).  I agree it has become an
even more expensive format, but one that those of us who prefer it are
entitled to have provided when ordering items from RNIB.  I notice that when
I order from them nowadays, I have to ask, and often have clarified, that I
want Braille instructions.  For smaller items it really doesn't matter, but
for something more complex it is useful.


Kind regards,

Jackie Brown
Emails: thebrownsplace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jackieannbrown62@xxxxxxxxx
jackie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Website: www.thebrownsplace.info
Twitter: @thebrownsplace
Skype: thejackmate

-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Karl Proud
Sent: 22 January 2015 13:49
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: RNIB, how inefficient are they?

I guess that some people do see the printed word as old tech, certainly the
school my kids go to seem pretty obsessed with tablets etc.  I'm afraid that
I am one of those blind folk who do consider braille old fuddy duddy
technology, but then again I'm wrong about most things.

Karl




On 22 Jan 2015, at 1:33 pm, Mike Ray <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


The RNIB now seems to be run by suits with little or no grasp of what the
customers really need.

In a world where everything is being dumbed-down to a lowest common
denominator what we are now seeing is charity bosses who see little else
than the bottom line.  How they got to that bottom line is of little
importance to them.  Just making the expenditure smaller and the income
bigger seems to be an end in itself now.

And no doubt one of the things that is pared to the bone to make the bottom
line look better is training for customer facing staff and expenditure on
what is seen as old technology.  And sadly Braille is perceived by sighted
folks, and a lot of blind folks now too, as old tech.  Although presumably
sighted folks don't regard reading printed words as old tech.




> On 22/01/2015 13:16, Clive.Lever@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> Hi Dave,
> 
> Don't get me on my soap box about this one. Cynically, I sometimes wonder
whether the more they can dissuade congenitally blind people from blocking
their resources with loads of braille, the more they can concentrate on
their pet subject: "sight loss". If they tell customers as a matter of
course that braille copies will cost loads, take ages or generate boatloads
of paper, they will get the answer they nudged their customer to give: "Ok
then, I'll have an audio version". Then they will say: "more and more people
are using audio and fewer are reading braille, so Braille's on its way out".
Whooppee! They won't have to devote resources to it. Is there such a thing
as "Lowp! (the opposite of hype), or of demoting rather than promoting a
service? I encountered similar problems when I was asking for computer
manuals as far back as 1982, so sadly, your tale leads me to think nothing
has changed, except that the Institute sometimes appears to be suffering
from sight loss itself..
.i
> t's lost sight of the ball! I've usually found that a rough equation
stands me in good stead: Two-and-a-half to three braille pages for every a4
side of dense print in a pretty standard font size. So, when I read the
original was 96 pages, I thought "300's going to be nearer the mark. I read
on, And surprise, surprise!
> 
> Best,
> Clive
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On 
> Behalf Of Dave Sheridan
> Sent: 22 January 2015 12:37
> To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [access-uk] RNIB, how inefficient are they?
> 
> 
> 
> I recently received a Plextalk pocket portable daisy player as a present.
The kind person who gave me this enquired about braille instructions and was
told that they could do this but they would be about 600 pages. The person
accepted that audio instructions would suffice. After receipt of said player
I rang to ask for braille instructions and was told the same thing. I asked
for the braille copy. Interestingly the audio contents goes up to page 96 so
I was a little confused why this would translate to 600 braille pages. I've
just received the instructions in 3 volumes totalling just under 300 A4
pages. Clearly those people providing potential customers with information
should be well informed and clearly they are not: 
> 
> To add to this a friend of mine who took out a subscription to the talking
book service has been perplexed by RNIB sending books which don't appear on
the list she supplied them with. This has occurred twice now within a short
period of time, firstly with books she hadn't ordered appearing on a pen
drive sent to her and since then having changed to disc she has been sent
other titles not ordered by her. Having experienced this myself over some
considerable time before I was blunt with them I I do wonder why their
customer service is so poor. As you have to ask for braille instructions
these days you would think they would give good information and not try to
put you off getting them to do the job they are there to do. 
> 
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--
Michael A. Ray
Analyst/Programmer
Witley, Surrey, South-east UK

Don't judge my disability until you witness my ability

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