[bksvol-discuss] Re: about braille
- From: "Kellie Hartmann" <kellhart@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 15 May 2004 13:08:05 -0500
Hi Liz,
Your story about the child using only CCTV is just the kind of thing that
irritates me so much. That girl will probably get into college and wish that
she knew braille, especially if she happens to lose what vision she has.
I really believe that reading braille and reading with audio are two totally
different things, just as much as reading print and listening are different.
I do enjoy audiobooks, but I process information from them and from braille
in very different ways. If there is information that I really need to study
and remember I do much better if it's in braille. I once had to use an audio
version of a linguistics text, and although it was beautifully done I found
myself having to take extensive notes just to keep my mind focused
sufficiently. If the book had been in braille I would have taken very few
notes, if any. I know that other people don't have this dichotomy and can
absorb audio material as well as they absorb print, but it would be
impossible to know that with a young child, so they need to be taught both.
As you say, everyone will eventually make their own choices about what
they've been taught, but the more choices you have the better.
As for spelling, braille can cause its own problems there too. When I was in
school they made sure that I wrote the answers to my spelling tests in grade
1, and later I typed them on a typewriter. That's one thing that using a
computer can help with. I had to laugh the other night when I wanted to
write in my journal. I've been using so many foreign language braille codes
as well as doing most of my writing on the computer, and it took me a while
to remember how to type in grade 2 braille. <lol> I read braille every day,
but I guess I don't write it very often anymore.
Kellie
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