[bookshare-discuss] Re: about the optacan
- From: "Stephan, William S NWK" <william.s.stephan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 9 Feb 2006 08:47:24 -0600
Back in 1975, when I was in college, I determined I wanted to buy an optacon
and take the training that TSI offered. So, I had a reader use a tracing
wheel and heavy paper to draw me all the lower case letters, which I had not
been taught to recognize, sadly. I practiced by writing her notes, which she
critiqued.
So, in 1976 when I finally visited Palo Alto, I was relatively better off
than a lot of the folks there who not only had to deal with the machine, but
try and learn shapes of print letters simultaneously.
It's hard to understand today with all the devices and electronic texts we
have, but back then, being able to actually read print, albeit it a sometimes
uncomfortable and always tedious experience, was truly wonderful and
revolutionary.
It's probably not as much of an issue today with the better OCR stuff we
have, but I always wondered how folks who didn't understand page formatting
and say, the relationship between letters like rn and m, and c and e, could
adjust contrast on scanning systems.
I still use an optacon at work, , one that was purchased in 1983, and though
I've replaced the batteries once, it's still fine, probably because I very
rarely ever roll up the cable.
We also have one at home, and again, I don't think there's a device yet made
that allows you to say, look at a check you've written and determine whether
the information's in the right places.
-----Original Message-----
From: Brenda Mueller [mailto:brendin@xxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Wednesday, February 08, 2006 8:55 PM
To: bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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.
Other related posts:
