[nabs-l] How you read, Braille or voice

Tue Feb 17 05:48:14 UTC 2009

A very interesting question.  As someone who relies almost exclusively on
JAWS, and who considers himself a decent writer, I'm going to take a stab at
defending the notion that synthetic speech can improve one's writing.

First off, I'm no braille detractor.  I lament the fact that my braille
skills aren't stronger (primarily because braille is the most efficient way
for a blind person to speak and read at the same time).

However, I've wondered to myself whether the fact that I construct sentences
and paragraphs in such a way that they sound good when read aloud makes a
difference in my writing.  Professors often encourage students to read their
work aloud before submiting it, but I don't think this is actually done very
often.  In my case, it is always read aloud, and this likely changes the way
I write to some extent.  I suspect it affects the way I construct sentences
as well as the words I choose, and I would argue that the effect is a
positive one.

I also think that reading something aloud with JAWS allows you to catch all
kinds of mistakes that the average sighted reader often misses.  Consider,
for example, a sentence from Joseph's message below.

"Consider, how many very intelligent people on these lists use
spellings indicative of working almost entirely with speech rather
than access to the written word in a way that includes some form of
letter-sound correspondence."

I could be mistaken, but I don't think the comma following "consider" is
correct.  Maybe a colon would be okay, but I don't think it actually needs
any punctuation.  This isn't to pick on Joseph at all; if it is a mistake,
it's a minor mistake in an otherwise well-written message from a talented
writer.  The point I want to make is that having JAWS read your text often
results in catching mistakes that sighted readers overlook.  When listening
to the sentence above, I notice right away that the pause after consider
doesn't sound right; though it probably *looks* fine at a glance.  True,
there are many mistakes that are virtually undetectable using JAWS, but my
point is only that this goes both ways.

The last point I will make is that, while it is true that we can learn
spelling and the rules of grammar much faster when using braille or print,
this isn't the only way to learn them.  You can set JAWS to read every
punctuation mark, and you can go and listen to books on grammar, with the
result that you end up having a better grasp of grammar and spelling rules
than most sighted readers.  Unlike tape and other forms of audio, JAWS
allows one to move through a sentence character by character and to
determine which punctuation marks will be read aloud.  This, I think, makes
JAWS somewhat unique.  It would be interesting to know what part of the
brain is activated when a JAWS user is using JAWS to read a textbook.  I
would not be at all surprised if it were the same part of the brain that is
activated in braille readers when reading braille and sighted readers when
reading print.  Do any of you happen to have an FMRI machine?

Marc

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org]On
Behalf Of T. Joseph Carter
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 5:30 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] How you read, Braille or voice

Antonio,

I would argue that being literate and being informed are two distinct
and separate things.  I know many people who are literate and yet
blissfully unaware of a great many things.

Contrarily, I know a few people who seem to be pretty well informed,
and yet I would question their literacy.  You've encountered some of
them on these NFB lists, actually--but I know others who are sighted
whose literacy I also question.

Literacy to my mind connotes both the ability to read and the ability
to write.  While it is true that reading can take many forms, those
forms of reading that involve the spoken word do not generally assist
in writing.

Or for that matter, how many posters to
these lists write their messages as single long paragraphs?  These
types of errors negatively impact what others' think of them,
particularly if those others do not use a screen reader to access
their world.

Some of the people I'm thinking of are undeniably brilliant, so that
is truly a shame.  The sighted world judges by appearance.  If we are
going to compete on equal terms in the sighted world in any way that
includes written communication, we must learn to write in a way that
is meant to be read with the eye, rather than heard with the ear.

This to me is why literacy is more than just reading and the ability
to hear and understand an audio book or access the contents of a
website through a screen reader is simply not enough.

Joseph

On Mon, Feb 16, 2009 at 06:32:56PM -0500, Antonio M. Guimaraes wrote:
>Hello all,
>
>I am a braille reader, though not  a very fast one. I'd like to throw some
thought in about reading and literacy.
>
>First, what is literacy? Is braille the only way to literacy? Is getting
reading done part of being literate, and informed, no matter the method?
>
>I have as many questions as I think I have the answers.
>
>First, for me literacy is the ability to read and right, and the
discernment to stay informed by reading a wide variety of books, articles,
magazines, journals, and any other form where words are conveyed.
>
>By my definition, literacy can and does include spoken language, an text to
speech.
>
>I am a firm believer that braille is an integral vehicle for literacy, but
not the soul vehicle. Without braille, one can not learn to spell properly.
I am also tempted to argue that perfect spelling is not indicative of, or a
prerequisit for literacy.
>
>I should disclose, in case you didn't notice, that I am not the best
speller, and that I do make quite a few spelling mistakes in my writing.
>
>Still, the literate person does not read in braille only, even though she
or he needs a good amount of it to be a good, reputable communicator.
>
>I use speech on my computer, and was able to get through 300 nabs messages
in one sitting. I think this was done on less than two hours, and without
braille. I wanted a quick and efficient way to get at these mailings, and
with my braille reading speed, I would only be able to read a small fraction
of the material.
>
>A well-read person is more literate, and best exposed to the world than the
passive listener who has no developed interests. So, the literate person is
by some measures a more interesting person because she or he is better
informed, and can discuss with some authority about a wider array of topics.
To this effect, I have set out a reading list with books on topics of
interest to me. I limmited myself to learning about one topic for a month,
then moving on to something else.
>
>So, March might be Antonio's philosophy month, and not the kind we
tipically talk about. April could be birds month, may would the the time to
read about religion, and so fourth.
>
>I feel some reservation and small amount of guilt for not devoting as much
time to reading in braille. After all, braille for some is the only way to
being literate, and if I sell out and read on Kurzweil, or in spoken media,
I would not be aquiring knowledge, or practicing good literacy skills.
>
>Do you see the hole in the argument of braille as the only way? Do you see
that I would still be accessing and gaining knowledge by reading an
electronic file with my text to speech features?
>
>What are your thoughts as we embark on the biggest braille literacy
promotion campaign? Keep it honest, and inspiring if you can.
>
>Antonio Guimaraes
>Shop online and support the NFB of RI at no additional cost to you.
>http://www.givebackamerica.com/charity.php?b=169
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