[NFB-Braille-Discussion] Literacy for Adult Learners

Sat Jul 10 03:30:14 UTC 2021

Hello Ellen,

Not moving your lips is indeed a hard habit to break.  I'm working on my braille reading and writing speed every day.  I remember when I was first learning morse code, the principles are the same.  Over time, you stop concentrating on the individual pieces that make up a word and start recognizing them as a whole word or phrase but that takes practice in not getting hung up on all the little bits and pieces.  When I was learning morse code, I had a friend that lived a few hours away that I used to have daily conversations early in the morning so we could both work on our speed, we played leap frog, encouraging each other to up the speed a little bit every couple of weeks and it worked wonders.  It also reminds me of those articles about how the brain can unscramble words very quickly if the first and last letters are correct and the rest are scrambled.  The brain is amazing at adapting over time.

I'm finding it fun to re-read some books I read a long, long time ago as a sighted individual.  It reduces one thing you're trying to concentrate on if you already know the story.

Happy reading to everyone!

Take care,  
Tony

> On Jul 9, 2021, at 11:13 PM, Ellen Ringlein via NFB-Braille-Discussion <nfb-braille-discussion at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello Sanho,
> 
> The key to building your reading speed is to read Braille as much as you
> can. You should strive for reading every day. If you read for a set time
> period every day, you'll notice over time that you can read more pages
> during that time interval. Say, you read five pages an hour, set your goal
> for seven or eight. When you have reached that, raise your page goal again.
> Always have some Braille reading material handy.
> 
> If you haven't learned the two-handed reading technique, it is time to do
> so. It may slow you down to begin with, but with practice your speed will
> get faster. If you are not familiar with this technique, here is a brief
> description. Start reading the line with your left hand. Somewhere towards
> the middle switch to the right hand. While the right hand finishes the line,
> track back with the left and move to the beginning of the next line. This
> way your left hand is in position to start reading, as soon as the right one
> has reached the end of the previous line. The right hand meets your left one
> somewhere in the middle again. With this technique, you don't waste time
> tracking back to the beginning of the next line. The faster you read, the
> more noticeable the time lag is, if you have to track back to the beginning
> of the next line, before you continue reading again. I learned Braille as a
> young adult and I wish that someone would have given me both pieces of
> advice then. I had to teach myself the two-handed reading technique after
> having read one-handed for almost ten years.
> 
> You can also do tracking exercises in which you move your fingers across the
> lines faster than you can read for five minutes every day. See what you can
> pick up, but don't focus on reading. This should also increase your speed
> over time.
> 
> Finally a friend told me about a speed reading technique taught in speed
> reading courses for sighted people. When you read, don't move your lips to
> pronounce the words, just think of the words in your mind. That is a habit I
> am struggling to break.
> 
> Good luck and keep on reading.
> 
> Cordially,
> 
> Ellen
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NFB-Braille-Discussion
> [mailto:nfb-braille-discussion-bounces at nfbnet.org <mailto:nfb-braille-discussion-bounces at nfbnet.org>] On Behalf Of Sanho
> Steele-Louchart via NFB-Braille-Discussion
> Sent: Friday, July 9, 2021 10:47 PM
> To: NFB Braille Discussion List <nfb-braille-discussion at nfbnet.org <mailto:nfb-braille-discussion at nfbnet.org>>
> Cc: Sanho Steele-Louchart <sanho817 at gmail.com <mailto:sanho817 at gmail.com>>
> Subject: Re: [NFB-Braille-Discussion] Literacy for Adult Learners
> 
> Steve,
> 
> A very welcome reminder. Thank you. I already use braille for labeling and
> other limited tasks. 120 would be a great target for reading documents aloud
> in court, for instance. 240 would just be an excellent speed for silent
> leisure reading. We'll see what happens.
> 
> I'll make sure my braille display is charged tonight and I'll buy or print a
> new hardcopy book ASAP. Then I'll read as often as is practicable.
> 
> On 7/9/21, Steve Jacobson via NFB-Braille-Discussion
> <nfb-braille-discussion at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Sanho,
>> 
>> I don't know much about your background, so it is hard to be very
> specific.
>> However, I can think of a number of people just within my NFB chapter 
>> that can likely read at least that fast.  Beyond that, though, you 
>> don't have to read braille that fast to have it be useful.  I have 
>> seen people who learned braille as adults and worked hard enough at it 
>> that they could read out loud at a very respectable rate.  You don't 
>> have to read at 240 words per minute to use braille to read from your
> notes for a presentation, for example.
>> 
>> I would not at all want to discourage you from achieving the fastest 
>> rate you can, but be aware of the fact that speed is only part of the 
>> picture, and if you happened to not reach 240 words per minute, you 
>> will find braille to be very useful.
>> 
>> Best regards,
>> 
>> Steve Jacobson
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NFB-Braille-Discussion 
>> <nfb-braille-discussion-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Sanho 
>> Steele-Louchart via NFB-Braille-Discussion
>> Sent: Friday, July 9, 2021 7:53 PM
>> To: nfb-braille-discussion at nfbnet.org
>> Cc: Sanho Steele-Louchart <sanho817 at gmail.com>
>> Subject: [NFB-Braille-Discussion] Literacy for Adult Learners
>> 
>> All,
>> 
>> Good evening. I hope everyone's had another wonderful Convention.
>> 
>> Does anyone here know of braille readers who learned as adults and 
>> read at the standard 240+ WPM? I've only heard of one or two people 
>> managing it; most people tell me it's never going to happen. I refuse 
>> to accept that.
>> 
>> Warmth,
>> Sanho
>> 
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> 
> 
> --
> Warmth,
> Sanho
> He, Him, His
> 
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