[nabs-l] Device Helps Blind See with Tongue

Fri May 25 05:00:30 UTC 2012

Hello,
That's a great idea getting in contact with the special ed teachers. I'll 
have to do that.
I once gave an introduction to Jaws for a class, but I'm afraid I lost the 
poor sighted students because they weren’t able to use Jaws. Perhaps talking 
about the field of blindness in general would be much more interesting.

BTW, TVI is teacher of the visually Impaired. If you had a teacher who 
taught you Braille and mobility when you were younger, they were probably a 
TVI. There are VI instructors and rehab instructors which generally either 
are specialized in one area, Braille or Mobility, or teaching adults, but a 
TVI does it all.

I had around 8 VI instructors growing up and only 3 of them were worth 
anything. So on top of not having instructors period, many of the ones we 
have are terrible. I'm probably speaking to the choir, but agencies who 
contract out VI instructors are so desperate that if there is a quality TVI 
working somewhere and their reputation gets out, they will go across the 
country to get one instructor and sometimes pay to help them move. Then that 
one instructor is often given so much work that they have to work 14+ hour 
days. But It's my hope that if we're able to encourage the number of TVIs to 
grow, we will have actually competition for jobs and quality will go up.
I knew more technology than all but one of my instructors and I even fired 
one of my TVIs and just said I'd study on my own because they weren’t 
willing to teach me Braille Music or nemith.
I don't think I could even place in a Braille challenge and yet most of my 
teachers knew less than me. I know there are good teachers out there, but 
they are so rare that most people don't ever have one in their life.
There should be a study done on the success of blind people who had an 
extraordinary instructor, compared to those who didn't. I don't think it's 
just Braille literacy that helps people get employed, but I think it's more 
of the quality of instruction that corresponds to the level of job and 
success a blind person has.
I don't think there is any way to get rid of all the incompetent teachers 
except to increase the number of teachers and Agencies contracting out to 
schools who higher the top TVIs.
I wonder if someone has information or could develop a kit/presentation that 
one could read over and present to their schools.
That way we could learn the answers to FAQs and get fancy attractive aids to 
share and inspire our audiences.
Thanks,

Brandon Keith Biggs
-----Original Message----- 
From: Jing Crystal Wu 吴晶
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2012 8:47 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Device Helps Blind See with Tongue

Sorry, I just don't quite follow. What is TVI program?
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Brandon Keith Biggs" <brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, May 25, 2012 11:00 AM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Device Helps Blind See with Tongue

Hello,
I may, even though I'm going to be a new transfer student. BTW what do you
mean by "courtesy rules?"
I could also push the high demand there is for TVIs.

BTW, I just wanted to share something, while we are on the subject of STEM
and technology, here's an amazing website for someone who wants to learn
programming, but can't understand all the jargon used by the websites and
textbooks.
http://www.qwitter-client.net/lpthw/index.html
Python can be used in creating PDAs, see the Braille + from APH and Level
star, games in cluding Muds and text games as well as serving as an
introduction to the heavier languages like Java and C++.
Just use Notepad for your text editor and join the program-l list if you
have any questions!

Sorry, just had to push something for those of you who haven't decided on a
major or hobby yet!
Thanks,

Brandon Keith Biggs
-----Original Message----- 
From: Joshua Lester
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2012 12:38 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Device Helps Blind See with Tongue

Brandon:
Ask your college, to allow you to do, what I'm doing, this October,
(Lord willing.)
Since October is Meet the Blind Month, I'm going to do a seminar on
blindness related stuff, at my college, showing what I do, and how I
do things.
I'd even show them the courtesy rules, that are mentioned.
Blessings, Joshua

On 5/24/12, Sophie Trist <sweetpeareader at gmail.com> wrote:
> If more colleges had TVI programs available, we could get more good TVIs
> that we need.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On May 23, 2012, at 3:53 PM, "Brandon Keith Biggs"
> <brandonboy13 at comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>> True, the sighted people in engineering often want to develop things for
>> blind people to use, but very few of them know blind people to ask, or
>> know of any professionals on blind people that could answer their
>> questions. I think the root of the problem is that there aren’t enough of
>> us to go around and the professionals or people informed about blindness
>> are even more rare than we are.
>> I have often brought up to my college that they should start a TVI 
>> program
>> and they kind of chuckle and ask me where I'll find the teachers... But
>> there are so many students who are going in to special Ed that have heard
>> of being a teacher of the blind, but they know nothing about it. There is
>> one or two places in the special Ed program that talk about blindness
>> related subjects in passing, but that is often very small and obscure.
>> I wonder if there could be a project/class system  or something that 
>> could
>> be developed that a blind student could take to their college that 
>> teaches
>> people a little about what it's like working with blind people. That way
>> colleges may start taking notice of this important field and make it a
>> part of the class catalogue. The information just needs to get out there
>> to the public.
>> The best way for myths about blindness to be dispelled is for a TV show
>> with a blind person as the lead, acting as a blind person, to go on the
>> air. But idk of very many directors who would be able to find someone who
>> could write a good pilot script or direct the movie to show a blind 
>> person
>> as they really are.
>> Blindness is like Opera, people truly just don't know about it! (Les Miz
>> and Phantom are NOT OPERA and Dare devil and all those other blind movie
>> characters aren’t blind!
>> Thank you,
>>
>> Brandon Keith Biggs
>> -----Original Message----- From: Justin Salisbury
>> Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2012 12:41 PM
>> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Device Helps Blind See with Tongue
>>
>> I think some of you are focusing on the technology and its possible uses.
>> What made me want to post this article were the philosophies on blindness
>> expressed in the article and news story.
>>
>> In no connection to the previous discussion of cancer on this thread, I
>> feel like the researchers think their discovery is analogous to finding a
>> cure for cancer when they come up with this technology.  They appear to 
>> me
>> to be trying to tackle tasks that any graduate of an NFB training center
>> can already handle.  If I don't know what is on the counter in front of
>> me, I reach out and touch it.  Let them research whatever they want to
>> research, but I think these people are marked by a profound
>> misunderstanding of blindness.
>>
>> I don't try to fix the fact that I'm blind (as if it's something wrong
>> with me); I try to fix the misunderstandings about blindness.
>>
>> Justin
>>
>> Justin M. Salisbury
>> Class of 2012
>> B.A. in Mathematics
>> East Carolina University
>> president at alumni.ecu.edu
>>
>> “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
>> change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever —MARGARET
>> MEAD
>>
>>
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