[blindlaw] Braille (Sanho Steele-Louchart

[Ben Fulton]

Hi Sanho,

As predicted a lot of different opinions here. I would say that the more tools in your kit the better, generally speaking, but if you don't have the time it takes to develop better braille skills, I wouldn't worry about it.

I will say using jaws to read aloud is difficult, but I would advise against reading aloud. It's better to be off book in the court. I will check notes quickly between cases and I sit taking notes while listening to opposing counsel. I don't try to use Jaws while making submissions before the court, but this is where memory plays a factor. I would say that memorization is another useful tool, but if that won't work for you, then using braille To read aloud would be better than Jaws, but if you had to you can even make reading aloud work with Jaws. Personally I found I couldn't get a good rhythm using Jaws, but then I don't think that if I was using braille to read aloud my rhythm would be any better. Most likely it would be worse. These are personal questions, no one approach is the correct one. You will have to figure out what works for you.

All the best,
Ben

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Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Braille (Sanho Steele-Louchart
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I use Braille every day.  All of my proofreading, nitting, and editing
is done with Braille.  Incidentally, i also use my braille display to
figure out what's going on when Jaws inevitably stops speaking, since
usually the display still works.  But I also learned Braille when I
was 3 and used it as my only means of reading all the way up through
college.  My general approach is that you should have as many tools in
your tool kit as is humanly possible to get the job done.  For
instance, last night I learned that you can customize Jaws to have a
differently-pitched voice when it encounters bold or italics font.  I
never knew that existed, because I use Braille for that purpose.  But
I should know how to do it and become proficient at it, just in case
my Braille display ever goes down or I've forgotten it, or some other
such scenario.  The same is true the other way around.  If Braille
isn't your strong suit, still utilize it sometimes, because you never
know when it might be the best way of doing something.

On 1/31/19, kelby carlson via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> My basic rule is screen reader in the office, Braille in court. When I have
> to move around and go back and forth from notes to discussions to
> presentations, using a speaker or an earbud is just not practical. I am in
> court almost every day now and would not, for example, want to try and do
> dozens of guilty pleas while also paying attention to JAWS for the files.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Jan 31, 2019, at 2:23 PM, James T. Fetter via BlindLaw
>> <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> I think Braille can be very useful in certain situations: interviewing
>> clients, presumably taking depositions, trial work, proofreading in
>> certain instances, etc. But I also think that blind attorneys who do not
>> know Braille or for some other reason prefer a screen reader can perform
>> these tasks competently. At least I see no reason why not. I prefer to use
>> Braille when reading aloud, but I can make it work with Jaws, Voiceover,
>> etc., if push comes to shove. My view is that it's good??? to figure out
>> which tool will work best for you in which situation, preferably before
>> you have opposing counsel breathing down your neck, and use it.
>>
>>
>>> On 1/31/2019 9:16 AM, Paul Harpur via BlindLaw wrote:
>>> I would love to be able to read braille but I cannot.  I lost my eyesight
>>> at the age of 14, learned it a little when I was young and do not use it
>>> at all now.  It would be helpful for speaking if I could read it but I
>>> manage with a screen reader.
>>>
>>>
>>> Dr Paul Harpur
>>> BBus (HRm), LLB (Hons) LLM, PhD, solicitor of the High Court of Australia
>>> (non-practicing)
>>> Fulbright Future Scholar/International Distinguished Fellow, Burton Blatt
>>> Institute, SU, New York.
>>> Senior Lecturer
>>>  TC Beirne School of Law
>>> The University of Queensland
>>> Brisbane Qld 4072 Australia
>>>  T +61 7 3365 8864 M +61 417 635 609
>>> E p.harpur at law.uq.edu.au TCB Profile/Google Citation Page
>>> CRICOS code: 00025B
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Scientia ac Labore
>>>
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>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: BlindLaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ben
>>> Fulton via BlindLaw
>>> Sent: Friday, 1 February 2019 12:11 AM
>>> To: blindlaw at nfbnet.org
>>> Cc: Ben Fulton <bluezinfandel at hotmail.com>
>>> Subject: [blindlaw] Braille (Sanho Steele-Louchart
>>>
>>>
>>> Hi Sanho,
>>>
>>> You will likely get a lot of different responses to this question. I lost
>>> my vision later in life. I didn't start using a screen reader until I was
>>> 28. I was not taught braille in school, and I had to mostly self teach
>>> myself, because the remote location where I was living did not have good
>>> supports. I've never advanced my skills to the point where I could read a
>>> long document, and I just use it for labelling. I use JAWS for
>>> everything, and it is a solution that works for me. Many will tell you
>>> that braille is very useful, especially because it is silent. I wear
>>> noise cancelling headphones, and I will put one of the phones off my ear
>>> if I need to hear the court while taking notes. If you are comfortable
>>> with braille it will likely be an asset, but I wouldn't worry about it if
>>> you don't feel comfortable with braille, I think you can be a wonderful
>>> attorney without it.
>>>  All the best,
>>> Ben
>>>
>>>
>>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> Message: 1
>>> Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2019 20:52:35 -0600
>>> From: Sanho Steele-Louchart <sanho817 at gmail.com>
>>> To: blindlaw at nfbnet.org
>>> Subject: [blindlaw] Braille
>>> Message-ID: <9FBDD741-68E8-49E4-AD9A-454BF5D2A8D3 at gmail.com>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset=us-ascii
>>>
>>> All,
>>>
>>> Good evening. Do you use braille on a regular basis in trials or for
>>> notetaking purposes?
>>>
>>> Warmth,
>>> Sanho