[nabs-l] Obtaining electronic text

[Kirt Manwaring]

Joshua,
  I agree that braill is the foundation and cornerstone for literacy
among blind people...and, sadly, braille needs are not being met in
our schools in a lot of places.  Braille is great, it's escential
even...but "braille or nothing at all" seems a bit much to me.
Consider a couple things:
1.  Paper braille is cumbersome, roomy, and inconvenient.  Especially
for large books.
2.  Refreshable braille is great, but it doesn't solve everything.
For one, it's expensive.  Also, from my experience, computer
translated braille does not handle things like math or graphics very
well at all.
3.  It's really nice and convenient to have jaws speed read through
large books.  At least for me, reading documents with jaws is faster
than reading them in braille.  I'm a slow braille reader...I sit
somewhere around 120-130 words a minute, and jaws can read things to
me at a consistently faster pace.
  That's not to say I don't use braille.  One of my textbooks, a logic
book with all sorts of graphics and symbols, is in paper braille.  I
still do some of my reading in braille because it's real reading, not
just listening.  And braille taught me how to be a better speller.  I
use braille some now but, perhaps more importantly, it gave me a huge
boost in my education.  So I say braille is necessary, it absolutely
should be taught...but it's not always the most efficient or practical
way to do what needs to be done.  Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't.
 But I'm sure glad I learned it, and I hope to improve my braille
skills still.
  All the best,
Kirt


On 2/7/11, Joshua Lester <jlester8462 at students.pccua.edu> wrote:
> I know the RFBND readers are volunteers. I appreciate all that they
> do, but the last 5 or 6 recordings of textbooks haven't been their
> best. They used to be better. The best book they recorded was my
> Freshman English 1 book. I still believe that Braille is the answer.
> I'm probably the only conservative NFB member on this list. I joined
> the NFB last year, but I'm old school when it comes to Braille, and I
> always will be. It's Braille or nothing at all! It bothers me that
> most blind people that have just lost their sight in the past 8 to 15
> years don't know Braille. That's in Arkansas. They won't take classes
> at the Arkansas School for the Blind, or Lions World Services for the
> Blind, they'd rather have computers read everything to them. I like
> Jaws, and all of these computer programs, but Braille literacy should
> come first. Maybe, I should join NAPUB, as well. Blessings, Joshua
>
> On 2/7/11, David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com> wrote:
>> Joshua, when you compare RFB&D and NLS readers you are comparing
>> apples and oranges.  NLS readers, almost exclusively are paid
>> professionals, actors, radio and TV people, etc.  RFB&D readers are
>> volunteers, who by and large don't do badly.
>>
>> Dave
>>
>> At 02:26 PM 2/6/2011, you wrote:
>>>I don't know who posted about the RFBD books. I found it funny that
>>>the narrators keep tripping up on words. Even in my history and
>>>Geography books, they have so many "ums," and "urs," that it's
>>>laughable. They need better readers. The Library of Congress narrators
>>>weren't that bad. Blessings, Joshua
>>
>>
>>
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