[duxuser] Re: Why Six-key Entry?
- From: WarrenDFig@xxxxxxx
- To: duxuser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2005 09:01:34 EDT
Remember when we were going to totally abandon conventional ovens in favor
of the microwave? Now it is true that many people's cooking habits center on
the newer technology, but it's also true that conventional ovens still sell.
There's a place for either or both devices in the modern kitchen.
It's the same thing with ascii braille and six key entry. Both techniques
are available for use in any combination. But I'd guess that the use of ascii
braille is on the rise as people become more comfortable with its use.
I learned to use ASCII braille in the 80s when I had to write a daily
Braille Corner for the print edition our school bulletin. At first it was
difficult for me. It felt really wrong to type a comma or a 4 and get a
capital sign
or a period on the screen--my fingers and my brain wanted to rebel. In time
the uniquely strange became comfortably familiar and I got used to it because
I had to. Now, it is simply another skill I possess. (While I can type in
ascii braille, I don't like to look at it in anything but a braille font.) I
suppose that's because I read braille with my fingers, too. However, I know
quite a few transcribers who work exclusively in ascii braille and do quite
well.)
I like to use six key for spatial things and appreciate features that make
using it easy. In MegaDots, you can set an editor preference that
automatically flips your keyboard into 6-key mode when you have chosen the
Translate
Exactly style. So when I input something like a crossword puzzle, I 6-key it
in
the print side and move on. I hope the next braille production program can do
this and even change that portion of the text to a braille font on the screen.
I am happy that Susan Jolley brings up these and other thought-provoking
issues for I believe that her open mind and willingness to explore different
avenues makes her a strong advocate for braille. She is more a part of
braille's future than its past. And that's not always appreciated in our
insular and
super ultra conservative braille world--we guard our traditions and practices
aggressively sometimes to our own detriment.
Warren
Other related posts:
