[nabs-l] Device Helps Blind See with Tongue

Fri May 25 16:12:50 UTC 2012

I am fortunate in this case to grow up in China. I learned Braille when I 
was little  and music Braille as well. Later, I taught myself grade 2 
English and Swedish Braille, so even though I was born and grew up in a 
relatively poor place, I had the best education among my friends.
----- 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 1:00 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Device Helps Blind See with Tongue


> 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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>>
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>
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