[nabs-l] Character-Based Language Classes

[Sarah Jevnikar]

Hi all,
I'm also interested in this topic. Duxbury's Braille-to-print translation is
not available for many character-based languages and I'm not sure how to go
about getting language keyboards or other things that a screen reader might
pick up on. I'm also not sure if print-to-Braille translation is available
on a Braille display or instance. I've been interested in learning Arabic or
Mandarin for years but have no idea where to start and don't want to learn
orally without learning literacy as well.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Sarah

-----Original Message-----
From: NABS-L [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ellana Crew via
NABS-L
Sent: September 24, 2017 1:47 PM
To: chelsea peahl via Nabs-L
Cc: Ellana Crew
Subject: [nabs-l] Character-Based Language Classes

Afternoon friends,

Recently, I have been thinking of taking courses at my college to learn
Japanese or Chinese, however I am not totally certain how to go about doing
this as a blind person considering that these are character-based languages.
I much prefer to do things non-visually, however I do have a certain level
of residual vision that I could use if it came down to it. Essentially, I am
wondering if there is anybody who has taken classes for character-based
languages that may be able to give me some pointers on how to get through
such a class, given that the class will almost certainly be teaching the
basics of the written characters and that assignments will most likely
contain written characters fairly frequently.

I know that there are braille systems for these languages, however I'm not
sure if that would be practical considering that the professor would not
have any knowledge of the braille form, so I feel it would likely be quite
difficult to try and learn the language in braille in a class that teaches
printed form and uses it for assignments. My guess is that it would be much
easier to learn the language first and then learn the braille format, as
trying to learn both simultaneously does not seem very practical in a
mainstream college class.

I also know that I do have the option of attempting to learn a language
outside of the classroom setting on my own, first, in a way that may be
somewhat more accessible, though I would very much like to take advantage of
the classes offered through my school. It may be that I may need to try and
learn some basics on my own, first, and then take the classes later on to be
able to get the credit for them.

If there is anybody who is taking classes for character-based languages,
especially if you have specifically taken either Japanese or Chinese, I
would really, really love to hear how you made it work and what sorts of
accommodations you used and what systems you had with your professor to
inshore that you were given the equal opportunity to really learn the
language. This is something I have wanted to do since early high school, and
would really like to find a way to make it happen. Any experiences you could
share with me would be wonderful and feel free to email me off list if you
would really like to start some real in-depth dialogue about this.

Thank you all and have a nice afternoon!

Ellana Crew, Vice President
Maryland Association of Blind Students
Website: nfbmd.org/students
Facebook: facebook.com/mdabs.federation
Twitter: @MDABS_NFB

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.
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