[nabs-l] Can't believe this about braille

[Carly Mihalakis]

Good morning, Ari,

I am in full agreement about the luxuries of being able to, in 
a  sensual  way, caress braille dots within a book. That is something 
I am definitely misssing  in my life after brain damage has left me 
with tactual appraxia (meaning the inability of hand to transmit what 
it perceives to brain) rendering braille tactually unavailable, 
although i still know the entire code and can, using a braille 
writer, still write. I have converted means of retaining information 
into that centered around audio, and it's a real drag!
for today, CarlyAt 11:47 PM 1/31/2013, you wrote:
>Hi everyone
>I've just seen something that makes me feel quite appalled and sad. I
>can't believe how much you guys have to pay simply to get or have a
>book in braille? I know that now many people use electronic and audio,
>and from what I hear many people don't even learn braille, but I
>actually really love braille, I love reading actual braille, and not
>just electronic (one line at a time I just can't stand), but paper. I
>love to hold a propper braille book, page through it, feel it and read
>it, especially for example if it is a book for learning a language or
>even a textbook. I know you can listen to your work with jaws etc, but
>I often just love actually reading. For me braille is such a  lovely
>thing!
>Anyway why I am writing is because I find it terrible how much you
>guys are paying for braille books, its incredibly sad. I was looking
>on the internet for whether there are braille books available to help
>me learn some French, and I couldn't believe the prices you guys have
>to pay, I saw for example on APH web site a book for 300 or 400
>dollars just for the book. I had actually heard of this before, a
>friend of mine wanted to find some braille maths books and he couldn't
>believe it was nearly 700 dollars, but I put it down to the fact that
>maybe it was just because maths is more difficult to do in braille.
>But when I saw this I couldn't believe it, even for just normal books
>you guys have to actually pay such high prices? I know you have to
>maybe pay transcribers and things, but I can't understand why these
>organisations can't get electronic files or just scan and print the
>books? I'm not talking about complex things like maths that I don't
>know if you can scan things like that, but normal books? Here even if
>I give a book in to get transcribed, OK it sometimes takes about 6
>months or even a year, but I never have to pay such incredible prices
>like what you guys are, and if I'm lucky enough to find an electronic
>version it costs even less. Frankly, I find it really sad and tragic
>and I think I can now understand why many people there just aren't
>bothering to learn how to read braille, because what is the point if
>you are having to pay such high prices for books? I know you guys have
>a great library but what happens if there are books you really want in
>braille or would just like to have brailled? If these are the prices
>that you are having to pay just for the pleasure of being able to read
>1 book in braille this is just so terrible!
>Ari
>
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