[nfb-db] Deafblind Group Communication

[Mussie]

John, you once asked how the DBC is a useful device in face to face 
conversations at a distance, which the SBC lacks the capability to do so. 
The answer is simple: Bluetooth. I don't have to sit facing the person to be 
able to communicate comfortably, as this is the case with most SBC models; 
rather, the person may sit alongside me, behind me or in another room and 
still be able to talk to me. Imagine you are sitting in the van several 
seats from the driver, and the driver may not be able to reach out for your 
hand (unless your arms are as long as the length from the back to the front 
of the van). Instead, the driver can jsut type to you. That is not feasible 
with the SBC. Also, I find using the SBC very tedious at times, especially 
when I am talking to flight attendants or people standing behind the 
counter. The DBC addresses most of the SBC's shortcomings, and I am hoping 
HumanWare will further revolutionarize communication with the additional of 
a cell phone (if they ahve the financial resources to do so) and making 
communication as seamless as it is on the SBC (just switch your device and 
instantly get ready like on the SBC).
Speaking of the BrailleWave, you probably use the newer models. I once owned 
a BrailleStar and briefly used the BrailleWave, but while it is true that 
the menu structure is well-designed, not all info/options were represented 
in correct English (U.S.) Braille. I am sure this isn't an issue for you.
Mussie
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Lee Clark" <johnlee at clarktouch.com>
To: "'NFB Deaf-Blind Division Mailing List'" <nfb-db at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2009 12:31 PM
Subject: Re: [nfb-db] Deafblind Group Communication


> Haben:
>
> Sure, I find myself in groups and I often host them.  However, ninety
> percent of the conversations are between two people.  They just do it in a
> group setting.  It is rare for a true group conversation to happen that
> includes the group as a whole.
>
> Yes, I would talk with the people on either side of me, but I also have an
> extra chair so that anyone else can come over and sit there to talk 
> directly
> with me.  There may be brief spurts of interpreting involved, such as two
> other people having a conversation and one of them says that I know
> something about something and asks me through one of the people sitting 
> next
> to me.  If it happens that this question leads to a whole new conversation
> that is getting deeper, I ask the person to come and sit in that chair so 
> we
> can continue the conversation.
>
> When I am the host, I'd be too busy for a serious conversation during the
> meal.  So while I am attending to everyone's needs, I'[d just have short
> conversations with everyone in turn as I go around.  I'll have time for
> longer conversations later in the evening.
>
> In the event there is a real group discussion or when someone is 
> addressing
> the group as a whole, I might have the person next to me at that moment
> interpret for me, or I'd sit next to the person who is signing to the 
> whole
> group, meaning there's no interpreter.  My wife has sometimes interpreted 
> in
> this scenario, but not often.  We rarely sit next to each other.  After 
> all,
> we are together every day at home.  But if she does interpret, it would be
> because she happens to be in the right spot or has offered to, but anyone
> else in the group could be the same.  It's not like she has a special or
> extra responsibility for me.  Just anyone would do, and it's just part of
> the flow.
>
> If there are other deaf-blind people in the group, or the group is all
> deafblind, things may be different, but even in the entirely deafblind
> group, interpreting may come up.  I've often interpreted myself, as a 
> relay
> interpreter or a chain interpreter.
>
> Remember that one principle is that whatever I get myself involved in, it 
> is
> something I can do on my own just as well as with my wife.  If it's
> something where I would have trouble on my own, I'd make other 
> arrangements
> even if my wife is involved.  This is to say, whether or not my wife is
> there should make absolutely no difference.
>
> Does this help?
>
> John
>
>
>
>
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