[humanser] Tips on Presentations & Braille

Wed Oct 30 12:48:40 UTC 2013

I'll be quick because this is surely a topic fringe at best:

I respectfully disagree with playing down Grade 1. "Crawl before you
run" comes to mind, as does the importance of spelling. Grade II is
indeed the lengua franca of Braille books, but Grade 2 adds to Grade 1
without replacing it. Nothing is lost by learning Grade 1 first, and I
think solidity of understanding and even spelling can be gained. I
have furthermore never met a Braille instructor who would say
otherwise.

On Wed, Oct 30, 2013 at 08:32:54AM -0400, Kaiti Shelton wrote:
Hi all,

I did learn braille as a child, but here are a few tips I have.

First, I saw someone on the thread mention that it has taken them a
long time to get fluent with grade 1 braille.  While it is important
to know your letters, very few materials are written in grade 1, so
the time learning braille is best spent working on grade 2 and
contractions.  Those grade 1 letters are a part of grade 2, but
contractions make all the difference.

I like the suggestion of checking around your state.  See if someone
from the NFB will teach you.  If not, I know a woman in my affiliate
who does it as a TVI and as a tutoring type service, and even does
distance learning/teaching through Skype.

Read braille every day, even if it's just a little.  Don't not use the
skills you're working to learn and use them.

The audible teleprompter has a couple of issues.  First, it is a way
of bypassing braille and discourages people from learning it.  Giving
presentations with braille is a great way to work on fluency, even if
you're just reading an outline and verbally expanding upon it.  It
also doesn't look the most professional to have a wire trailing from
your ear every time you get up to speak.

Just some thoughts.  Hope they help.

On 10/30/13, Shannon Cook <SCook at sccb.sc.gov> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I have learned Braille through Hadley later into adulthood also.  I was not
> taught as a child, but it surely would have been handy then.  It has taken
> me several years to learn, but I have been working during that time and have
> not pushed to learn quickly.  I pick up materials in Braille along the way
> and test what I can read versus what I still need to learn.  I work at an
> agency for the blind, so there are some materials around quite often.  It
> has been a really fun venture.  I label all of my files in Braille, make
> notes that way, and I have also used it to make notes for presentations.  It
> has totally improved my level of confidence as, with a lot of us, my vision
> loss has progressed to the point that big print is not feasible anymore.  I
> joke that at home, if something does not move quickly enough, it gets a
> Braille label slapped on it.  I've tried using my Stream for presentations,
> but that did not work as well for me.  The flow was not good.
>
> Thanks,
> Shannon
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: humanser [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Alyssa
> Munsell
> Sent: Tuesday, October 29, 2013 4:28 PM
> To: humanser at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [humanser] Tips on Presentations & Braille
>
> Hi everyone!
>
>
>
> I have a question about handling presentation notes. Since I lost my vision
> (about 8 years ago), I haven't had to give presentations often, but it's
> been challenging when I have. I don't have an easily accessible way of
> creating and reading presentation notes. I don't know braille because I
> didn't understand the importance of learning it until about a year ago. I
> really wish I had realized how that skill could help me, especially in doing
> any task that requires reading materials to someone or presenting a topic.
> In the past, I've written large  presentation notes with sharpie markers on
> pieces of paper and memorized most of the material. This has always ended up
> working for me, but the process is exhausting and definitely not an ideal
> way of giving presentations!
>
>
>
> I have 2 questions. First, does anyone have any tips about how to do
> presentation notes, aside from braille? I saw an e-mail from an NFB member
> who stated that using the Victor Reader Stream to make audible notes has
> worked well for him. Does anyone have experience with that?
>
> Second, for anyone who has learned braille later in life- any advice about
> techniques for learning braille would be immensely helpful. How long did it
> take for you to learn it and be able to effectively utilize it?
>
>
>
> Thanks!
>
> Alyssa
>
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> October is Home Eye Safety Month. Over half of all eye injuries occur while
> doing everyday household chores. The South Carolina Commission for the Blind
> offer the following tips if you get a chemical in your eye: flush you eye
> with water for 20 minutes, wash your hands with soap and warm water, seek
> emergency medical assistance. For more information about how the SC
> Commission for the Blind can help you or a loved one, please visit us at
> www.sccb.state.sc.us or give us a call at 803-898-8731.
>
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-- 
Kaiti

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