any questions about braille? ask them here!

Nika said:
I've never used a refreshable braille display, but I know Hear Again uses one. <hands the mic over to Hear Again>
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i started using a refreshable braille display in 1995 after i lost my hearing and still use one now (braille star 40). i also have a portable PDA for the blind called a braillenote which uses a braille display and can be connected to a pc for braille access.
 
sumittada said:
Hello guys
I am interested in knowing how different is to read from a refreshable braille display as compared to reading braille from paper.
I can't read braille, but I feel the electronic braille displays can be improved a lot, and am interested to work in that direction.
So just wanted to know from someone who has used one.
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in my experience, i have an easier time reading braille from refreshable braille displays than paper because the braille is smoother and not as "sharp" as it is on paper. i also like the fact that on my braille star 40 and braillenote, there is an automatic scrolling feature which allows me to read braille much faster (automatic scrolling moves the braille display line by line without me having to use controls to do this myself). my braille star 40 also has an ergonomic design which has a natural curve designed for my fingers which makes reading so much more comfortable than on paper.
 
Nika said:
Another factor is that a lot of blind people are illiterate in braille or prefer to use text-to-speech software.
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this is true. if i remember correctly, only 3% of the blind and visually impaired know braille.

for many blind people, speech-to-text software is much faster for them to use since they can understand synthetic speech that speaks at over 100 words per minute.

yet another factor is expense. many blind people are on subsidized incomes and aren't going to college, so they don't have the financial means to pay for a refreshable braille display.
 
Nika said:
I taught it to myself over the summer.



I'm confused by this statement. What you had in mind is Grade 1 Braille.

Braille is given a Grade of 1, 2 or 3. 1 is used mostly for learners and for children learning conventional spelling, 2 is used for almost everything everything else, and Grade 3 braille is used for notetaking. Whereas Grade 2 has 189 shortcuts, Grade 3 has 303. Other than that, I'm not sure what you mean by rating. Can you clarify?
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Does it matter that you didn't understand my question after you answered it so beautifully?

One of the problems of profound ignorance is that you don't know what to ask or how to ask it. It is like I am trying to figure out what I don't know. I thank you for your patience in helping me chart the territory.

How do you know if you are trying to read a Grade 1, 2, or 3? Does it sneak up on you or do you know the minute you touch the document?
 
Hear Again said:
yet another factor is expense. many blind people are on subsidized incomes and aren't going to college, so they don't have the financial means to pay for a refreshable braille display.
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I thought the government covers adaptive technology under the ADA?
 
Hear Again said:
i started using a refreshable braille display in 1995 after i lost my hearing and still use one now (braille star 40). i also have a portable PDA for the blind called a braillenote which uses a braille display and can be connected to a pc for braille access.
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When you say refreshable I picture a small pad your finger (fingers?) rest on with tiny pins that raise up to form the dots.

Is this picture in any way accurate?
 
Berry said:
How do you know if you are trying to read a Grade 1, 2, or 3? Does it sneak up on you or do you know the minute you touch the document?
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you can make the differentiation simply by reading the document or braille book itself. braille books also have a notation on one of the first pages which have the book title, author, the grade it is written in as well as the publisher who transcribed the braille book.
 
Berry said:
When you say refreshable I picture a small pad your finger (fingers?) rest on with tiny pins that raise up to form the dots.

Is this picture in any way accurate?
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a braille display is made out of plastic, so your fingers don't rest on a pad per se. instead, they rest on a flat, linear plastic base which has small plastic pins that move up and down to form braille characters.
 
Nika said:
I thought the government covers adaptive technology under the ADA?
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government agencies like vocational rehabilitation cover the cost of adaptive technology, but in most cases, a person needs to be going to school or seek employment in order to receive funding.
 
When I tried to learn braille... There were some braille pages laying around .... So I went to the library and found something showing the alphabet...

My fingers absolutely refused to feel the placement of the dots.

Is this normal and how do you over come it?
 
Berry said:
When I tried to learn braille... There were some braille pages laying around .... So I went to the library and found something showing the alphabet...

My fingers absolutely refused to feel the placement of the dots.

Is this normal and how do you over come it?
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yes, that's very normal and isn't unusual for those who are starting to learn braille. the way to get around that is practice, practice, practice (and don't use your eyes!). <smile> i found it helpful when i learned braille at age 4 or 5 to memorize the dot combinations of the alphabet and numbers by heart, then to start practicing reading braille by touch.

for instance, my itinerant teacher would ask me the braille dot combination for the letter "b" and i would say dots 1 and 2. i would do the same for the entire alphabet, numbers 0-9 and eventually the contractions and short form words in grade II and III braille. she would also give me a dot combination and ask me what letter, number or short form word they represented.
 
Berry said:
When I tried to learn braille... There were some braille pages laying around .... So I went to the library and found something showing the alphabet...

My fingers absolutely refused to feel the placement of the dots.

Is this normal and how do you over come it?
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Yeah gotta be in one with yourself.

I can read braille right off the clit. Let me tell you something, ONCE you're that good.....
 
Other than curiosity (Which as you may have noticed I have in abundance) would there be any advantage to me or to anyone else if I, a sighted person, were to learn braille?
 
Berry said:
When I tried to learn braille... There were some braille pages laying around .... So I went to the library and found something showing the alphabet...

My fingers absolutely refused to feel the placement of the dots.

Is this normal and how do you over come it?
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That's because blind people usually have more senstive sense of touch than deaf or hearing people. They lose the sight AND deafness...so they get that advantage. They will probably feel a slight breeze when someone walks in your apartment.
 
sequoias said:
That's because blind people usually have more senstive sense of touch than deaf or hearing people. They lose the sight AND deafness...so they get that advantage. They will probably feel a slight breeze when someone walks in your apartment.
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So if I go blind tomorrow all the work callouses on my fingers will disappear over night and all my fingers will be soft and sensitive enough to do this?
 
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