[Blindmath] Data on braille vs. speech use

Sun Mar 20 18:59:22 UTC 2016

I want to hold this email right here.  There is going to be an announcement at CSUN in a week and after that announcement I want to reply to your email here.  Something at CSUN is changing how I do things and it is important that I stick a pin in this conversation.  So I am going to reply to your email right here in a week.

-----Original Message-----
From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Vincent Martin via Blindmath
Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2016 4:32 PM
To: 'Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics' <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Vincent Martin <vincent.martin at gatech.edu>
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Data on braille vs. speech use

Ken,
I lost my vision to Retinitis Pigmentosa and did all my Math for Engineering with my eyes.  My graduate work as been done with a combination of speech and Braille.  I learn mostly by auditory means and can do long Calculus and Statistics problems in my head as well.  I do "visualize" what is going on and can visualize where I want to go with a problem.  
I did find out years ago that I prefer to do and work with all type of spreadsheets with Braille though.       

-----Original Message-----
From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ken Perry via Blindmath
Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2016 4:25 PM
To: 'Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics' <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Ken Perry <kperry at blinksoft.com>
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Data on braille vs. speech use

I also went through college as a newly blinded veteran.  I did it all with speech and rfbd recorded books.  I did Math tested into Math 105 Matrixes, took Trig, and three levels of Calculus and two levels of physics all with speech only.  With that said over the last 20+ years of being blind and because of a lot of the devices I have coded for and worked on I have started to see the benefit of using braille.  I think though we are still not where we need to be because we really need a full page tactile display with braille to be able to get the same kind of information I remember as a sighted student.  

One thing that might be important though is that I was a visual learner.  I had what I call a mathematical photographic memory.  When I took tests I would flip through the exercises before the test and then I could remember how to do them.  I wonder if the speech paints good enough pages of examples in my brain.  I can actually still see the problems.  So maybe I didn't need the braille for that reason.  I could do up to a 5 page calculus problem in my head so I think that might have been an advantage.

Ken

-----Original Message-----
From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bill Dengler via Blindmath
Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2016 12:23 PM
To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics <blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Bill Dengler <codeofdusk at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Data on braille vs. speech use

Interestingly, I have the opposite problem; I can’t use Braille to do math, so rely on speech. I use tactile diagrams with accompanying description.
I’ve been totally blind since birth, was taught Braille at a young age, but have always been quite slow (max reading speed is around 60WPM).
Generally, though, Amanda’s situation seems to be more common in the blind community from what I’ve seen.
I’m currently taking Pre-Calculus and am in 10th grade, if that matters.

Bill
> On Mar 19, 2016, at 12:13 PM, Amanda Lacy via Blindmath <blindmath at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> I don't have any such data but I'd be interested in it also. I 
> personally have relied exclusively on Braille for this task. I can't 
> use speech for higher math at all.
> 
> On 3/19/16, Aqil Sajjad via Blindmath <blindmath at nfbnet.org <mailto:blindmath at nfbnet.org>> wrote:
>> Is there any available data on the effectiveness with which people 
>> use braille or speech output for doing high-level algebra? Especially 
>> at the college or grad school level? I am genuinely curious since 
>> there are plenty of strongly-held opinions around but was wondering 
>> if there is any data on the subject.
>> 
>> For everyone's sake, I do hope that there is enough data to show that 
>> both braille and speech can be used equally efficiently and that it 
>> depends on the individual. But I will share my own opinions later.
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