[blindkid] Question: Braille Displays or Paper Braille for Increased Reading Speed?

[Brandy W., with Discovery Toys]

Yes I agree! Formatting is huge!

I also find diagrams to be very useful. Now with that said I know plenty of
blind people who can barely identify basic shapes on a page so the diagrams
aren't helpful for them. I am a very visual blind person. I can get lost all
day in a building, but when someone draws me a quick map or shows me with
pens or something I can right away get around and understand. 

-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sarah
Thomas
Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 7:44 PM
To: Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Question: Braille Displays or Paper Braille for
Increased Reading Speed?

Although I think a braille display could be a faster way to absorb braille
if one is an efficient user, I worry about the thought that the display
could be thought of as a replacement for paper braille.  One important
difference in my mind, is learning how a page is formatted.  Also,
formatting is a means of conveying information.  

When the school district my son attended learned that print could be
converted to braille with a .doc file on the braillenote, they tried to give
him 40 (print) page reading assignments with questions at the end that
referred to specific paragraphs in the text.  It was not possible for him to
navigate the assignment on the braillenote with efficiency.  As unfortunate
as it is, there is not one solution to the braille reading issue.

Sally Thomas

 
On Jul 17, 2013, at 3:29 AM, Allison Hilliker <AllisonH at benetech.org> wrote:

> 
> 
> Hi All,
> 
> 
> 
> I had a question that came to my mind due in part to the fascinating
Braille discussion we've had on this list lately. Do you know if Braille
format has any impact on Braille reading speeds and fluency? In other words,
is one more likely to increase their reading speed by using hardcopy Braille
as opposed to a Braille display? Or does Braille reading speed simply
increase with practice regardless of how one gets their Braille? Are your
kids/students increasing reading speeds through their displays or do they
still use hardcopy a lot when learning?
> 
> 
> 
> I ask because an NFB member who is also a Braille instructor once told me
that It is harder to increase reading speed using a Braille display than it
is using paper Braille. Does anyone know if this is true?
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Allison
> 
> 
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