[humanser] Tips on Presentations & Braille
Alyssa Munsell
alyssa53105 at comcast.net
Wed Oct 30 20:42:29 UTC 2013
Wow, thank you so much everyone for sharing your thoughts and stories. It
really means a lot to me. So here's my situation...
I used to be completely sighted until I unexpectedly lost a lot of my sight
from a brain tumor when I was 17; thus, I grew up reading and writing
visually. At the last NFB convention I was at a couple years ago, I bought a
training book on reading Grade 1 Braille. I would say that I know most of
Grade 1, but am definitely far from proficient in it. I am thinking that I
might want to learn Grade 2 Braille because it would be quicker to read
notes and such. However, just learning Grade 1 is very challenging for me. I
feel a little discouraged because I am starting my internship tomorrow,
which I'll have 3 days a week 9 to 5, and then classes all day Wednesdays,
so my time is very limited, unfortunately. I'm not confident that I will be
able to learn Braille and use it proficiently in time for when I will need
it. But I'm thinking it's better to at least start and take it a step at a
time.
I greatly appreciate this list and having this type of support during this
critical time in my life. I'm starting to enter into the professional world
in a more significant way than I have previously, and being able to consult
with others in the same field who are also blind/visually impaired is
invaluable.
Best,
Alyssa
-----Original Message-----
From: humanser [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sandy
Sent: Wednesday, October 30, 2013 4:28 PM
To: Human Services Mailing List
Subject: Re: [humanser] Tips on Presentations & Braille
Hi all,
I was fortunate to begin learning Braille in first grade. Since no other
blind kids were in the school system, I kept some of the early Dick and Jane
readers. There is one I still have and my teacher put tactile stick on
stars on parts of pages that were harder, but I mastered eventually. This
goes back to the late 1950's. My mom learned Braille in order to transcribe
some of my books, doing parts of them on a board slate before she got me up
for school.
For presentations, I used to take note on Perkins brailler, and now use my
pac mate with its Braille display, Any way I wrote them, a new idea I
wanted to mention would be prefaced by a few Braille dashes, which made it
easier for me to scroll through lines if I somehow lost my place. When I
did this for participation in church, people debated as to how I so smoothly
got through my parts of the service. Does she memorize all this? No, I
think she can read. Actually, my hands and equipment were not visible to
the congregation. I got material a head of time, prepared it in Pac Mate,
and enjoyed my contributions -- glad I have kept up my Braille.
Sandy
--------------------------------------------------
From: "Shannon Cook" <SCook at sccb.sc.gov>
Sent: Wednesday, October 30, 2013 8:58 AM
To: "Human Services Mailing List" <humanser at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [humanser] Tips on Presentations & Braille
> P. S. I have learned Grade 2 Braille. I also used Braille notes to do
> my Treasurer's report at my local chapter meetings. Such a big help.
> I am kicking myself for not seeing the value in learning earlier, even
> when I had more usable vision. It would have proven to be helpful all
> along the way.
>
> -----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
>
> _______________________________________________
> humanser mailing list
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> humanser:
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> gov
>
> 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.
>
> _______________________________________________
> humanser mailing list
> humanser at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> humanser:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/sandraburgess%40
> msn.com
>
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