[humanser] Tips on Presentations & Braille

Wed Oct 30 19:05:49 UTC 2013

Braille notecards are very useful, or a sheet of paper with braille on it.
You can have your hands resting casually on it to prompt yourself while
standing at a podium. You won't aven have to look down to read; you can
always be addressing your audience. 

-----Original Message-----
From: humanser [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kaiti
Shelton
Sent: Wednesday, October 30, 2013 8:33 AM
To: Human Services Mailing List
Subject: Re: [humanser] Tips on Presentations & Braille

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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