[real-eyes] Re: e: Re: e: Fwd: Article: Braille Under Siege As Blind Turn To Smartphones
- From: Nancy Shackelford <ladym74731@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2012 08:45:27 -0600
Oh don't get me wrong, I totally agree with you in all that you have said...
Many times, people will remember something better when they either see it in
print or "touch" it in Braille! I still think in braille sometimes!
Nance
Nancy Shackelford
----- Please check out my store...Something for everyone!
www.nk-shouseofstuff.biz
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mitchell D. Lynn" <mlynn@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, February 19, 2012 8:33 AM
Subject: [real-eyes] Re: e: Re: e: Fwd: Article: Braille Under Siege As
Blind Turn To Smartphones
> Ah, I don't say that spell checkers are not useful, and in fact, you
> demonstrate how they are to be used in your post. If you are learning
> something from the use of the speller, then all the better. The problem is
> that too many people don't try to learn from their spelling errors. They
> let
> the program do the thinking -- if that can be said of an inanimate thing
> void of cerebral matter. I use a spell checker all the time, but unless I
> am
> in a prodigious hurry, I always evaluate the mistakes it finds. I am sure
> Jack was just making a joke of it, but God never gave man any tool with
> the
> idea that it would be used to promote physical, spiritual or mental
> laziness. That sort of logic can get one into all sorts of trouble if you
> give it the chance. The World is full of thoughtless, careless lazy people
> who create or leave work for others because those others are "paid to take
> care of it." I've got loads of colorful--sometimes politically
> volatile--examples if you want them.
>
> Using a 20K word speller or a dictionary can never do you any harm as a
> tool. Spell checkers, on the other hand, can: they can do the work for
> you
> as opposed to the other tools. Looking up words in a Braille speller was
> such a tedium for me I strove to never have to look the same word up
> twice.
> I do the same thing when I spell check a document now.
>
> I used to hold the opinion that blind people probably were poorer spellers
> (on average) than their sighted peers. In part, that opinion was based on
> my
> own experience. My spelling skills diminished considerably after I lost my
> sight. I am not much of a Braille reader: I came to it too late in life
> for
> it to really grab me. At least, that's my excuse. Truth be is that there
> were other tools that I found more efficient. But that opinion is also
> based
> on the assessments and observations of other blind persons. I have
> modified
> that opinion considerably since the proliferation of electronic
> communications media like E-mail and the Internet.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: real-eyes-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:real-eyes-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> On Behalf Of Nancy Shackelford
> Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2012 10:32 PM
> To: real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [real-eyes] Re: e: Re: e: Fwd: Article: Braille Under Siege As
> Blind Turn To Smartphones
>
> I tend to agree with you about the calculators and all, but I do use my
> spell checker on the job, since medical transcription reports need to be
> "perfect", and I have learned a few words that, for years, I thought were
> spelled differently than they actually are; hence, no more misspelling
> those
> words for me!
>
> Nance
>
>
> Nancy Shackelford
> ----- Please check out my store...Something for everyone!
> www.nk-shouseofstuff.biz
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mitchell D. Lynn" <mlynn@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2012 11:11 AM
> Subject: [real-eyes] Re: e: Re: e: Fwd: Article: Braille Under Siege As
> Blind Turn To Smartphones
>
>
>> Did God also give us calculators so we wouldn't have to learn
>> multiplication tables? <g>. I am probably just an old curmudgeon, but
>> I remember the days when we didn't have spell checkers as standard
>> options on computers. I remember writing term papers and having to
>> look up words in a 20K word Braille speller. No, it's nothing to laugh
>> out loud about: nothing to joke about at all. That is a tiny mote in
>> the general degradation of American society.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: real-eyes-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> [mailto:real-eyes-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
>> On Behalf Of Jack and Becky
>> Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2012 10:54 AM
>> To: real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Subject: [real-eyes] e: Re: e: Fwd: Article: Braille Under Siege As
>> Blind Turn To Smartphones
>>
>> Well I went to the Blind School in Austin when I was six through bout
>> the age of eight or so. So I learned Grade one first then grade two.
>> Very proficient brailleest. As for spelling? Well that's why the lord
>> gave us spell checkers!
>> LOL
>>
>>
>>
>> Jack ----- Original Message -----
>>>From: "Mitchell D. Lynn" <mlynn@xxxxxxxxx
>>>To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>Date sent: Sat, 18 Feb 2012 09:39:26 -0600
>>>Subject: [real-eyes] Re: e: Fwd: Article: Braille Under Siege As
>> Blind Turn To Smartphones
>>
>>>Hmm, many of the Braille readers I know blame contracted Braille
>> for their poor spelling. I have no personal opinion on that as I
>> learned Braille rather late in life and don't use it much.
>>
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: real-eyes-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> [mailto:real-eyes-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of jose
>>>Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2012 7:43 AM
>>>To: real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>Subject: [real-eyes] Re: e: Fwd: Article: Braille Under Siege As
>> Blind Turn To Smartphones
>>
>>>I think for those who have problems spelling, using your fingers
>> to lern words is one of the best ways to lern. ttyl.
>>
>>>P.S. I have a frend that is making bord and card games axessable
>> on demand.
>>>if anyone wants more info email me and I'll get you in tuch with
>> sarah.
>>
>>
>>
>>>Jose Lopez, President
>>>Lopez Language Services, LLC
>>
>>>"We Speak Your Language"
>>>Call us anytime at 888.824.3022
>>>"This is what the LORD says: 'Cursed is the one who trusts in
>> man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away
>> from the LORD'"
>>>(Jeremiah 17:5).
>>
>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>From: "Reginald George" <adapt@xxxxxxxxx
>>>To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2012 7:55 AM
>>>Subject: [real-eyes] Re: e: Fwd: Article: Braille Under Siege As
>> Blind Turn To Smartphones
>>
>>
>>>>A very partial list of uses for Braille that can't easily be
>> replaced
>>>>by speech would include things like making Labels, speaking
>> notes,
>>>>higher science and mathematics notation, learning to spell,
>> diagrams,
>>>>maps, sheet music, charts, tactile drawings, conjugating
>> sentences, so much more.
>>>> Anyone want to add to the list? Some might argue about
>> labeling.
>>>> Talking
>>>> bar codes help a lot. But who wants to take their electronic
>> wand
>>>>into the elevator to look for floors, or the hotel for room
>> numbers.
>>>>And why should you need an electronic aid fr something you can
>> read
>>>>with your own senses.
>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Jack and Becky
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2012 1:03 AM
>>>> To: real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>> Subject: [real-eyes] e: Fwd: Article: Braille Under Siege As
>> Blind
>>>> Turn To Smartphones
>>
>>>> Well, just as a point of view, those of us who are deaf blind
>> depend
>>>> on braille as a form of basic communication, without which we'd
>> be in
>>>> a word, sunk. There will ALWAYS be people who will use it, out
>> of
>>>> necessity if nothing else.
>>>> My Best ! all
>>>> Jack
>>
>>
>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>>From: Terrie Lee <terrieiphone@xxxxxxxxx Date sent: Mon, 13 Feb
>> 2012
>>>>>19:57:53 -0600
>>
>>
>>>>>The wining keeps going on from the braille camp how braille is
>>>> declining and how many people just don't use the format any
>> more.
>>>> As the world moves faster and faster, the use of braille will
>> decline.
>>>> Will it ever vanish completely? I don't think so.
>>>> If not, why aren't blind people using it as much. Because of
>> the size
>>>> of a braille book and because for large books braille is way to
>> bulky
>>>> and not easily produced in mass. The paper isn't even standard.
>> It's
>>>> thicker and more costly. The printed book is on the way out as
>> well
>>>> and you should hear the wining. There is nothing like the smell
>> of a
>>>> new book. True but that smell can be synthesized and made to go
>> into
>>>> book readers. As synthetic speech gets better and better, the
>> day may
>>>> come when you won't be able to tell the difference between a
>> real
>>>> human reading a book or a synthesized voice reading it. I just
>> don't
>>>> see Braille lasting as more then just a note taking means. In
>> my
>>>> opinion, save a tree, burn a braille boo
>>>>> k <grin> Just kidding!.
>>
>>>>>Alan
>>
>>>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>>>From: Lisa belville
>>>>>http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2012/02/13/146812288/b
>>>> raille-under-siege-as-blind-turn-to-smartphones
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>>>February 13, 2012
>>
>>>> Meagan VERLEE
>>
>>
>>
>>>>>Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available
>> at
>>>>>approx. 7:00 p.m. ET
>>
>>
>>>>>Transcript
>>
>>
>>>>>The National Federation of the Blind estimates that today only
>>>> one in 10
>>>>>blind people can read Braille. That's down dramatically from the
>>>> early
>>>>>1900s.
>>>>>Steve Mitchell/AP
>>
>>>>>The National Federation of the Blind estimates that today only
>>>> one in 10
>>>>>blind people can read Braille. That's down dramatically from the
>>>> early
>>>>>1900s.
>>
>>>>>Like a lot of smartphone users, Rolando Terrazas, 19, uses his
>>>> iPhone for
>>>>>email, text messages and finding a decent coffee shop. But
>>>> Terrazas' phone
>>>>>also
>>>>>sometimes serves as his eyes: When he waves a bill under its
>>>> camera, for
>>>>>instance, the phone tells him how much it's worth.
>>
>>>>>Terrazas is blind, and having an app to tell bills apart can be a
>>>> big help.
>>>>>For one thing, it means he doesn't have to trust clerks to give
>>>> him correct
>>>>>change. Terrazas' daily life is full of useful technology like
>>>> this, but it
>>>>>also has a downside: The more he uses technology, the less he
>>>> uses Braille,
>>>>>the alphabet of raised dots that the blind read with their
>>>> fingers.
>>
>>>>>"All through elementary school I used Braille," Terrazas says.
>>>> "But when I
>>>>>got a laptop, I switched over and I went away from Braille. If
>>>> you don't use
>>>>>it, you lose it. And that's what happened to me."
>>
>>>>>Terrazas uses software that reads out loud what's on his computer
>>>> screen.
>>>>>These days, he's slowly re-learning Braille as a student at the
>>>>>Colorado Center for the Blind, south of Denver.
>>
>>>>>The center puts a lot of effort into convincing students they
>>>> still need
>>>>>Braille to be independent and employable. Director Julie Deden
>>>> says
>>>>>technology
>>>>>is making the nearly 200-year-old writing system more accessible
>>>> than ever.
>>>>>She shows off an electronic reader that's about the size of a
>>>> paperback.
>>>>>Instead
>>>>>of having to lug around massive volumes of printed braille, this
>>>> reader
>>>>>allows Deden to just sweep her fingers over little plastic nubs
>>>> that rise
>>>>>and fall
>>>>>with each line of text.
>>
>>>>>Still, Deden worries that technologies like smartphones are also
>>>> masking a
>>>>>serious problem - Braille illiteracy.
>>
>>>>>"People will let it go and they'll say: 'Well, you know, they're
>>>> not really
>>>>>illiterate. They just don't really use Braille or print very
>>>> much, but
>>>>>that's
>>>>>just because they're blind,' " she says. "I think that it's kind
>>>> of an out,
>>>>>and technically they really are mostly illiterate."
>>
>>>>>Blind people choosing not to learn Braille is only one part of
>>>> the equation.
>>>>>Chris Danielsen with the
>>>>>National Federation of the Blind
>>>>>says his group is increasingly butting heads with school
>>>> districts trying
>>>>>to get out of federal obligations to provide a Braille teacher.
>>
>>>>>"They will tend to say, 'Well we have screen magnification
>>>> software, we have
>>>>>all these tools available, and in light of that we don't think
>>>> it's
>>>>>necessary
>>>>>for a blind person to be taught Braille,' " Danielsen says.
>>
>>>>>The federation estimates that today only one in 10 blind people
>>>> can read
>>>>>Braille. That's down dramatically from the early 1900s. Jackie
>>>> Owellet lost
>>>>>her
>>>>>sight as an adult, after an operation. Standing in a cafe in a
>>>> Denver
>>>>>suburb, Owellet says learning to read Braille was the last thing
>>>> on her
>>>>>mind.
>>
>>>>>"When am I ever going to use Braille? I'm never going to sit down
>>>> and read a
>>>>>novel in Braille. You know, I'd rather download an audio book
>>>> from iTunes,"
>>>>>she says.
>>
>>>>>But last year, while taking classes for her yoga instructor
>>>> certification,
>>>>>it became clear that having a mechanical voice reading off
>>>> teaching notes
>>>>>didn't
>>>>>make for a very soothing yoga experience.
>>
>>>>>"So I realized there is a use for Braille," Owellet says. "I
>>>> think everybody
>>>>>uses Braille in their own way. You know, I think that everybody
>>>> finds what
>>>>>they need to use Braille for."
>>
>>>>>Advocates for Braille are hoping blind people like Owellet will
>>>> continue to
>>>>>find enough reasons to keep their tactile system of writing
>>>> alive, even
>>>>>amidst
>>>>>the growing chorus of computer voices.
>>
>>>>>BlindTech is owned by Michael Capelle:
>>>>>michael.capelle@xxxxxxxxxxx
>>
>>>>>To send a message to the list
>>>>>BlindTech@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>
>>>>>To search list archives:
>>>>>http://lists.blindtech-list.info/pipermail/blindtech-blindtech-li
>>>> st.info/
>>
>>>>>If you have any questions about this list, or the day-to-day
>>>> opperations,
>>>>>please don't send those questions on list, instead, please write:
>>>>>blindtech-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>
>>>>>To manage your subscription options, go to
>>>>>http://lists.blindtech-list.info/options.cgi/blindtech-blindtech-
>>>> list.info
>>
>>>>>women are not complicated. Seriously. How hard is it to say
>>>> "you're pretty"
>>>>>and give us chocolate?
>>>>>Lisa Belville
>>>>>missktlab1217@xxxxxxxxxxxx
>>
>>
>>>>>__._,_.___
>>>>>Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a
>>>> New Topic
>>>>>Messages in this topic (2)
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