[nabs-l] skimming

[Sean Whalen]

Knowing what to read word by word and what to skim through is in itself a
important skill for success. Certainly, sometimes you need to read
everything that is written, and other times doing so would be an inefficient
use of time.

 

Electronic texts are, to me, vastly superior to audio recordings. Getting
print copies of books and articles and scanning them is worthwhile, and will
likely end up saving time even once you take scanning and conversion times
into account. Control down arrow to move by paragraph is my best friend when
simply trying to take in main points. Also, down and right arrow
respectively skip by paragraph and sentence when in say all mode. Even if
you are reading something in its entirety, e-texts are much quicker. Most
JAWS users can listen to content at speeds from 350 to over 600 words per
minute. The upper end of that range is significantly faster than most
sighted folks can read for full comprehension. In the one graduate level
class I took, I scanned all books and articles that were not already
available electronically, and in conversations with fellow students I came
to find out that I did more reading than most, and did it in less time. I
also did a substantial research paper which required skimming through
numerous articles to look for relevant material. So, I would suggest, have
somebody scan for you, or rip the binding off, run it through a high-speed
scanner, and convert with Open Book or the like. Trust me, you will end up
ahead of the game in terms of time spent and content absorbed.

 

Sean