I have the Braille Edge, which has a 40-character display. One use I make of
that machine is to display words of songs when I want to perform one in church
or on my recording equipment where I do my multitrack recordings. I discovered
soon after I started using this display for that purpose that I could follow
the words more efficiently if I limited the line length of the text to thirty
characters, giving my hands a shorter "throw" than I would have if I tried to
run on the entire forty-character line. Many of the hymns I put on the display
are ported from BRF files already on my computer; since these files have been
in braille using a Blazie embosser, they are saved under a 30-character line
length, allowing for notebook punching. The Blazer will do only 34 characters
per line, absolute max! The paper I am feeding into the Blazer is prepunched
8.5X11 sprocket-feed paper, so I have the word processor generating the files
limited to a line length of 30 characters per line, 25 lines per page. This
setup works pretty well for me when I sing, though everything works best if I
am generally familiar with the song and know it fairly well. I haven't tried
to use the Braille Edge to perform a song whose words I have never seen. I
could probably do it as well as I would handle a hymn in church where I know
the tune very well and intend to "couple the words to the tune" as I would
think of it in computer-like terms. Using the display, I read the braille with
the index finger of my left hand and keep my right hand on the small key used
to advance the text by a line. That key on a Braille Edge is small enough that
I dare not move my right hand out to read the right-most part of the line for
fear that I would come back to the wrong key and thereby "blow" the singing
operation being performed. In all of this, I must remember, especially on a
religious song, that the primary purpose is to communicate the message of the
song; therefore, all the mechanics of reading the text must be done with enough
"CPU" processing time available for the primary purpose of the performance. So
there is no ime to look for the needed key. I also follow a principle I heard
that broadcasters often use, that being to write the braille text exactly as I
plan to sing it. If I am not extremely familiar with the song, I wil write the
chorus after each verse and translate numbers into words. For example, I would
have "ten thousand angels" rather than "10,000 angels" because I don't want the
extra processing to convert those digits to words while singing the song. For
the most part, then, when I use a display to read the words to a song, it is a
very sequential operation almost as if it were on a tape. By contrast, on a
braille page with words properly formatted, I could quickly jump back to the
chorus near the top of the page after singing each verse on that page, since
"addressing" paragraphs on the page is easy. But you don't do that on a
braille display. In all of this, the index finger on my left hand does most of
the reading.
-----Original Message-----
From: optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf
Of Anne Robertson
Sent: Monday, November 11, 2019 12:09 AM
To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [optacon-l] Re: Braille Users, a bit off-topic
I, too, read with both index fingers but my right hand has always done the bulk
of the work with my left hand reading the first quarter or third of the next
line. Since having a minor stroke three years ago, I’ve lost sensitivity in my
left hand and can no longer read as fast as I used to.
When using a Braille display, I always choose a small one and do all the
reading with my right hand.
Cheers,
Anne
On 11 Nov 2019, at 06:25, (Redacted sender "knobman" for DMARC)
<dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I also do not see how one could read more efficiently by attempting to read
braille with eight fingers. Borrowing from computer terminology to get at my
point, I don't believe that the mind has enough "CPU POWER" to process input
from eight channels, interpret and unify all those inputs, and handle all the
switching required as the two hands move over one line, return to the
beginning, and descend to the next line. I must admit, though, that I am now
75 and maybe not quite as fast and sharp as I was in my teenage and early
20's years. I am more aligned with the idea of the index finger on each hand
involved in the reading, with the "switching" between the two hands variable
but happening somewhere at or slightly beyond the center of each line. Most
of my braille reading these days is not speed reading, so I have great
flexibility in how I want that "switching" to occur at any one time.
-----Original Message-----
From: optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On
Behalf Of Judy Jones
Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2019 10:41 PM
To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [optacon-l] Re: Braille Users, a bit off-topic
Hi,
I have not heard of reading braille with the eight fingers, and to me would
seem inefficient, as you need to be able to track as you read, just as a
sighted person starts out by using a hand to track as you learn to read. I
am noticing here my pinkie fingers never touch the braille. The other
fingers can help track but aren't doing the reading.
I have mainly used the index fingers to read with.
I also took the Hadley braille speed reading course in the 80s when it was
offered, and one was encouraged to start reading the first half of the line
with the left hand, having the right index finger meet in the middle of the
line and finish up the end of that line, while the left hand is moving to the
beginning of the next line.
By the time the right hand has read the last half of the previous line, the
left hand has already moved down and is starting on the first half of the
next line. Your right hand simply moves to the middle of that next line to
again finish the right half of that line. Your right hand never goes farther
back than the right half of the line, and your left hand never really strays
farther than the left half of the line. On a longer display, I notice I'll
use my left ring finger to keep my place at the beginning of the line.
Your hands are always moving and reading that way, and because of that, when
note takers came into being, I have always used the left end of an advance
bar, left whiz wheel, or scroll button to advance the display.
This works on note takers two, although you have to wait a split second
longer before advancing the display so your right hand can finish reading.
The index fingers do the main reading, and the other fingers help you stay on
the line I guess.
Judy
“Embrace each day with His mercies and blessings.”
-----Original Message-----
From: optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] ;
On Behalf Of David
Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2019 3:56 PM
Subject: [optacon-l] Braille Users, a bit off-topic
I know this is a bit off-topic, yet been wondering and wanted to hear
people's opinion on the matter. it seems this somehow have been discussed
before, still, what do you think.
As any Braille user will know, we are supposed to use 8 fingers for reading
fast and effeciently. That is, the fingers on both hands, except our thumbs.
True enough, thumbs ar on the page, but I am not aware if anyone would claim
that they really read with their thumbs. When discussing Braille reading back
in time, my impression is that though we use 8 fingers on the page, seemingly
particularly ONE finger stands out to be the number-one for reading. That
finger is the one the user will prefer, should he ever need to read something
with only one finger. And you often do want to do one-finger-reading.
Whenever you are to find a volume in your bookshelf, or you are to read the
Braille tag telling the color of your cloghing, or any other narrow and tight
places. Try searching for the page number in a book, using 8 fingers. Smile.
My big wondering here, could be three-fold - at least. First of all, is this
the case, that you have one "main finger" for reading Braille?
Secondly, if so, say you are a right-handed person, is your prefered finger
then on your left or right hand; and consequently same question for
left-handed people. Number three, which finger is your prefered one?
Will it be your Index-finger, Middle-finger or does your preference sit with
any of the others? Even, we could be tempted to ask if people find the same
finger being their main "seeing" finger, whenever you are to explore your way
on any surface, or perform daily tasks around the house, office or workshop.
Those who happen to be users of the no-longer manufactured reading equipment
named Optacon, would be using mainly one finger, due to the very shape of the
Optacon itself. And though it might be nice to know alternative on that
equipment, my question widens out for Braille users in general, due to that
being a more representative group.
For one, I find that I have one finger, that is of special good service.
Whether it comes to Braille, or simply just "seeing" what I am doing when
working, that one finger is my top preference. Should I - for any reasons -
find that the finger is out of business for a day or two, braille reading as
well as many daily living tasks, become somehow more challenging. And I could
think of people suffering from Diabetes - who have to punch their finger tips
seveeral times a day - probably they prefer to leave their prefered-finger
untouched by any puncher.
Not to disturb you all in making up your own mind, for now I will leave it
untold which finger I personal find most useful. If anyone feels like sharing
their experience, or know of any study that has been dealing with the matter,
it would be nice to hear your feedback. Otherwise, maybe this message might
just have made you aware of something of lesser interest, yet quite puzzling.
Sorry, to those who find it too much off-topic.
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