[Ct-nfb] Article from Citizens Voice Pennsylvania News 2015 11 15

Cookiechumper at aol.com Cookiechumper at aol.com
Wed Nov 18 20:02:06 UTC 2015



 
In a message dated 11/18/2015 2:28:33 P.M. Eastern Standard Justin, this  
was really well stated and  quite impressive  definitely more publized  A 
suggestion what  I sugggest is  that  you should  or   one of the  committee 
members should get a piece on that show Better   Connecticut  whichis on 
channel 3 which is rally CT CBS in doing a piece  of  teaching/usng braille  its 
effects of life and  products  services  they'd definatelly make it happen  
with you speaking to  them.
 
Take care ElizabethTime, ct-nfb at nfbnet.org writes:

 
Hi  Mary, 
Great  questions! This could become quite the philosophy  discussion. 
One  comment before your questions: I learned in my master’s program at 
Louisiana  Tech that the IDEA actually states that Braille is the default 
reading medium  for all legally blind students unless it can be proven otherwise 
that Braille  is somehow not appropriate for the child. We are grateful for 
this provision  because it is indeed in line with our goals of promoting 
Braille  literacy. 
What are your thoughts on Braille being used as part of a  person's 
identity within the Blind community? Is that a significant factor in  whether or 
not one chooses to learn Braille?  
In the words of Dr. Jernigan, Braille literacy is one of  the major 
trappings, though not the substance, of independence. A slave can  have good 
mobility and Braille skills and still be a slave. It is important to  note, 
though, that it is hard to be a fully independent blind person without  Braille 
literacy. Academic research demonstrates that blind people who read  Braille 
have better employment outcomes, more financial independence, and  overall 
more first-class status indicators than blind people who do not. We  celebrate 
the independence of our people in the blind community, but it is  relevant 
in the broader society, too. 
My other question  is....How  has assistive technology influenced this 
decision making  process with the wide availability of text to voice products?  
The  reality is that most teachers of the blind are not as comfortable with 
and  confident in Braille and the blind students using it to teach it with 
the  rigor and gusto that they should. In the case of properly-trained 
teachers of  the blind, these other technologies actually make Braille more 
available, such  as when we pair a Braille display with our computers or iPhones. 
Comprehension  of material read in print or Braille exceeds the 
comprehension of material  read in auditory methods for most people. When people try to 
use these  technologies as an excuse to not teach or not provide Braille, 
it is just  that: an excuse. 
Have  a good one! 
Justin   
Justin  Salisbury, NOMC 
Graduate  Student 
Professional  Development and Research Institute on Blindness 
Louisiana  Tech University 
Email:  _President at Alumni.ECU.edu_ (mailto:President at Alumni.ECU.edu)  
Twitter:  @SalisburyJustin 
"None  can be free as long as any are enslaved"  
Dr.  Kenneth Jernigan 
From: Ct-nfb  [mailto:ct-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Mary 
Silverberg via  Ct-nfb
Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2015 12:36 PM
To: NFB  of Connecticut Mailing List <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Mary  Silverberg <marysilverfox at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Ct-nfb]  Article from Citizens Voice Pennsylvania News 2015 
11 15 
 
 
 
 
 
Hello All,
I agree with Cheri; never take away the ability to  read...or deny it. 
Although I do not read Braille, I believe it should be  taught as one of the 
options for reading and communication.  Deaf   children are often taught 
American Sign Language&  (ASL), along with  verbal or oral communication. Whether 
it is Braille or ASL, eventually as  teens or adults, people choose what is 
comfortable for them.  
What are your thoughts on Braille being used as part of a  person's 
identity within the Blind community? Is that a significant factor in  whether or 
not one chooses to learn Braille? 
My other question  is....How  has assistive technology influenced this 
decision making  process with the wide availability of text to voice products?  
Mary Silverberg
 
 
On Mon, Nov 16, 2015 at 4:38 PM, Cheri Duquette via Ct-nfb  
<_ct-nfb at nfbnet.org_ (mailto:ct-nfb at nfbnet.org) > wrote: 
 
 
No, never take the ability to read away from  anyone!! 

Sent from my iPhone
 
 
 

On Nov 15, 2015, at 9:00  PM, Esther Levegnale via Ct-nfb 
<_ct-nfb at nfbnet.org_ (mailto:ct-nfb at nfbnet.org) >  wrote:

 
 
Thanks for the article, Edward.  There certainly  wasn't a good review of 
Braille, though.  To me, it kind of got a bad  rap.  You'd be surprised the 
comments and questions I get about  Braille being a "dead language".  I had 
to set someone straight over  this past weekend, as a matter of fact.  The 
person understood when I  explained the benefits of learning Braille.
 

 
Esther

Sent From Esther's Amazing and Awesome  iPhone 6+!
 

On Nov 15, 2015, at  8:30 PM, Edward Shaham via Ct-nfb <_ct-nfb at nfbnet.org_ 
(mailto:ct-nfb at nfbnet.org) >  wrote:

 
 
What  do you all think? 
Edward 
Statewide  blind group meets at birthplace. Eric Mark.  
WILKES-BARRE - The  Pennsylvania chapter of the National Federation of the 
Blind held its  annual convention this weekend at the spot where the 
organization was  born in 1940: Best Western Genetti Hotel & Conference Center. In  
November 1940, a group of 16 advocates for the blind, from seven states,  
gathered in Wilkes-Barre at the hotel that is now Genetti's. They formed  a 
constitution that created the National Federation of the Blind, or  NFB, 
which grew to be the largest organization led by blind people in  the nation. To 
mark the 75th anniversary of the federation's founding,  the Pennsylvania 
chapter chose Wilkes-Barre as the site for this year's  state convention, 
said Lynn Heitz, the chapter's first vice president.  "The national 
organization was founded right here," she said Saturday  afternoon, outside a spacious 
meeting room where most of the 120 people  who attended the convention 
gathered for lectures and seminars on a wide  range of topics that affect the 
visually impaired. Blind and low-vision  people of all ages walked confidently 
into and out of the room with the  help of long white canes. One of the 
seminar topics was "Technology for  the blind and how it has changed. Mark 
Riccobono, the national president  of NFB, had some thoughts on that, as he 
stepped out of the meeting room  to speak with a reporter. He called 
technological advances  "double-edged" for the visually impaired community. On the 
upside, there  are useful technologies such as voice-activated personal 
assistants  available on computers and smart phones. Riccobono demonstrated an app  
he recently installed on his iPhone, called KNFB Reader, that can take a  
picture of printed text and read it aloud to a visually impaired person.  He 
pointed his phone toward the program for the convention, clicked a  button and 
a mechanical voice started to recite the convention schedule  listed in the 
program. On the other hand, the push for technological  solutions to 
replace Braille, a writing system for the blind that uses  raised letters and 
characters, has left some blind people struggling,  especially younger ones in 
school and college, Riccobono said. "A lot of  technology is not built with 
accessibility in mind," he said. He cited  his own experience growing up as a 
legally blind student in Wisconsin,  where his teachers, in line with the 
educational philosophy of the time,  tried to get him to read and study as 
much as possible the conventional  way and use Braille only as a last resort. 
"I faked it all the time," he  said. "I had to memorize things. There were 
lots of positive stories at  the convention, which draws a dedicated core 
group and some newcomers  each year, according to Heitz, who described the 
gathering as "a family.  Liliya Asadullina, 22, said being blind has not stopped 
her from a  rewarding and enjoyable college career at Metropolitan State 
University  of Denver. "They have a really good public transportation system," 
she  said, adding that she has no qualms about taking a bus or train on her 
 own. She credited the local chapter of the NFB near Philadelphia, where  
she grew up, with helping her to develop that confidence. "They showed  me 
you have to be independent," she said. The NFB has led the push for  civil 
rights for the blind, which has helped raise awareness for all  special needs 
groups, Riccobono said. As traffic drove by on East Market  Street outside 
the hotel, he gave an example. In 1940, when the  federation was founded, if a 
car jumped a curb and struck a blind person  on a sidewalk, the blind 
pedestrian was considered partly culpable,  according to Riccobono. Blind people 
and others with challenges or  special needs were expected to basically stay 
out of sight and mind in  those days, he said. Today, through educational 
efforts and legislation  such as "white cane laws" that require motorists to 
stop and allow blind  pedestrians to cross the street, things are different, 
Riccobono said.  "Blind people have the right to be in the world," he said. 
_emark at citizensvoice.com_ (mailto:emark at citizensvoice.com) , _570-821-2117_ 
(tel:570-821-2117)   



 
<Untitled attachment  00025.txt>


 
_______________________________________________
Ct-nfb  mailing list
_Ct-nfb at nfbnet.org_ (mailto:Ct-nfb at nfbnet.org) 
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org
To  unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for  
Ct-nfb:
_http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/elevegnale%40sbcglobal.
net_ 
(http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/elevegnale@sbcglobal.net) 






 
 
 
_______________________________________________
Ct-nfb  mailing list
_Ct-nfb at nfbnet.org_ (mailto:Ct-nfb at nfbnet.org) 
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org
To  unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for  
Ct-nfb:

_http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/cbduquette%40comcast.ne
t_ 
(http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/cbduquette@comcast.net) 



_______________________________________________
Ct-nfb  mailing list
_Ct-nfb at nfbnet.org_ (mailto:Ct-nfb at nfbnet.org) 
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org
To  unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for  
Ct-nfb:
_http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/marysilverfox%40gmail.c
om_ 
(http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/marysilverfox@gmail.com) 





_______________________________________________
Ct-nfb  mailing  list
Ct-nfb at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org
To  unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for  
Ct-nfb:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/cookiechumper%40aol.com
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/ct-nfb_nfbnet.org/attachments/20151118/f082f745/attachment.html>


More information about the CT-NFB mailing list