[nabs-l] questions about reading braille

Mon Aug 16 21:05:19 UTC 2010

Hi Matt and All:

Just wanted to give an update. I ordered an Iowa cane. I am also going
to get an extra fiberglass cane from the NFB because that's the one I
know I like. I'm also going to get a telescoping one too for when I am
just going to a restaurant or something so it's easier to store.

For the labeling, I'm just going to order those pre-made labels as
they seem the easiest.

For the braille books, I know who to contact from my library so I may
read some books with my braille display and order others in hard-copy.

Thanks so much!

Kerri

On 8/11/10, Matt McCubbin <mgoalball at gmail.com> wrote:
> Kerri,
> The Iowa canes cost about $25, and you do not need to be a resident of
> Iowa to purchase them. Please call the Iowa Department for the Blind at
> 515-281-1333, and you will be able to order one.
> As for comparing them to the NFB cane, you won't find anything more
> sturdy and solid. It is a little bit heavier than your fiberglass or
> carbon Fiber straight cane, but the extra weight is worth the increased
> durability of the cane.
> Hope this helps, and please feel free to write if you have further
> questions.
> Best regards,
> Matt
>
> On 8/11/2010 2:24 PM, Kerri Kosten wrote:
>> Hi Heather and All!
>>
>> Thanks so much for this!
>> When I received the hard-copy braille books from the library, I had
>> them sent to me randomly so I didn't call the library or anything.
>> When I signed up for Web Braille, and then in 2008 got my victor
>> stream, a lady named Terry Methony helped me both times. I do have her
>> email address...would she be my "reading advisor?"
>>
>> Also what are the differences between the Iowa canes and the straight
>> fiberglass NFB canes? I'm trying to figure out what to get as a
>> backup...I have and love my straight NFB cane now...but I've been told
>> the Iowa ones are a lot sturdier and don't break nearly as easily or
>> often!
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Kerri
>>
>> On 8/11/10, H. Field<missheather at comcast.net>  wrote:
>>> Dear Kerri,
>>> I too am an avid braille reader since childhood, and I am  proficient
>>> with a braille display but there is no feeling like the stillness and
>>> silence of a hard-copy braille book. So, I encourage you to keep
>>> borrowing braille books. Here's how I do it and it works well for me
>>> as I don't like bothering with the time it takes to call in my
>>> requests and try to call at a time when my reader adviser is
>>> available.
>>>
>>> Every reader adviser in the Library Service has an e-mail address. I
>>> suggest you get the e-mail address of your reader adviser. Next, you
>>> can, indeed, go on to the website of the National Library Service for
>>> the Blind and Physically handicapped and search for the books you want
>>> by numerous search criteria. For example, author, title, subject.
>>> Make a list of the books you want in an e-mail, being sure to include
>>> the catalogue number, and then simply e-mail your requests to your
>>> reader adviser.
>>>
>>> It is important for braille readers to remember that if everyone stops
>>> borrowing braille books the government might decide that there is no
>>> longer a need for hard-copy braille books and dismantle the service.
>>> Reading braille on a book, as opposed to a braille display, is much
>>> faster and it is important to keep reading speed up. One doesn't have
>>> to take braille books on the bus or the plane on a flight, but reading
>>> a book at home is a good idea for the reasons which I've mentioned.
>>> The website for the National Library Service is:
>>> www.loc.gov/nls
>>> Warmest regards,
>>>
>>> Heather Field
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Kerri Kosten"<kerrik2006 at gmail.com>
>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2010 8:24 PM
>>> Subject: [nabs-l] questions about reading braille, labeling, and canes
>>>
>>>
>>> Hi All!!
>>>
>>> I have a couple of questions.
>>>
>>> First, for braille readers out there, do you find you read more on
>>> your note-taker and braille displays and get your books from Bookshare
>>> and Web Braille or do you still call your library and order hard-copy
>>> books? Also, can you order hard-copy braille books either online or
>>> through email?
>>>
>>> I have been blind from birth and am a very very fast braille reader. I
>>> used to get books from the library and loved reading hard-copy
>>> braille, but then in 2007 when I got my notetaker which had a braille
>>> display on it I stopped having them send me hard-copy books. But, I
>>> find I miss reading hard-copy braille, and though reading on the
>>> braille display is nice it's kind of cumbersome.
>>> I am trying to figure out whether I should do the easy thing and just
>>> download my books from Bookshare and Web Braille and reading them on
>>> my display or go through the hassle that is calling the library,
>>> picking categories of books, and ordering them hard-copy.
>>> I really wish NLS had an online system where you could just go online,
>>> fill out a form, enter in the book title/author, submit it
>>> electronically, then just wait for the book to come through the mail.
>>> Even on the Web-braille website, it is very hard to browse...they
>>> don't have it set up so you can browse by category...I know you can
>>> type in keywords but for whatever reason every time I try this I don't
>>> get any relevant results.
>>> So I thought I'd ask what you all do!
>>>
>>> My next question has to do with labeling canned foods. A blind friend
>>> told me to use dymo tape, then get a hole puncher and some rubber
>>> bands, punch a hole in the tape, and somehow thread the rubber band
>>> through the hole? She explained to me how to do this...but I'm not
>>> getting it...the rubber band is round...I don't understand how you put
>>> the round rubber band through the hole in the label?
>>>
>>> I saw that you could order these pre-made labels with rubber bands
>>> already on them...so all you have to do is write what you want the
>>> label to say...then stick it on the can.
>>> Which way do you prefer/use? I'm very confused by the dymo tape way...
>>>
>>> My final question has to do with canes. I need to get a backup. I got
>>> a free white cane in January and really like it. However, I've been
>>> told that the Iowa Canes (the canes you get from the Iowa Center) are
>>> much sturdier and can last pretty much forever. What should I get as a
>>> backup...one extra nfb cane and then one Iowa one? I've never used an
>>> Iowa cane...but my friend has had hers for over three years and it
>>> hasn't broken yet...and my NFB one though I like it a lot because how
>>> light it is is already chipping.
>>> What do you prefer? What are the pros/cons of the Iowa canes? What are
>>> the differences between the Iowa canes and the fiberglass NFB canes?
>>> Also...does anyone know how much the Iowa canes cost if you order them
>>> and are out-of-state? I'm not from Iowa.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> Kerri
>>>
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