Re: On the Optacon buzz + some venting
- From: "John Huffman" <j.huffman@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2006 20:35:15 -0400
Hi, Francesca,
I can't offer a scientific answer to your question. But I recently read
Michael Mellor's biography of Louis Braille and was reminded that raised
print was tried as a reading medium before the invention of braille. Based
on the results of public demonstrations and the preferences of students
themselves, braille was judged far superior in terms of readability and
space utilization. It isn't suited to every blind person's needs,
but--given proper instruction and a willingness to practice and maintain
skills, it's proven its worth over nearly 200 years.
Apologies to rest of list for a little off-topic raving. JH
----- Original Message -----
From: "Francesca Diodati" <mdiodat@xxxxxx>
To: <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 4:38 PM
Subject: On the Optacon buzz + some venting
> Hi all,
> I just enrolled in a Portuguese class and I'm beginning tomorrow night. I
> decided to have my textbook transcribed into braille because I think the
> optacon buzz is too loud for the other students. One mor reason to wish
> for
> the elimination of the buzz! :-)
>
> Please allow me some venting...Where else could I vent?? I had to make
> many
> phone calls to receive the book in advance so that I could take it and
> have
> it brailled. Now I have the first few chapters in braille, and I was going
> through the first pages because I'm a terrible braille reader and I don't
> want to sound like a fool if the teacher ever asks me to read in class
> tomorrow LOL. I just found out that the circumflex A always got
> transcribed
> exactly like an R! Now, I'm almost braille illiterate. And I even need to
> remember that when I read R, it may be the R or it may be the A!!
> Nobody's fault...Just braille's fault. I don't know the language, and it's
> hard for me to guess the letters. When the dots are not clearly raised,
> it's
> so easy to mistake one letter with another. With print, if it's printed
> properly, it is never an issue. It's noe 1 dot that makes a difference,
> but
> from the whole picture it's easy to know which letter we're seeing.
>
> Which brings me to a silly question, but for which I can find no answer. A
> friend recently asked me why blind people use braille, and why aren't
> there
> books with raised print whichwe can feel. Honestly I had thought of that
> myself many times. If the size of the letters is the issue, they could
> make
> many volumes like they do with braille, only, it would have so many
> advantages.
> I guess there is a reason; could anyone explain it to me?
>
> Thanks for letting me blabber...
>
> Fran
>
>
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