[Blindmath] FYI: BBC website article on Braille (and DavidBlunketton Braille)

Wed Feb 15 23:36:21 UTC 2012

I never really understand the statistics that show that fewer visually impaired people are learning braille. I have many students who are visually impaired, for whom Braille is unnecessary. 
I also have students for whom braille is necessary. I also know that more pre mature babies are surviving today, than in the past. This describes some of my students also, but although they are part of the statistic for visually impaired, their mental function disallows then from learning braille. 

Te statistic for visually impaired does not break down the groups of people and the severity of their impairment
Sent from my iPad

On Feb 15, 2012, at 12:34 PM, "Pickrell, Rebecca M (TASC)" <REBECCA.PICKRELL at tasc.com> wrote:

> Because people don't think and because Braille is outside the scope of what they know.
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Amanda Lacy
> Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 12:27 PM
> To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
> Subject: Re: [Blindmath] FYI: BBC website article on Braille (and DavidBlunketton Braille)
> 
> I can't even imagine what my thought life would be like had I not been given
> the ability to picture something as written in Braille. Why is it even
> necessary to explain Braille's benefits? They are as obvious as those of
> print to a sighted person.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Michael Whapples" <mwhapples at aim.com>
> To: "Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics"
> <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 11:21 AM
> Subject: Re: [Blindmath] FYI: BBC website article on Braille (and
> DavidBlunketton Braille)
> 
> 
>> I think the comment by Blunkett about just having the information in front
>> of you is probably one of the greatest strengths of Braille. With maths, if
>> you find yourself either scanning through equations to get the general
>> form, jumping to particular elements, refering back up the page to previous
>> steps in working, basically anything where you are not reading it in full
>> detail in sequence then Braille provides that type of access. Imagine some
>> of those non-sequential things you do when using written mathematical
>> information and trying to instruct a machine or a person to give just the
>> information you need.
>> 
>> Viewing it from a technical subject angle, the lack of teaching of
>> Braille, not sure fully what the reasons might be, some might be because
>> more VI people are older people loosing sight and so being less
>> willing/able to learn new things but some I think might be
>> financial/funding as Braille teaching is certainly a specialist skill.
>> 
>> An interesting thing I will just toss in, is Braille hard to learn,
>> possibly not. I remember back in 2010 at the international conference on
>> computers helping people with special needs (ICCHP) there was a talk on a
>> GPS system being developed by a hungarian group which used Braille for
>> input (admittedly only what is needed for GPS input so letters and
>> numbers, not sure about punctuation) and I asked them why they chose
>> Braille when it seems to be taught less and less now. Their reply was that
>> they found Braille the quickest and most convenient method of getting
>> accurate input and that they had found people who previously knew no
>> Braille could pick up enough in two or three days to be able to use the
>> device (I think older people were included). I think the open university
>> library system has access to the ICCHP papers from 2010 if you want to
>> look it up. Admittedly what is needed for a GPS input and learning to feel
>> for the dots when reading, contracted Braille and the maths code may take
>> longer, but my basic point is that understanding the basics can be picked
>> up pretty quickly and may be some just percieve Braille as being difficult
>> to learn. In my view its certainly well worth the effort particularly if
>> you want to study anything technical.
>> 
>> Michael Whapples
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: J.Fine
>> Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 11:21 AM
>> To: 'Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics'
>> Subject: [Blindmath] FYI: BBC website article on Braille (and David
>> Blunketton Braille)
>> 
>> Hi
>> 
>> There's an article "Braille is spreading but who's using it?" on the BBC
>> News website.
>> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16984742
>> 
>> Linked from it is a 2009 article "Why Braille is brilliant" written by
>> David Blunkett (former British home secretary, and blind since birth) to
>> mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Loius Braille.
>> 
>> Blunkett wrote that Braille was valuable to him because "when chairing a
>> meeting it is vital that I have an agenda on my own that I can refer to
>> without reference to someone else."  This gives me, as a sighted person,
>> some insight into the difficulties blind people have when doing
>> mathematics and how they can be overcome.
>> 
>> --
>> Jonathan
>> 
>> --
>> The Open University is incorporated by Royal Charter (RC 000391), an
>> exempt charity in England & Wales and a charity registered in Scotland (SC
>> 038302).
>> 
>> 
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> 
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