[NFB-Muslims] discussion of learning the Arabic braile code

Mon Jul 26 09:19:46 UTC 2021

Yes, we have some time difference, but I would be happy to make some
make self-sacrifice to join the meeting inshaAllah.

2021-07-26 10:06 GMT+03:00, heather Albright via NFB-Muslims
<nfb-muslims at nfbnet.org>:
> asalamu alaykum,
> Inshallah that would be great just remember he is 7 hours ahead  US EST time
> zone. But we can surely ask him inshallah if everyone agrees maybe we can
> change the time just for that meeting inshallah. Salaam wa-nor
> Sister Heather
>
>
> Sent from Mail for Windows 10
>
> From: Yasmin Reyazuddin via NFB-Muslims
> Sent: Sunday, July 25, 2021 9:21 PM
> To: NFB Muslims Group list
> Cc: Yasmin Reyazuddin
> Subject: Re: [NFB-Muslims] discussion of learning the Arabic braile code
>
> SalaamAlaykum brothers and sisters,
> As Nasma stated in her email, I have a basic knowledge of the Arabic Braille
> code. I also have in print the Arabic Braille code from NLS World Braille
> usage book. The page has all the languages that use the same script.
> However, I know that different countries have different ways of having the
> same letter.
> The Urdu Script is very similar to Arabic with some additional letters. The
> language is used both in India and Pakistan.
> I got hold of a word document in Urdu. I used Duxbury software to print it
> in Braille. There were two Urdu options. I printed the document both ways.
> Most of the documents were the same but there were differences. It will be
> important to know what we will learn.
> I suggest that we as the muslim group invite DR. Aydin to our meeting
> soon.
> Yasmin
>
> On Sun, Jul 25, 2021 at 3:45 PM heather Albright via NFB-Muslims
> <nfb-muslims at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Wa Jazaakum Allaahu Khair wa-Salaamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi wa
> Barakaatuh,
> Brother Selahattin Aydin yes, this is wonderful to know.
> My late imam used to use istishara when he was leading discussions in the
> muslim students association in their planning for events in our group.
> Does IBQS use trained braille teachers who are familiar with the american
> English braille code?
> I ask as it is important to know something about the code that most people
> are currently using. One needs to make a connection and or corlation between
> the codes for a frame of reference for the student.
> For example, a student is trying to learn the letter sod in arabic so, one
> could say, "the letter sod is like the and sign in ENglish grade 2 braille."
> or one of the haa is like the braille w h sign and the other ha is like
> letter h. The other ha letter is like the it sign in english grade 2
> braille.  The lettter shen is like the braille symbol for sh sign.  The vad
> is all 4 braille cells that is inglish braille a 4 sign. the ghrin  sign is
> the gh sign in English grade 2 braille code. The vowel sign fatha  is the
> english braille code for a comma  and haza alif is the st sign, etc.
> I read braille all the time and this made the connection for me as I wanted
> to be able to remember the Arabic code.
> So my teacher when I was learning, made these connections for me mashallah.
>
> I believe if you are teaching some the arabic code and they use French
> braille, the accent sign for the french letter e is like the arabic sign for
> the vod I think. So if one was working with some who one who is using
> French, that would be their frame of reference between the codes.
> Is the course structured  in to lessons? For example, each letter first and
> the next lesson would be the vowel signs and the next lesson would be other
> accent signs. Do they have rules you can learn like, in English braille, no
> dropped letters in grade one braille in the middle of words. One uses to dot
> sixs for all caps etc.
> What type of materials, do they have plastic traning cards so one can use
> them for reference when learning the arabic braille code?
> In American schools our VI, visually impaired,  teachers often times had
> plastic cards to help guide the student in recognizing their braille
> symbols.
> One can use these cards over and over so if they got wet, they simply wiped
> the card off again.  The braille lasted a long time. Some teachers used
> thermoform plastic paper for older students trying to learn braille. Some
> felt like the cards were more geared to little children. So they would have
> the letters, punctuation symbols, how different letters look next to the
> punctuation symbols. And I remember they had one that showed the print
> letters and the braille below on this thermoform plastic paper. I do not
> have this as it belonged to the VI program that they used with their
> students.
> I did see the nfb had something like what I am referencing to in their
> independence market and I just ran across a site that also has this:
> https://www.cal-s.org/
> Note, it is geared to English speaking students learning braille.  I do not
> think they have other languages.
> I used to love thermoform plastic  paper when I read my books, I still have
> some at home and they look like  knew and the braille stays sharp. The cards
> and thermoform plastic paper with the braille symbols was made in the 80's
> when I used it in school back in the 90s and I think they are still useing
> something like  it today at the school. As it is quite easy to disinfect
> between students. Unlike regular braille paper that when it gets wet, it no
> longer can be read very well or not at all.
> Is the quranyour using  just plain arabic letters or does it use extra
> markings for recitation purposes?.
> I look forwerd to getting a sense of what these materials are and how they
> are being presented for an audience  of English speaking blind students
> wanting to learn the Arabic braille code.
> I have put a link to  the use of thermoform  paper for future reference. I
> did not know what other people call it over seas.
> https://www.braillists.org/braille/consumables/
> I read some where some one  was complaining that this paper does not do well
> if your hands sweat. as I always advise even reading regular braille, to
> make sure your hands are clean and dry. The oils on one's hand can affect
> your reading of braille. Also as every blind person should know, keeping
> items away from  inclement weather to preserve the braille is always
> recommended.
> fee amanAllah
> Sister Heather
>
>
> Sent from Mail for Windows 10
>
> From: nesma aly
> Sent: Sunday, July 25, 2021 2:01 PM
> To: NFB Muslims Group list; selahattinaydin2006 at gmail.com
> Cc: heather Albright
> Subject: Re: [NFB-Muslims] discussion of learning the Arabic braile code
>
> salam all,
>
> In 2011, my mom and I found a place where we purchased the Arabic quran in
> braille. I am not sure where we got it from, as it was a really long time
> ago. But since then, I have just kept the books as I don’t know how to read
> Arabic, I only know how to speak it.
> I would love to learn Arabic braille.
> I am sorry to be saying this publicly on this list, but I know that sister
> Yasmine knows how to read arabic braille.
>
> On Sun, Jul 25, 2021 at 5:01 AM Selahattin Aydın via NFB-Muslims
> <nfb-muslims at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Wa alaikum salam dear sister,
> I like being part of such brain stormings as they are a kind of
> consultation that is called "istishara" in Islamic language. Istishara
> is highly suggested by Prophet PBU.
> I would like to come up a tangible proposal as below:
> We at International Union of Braille Quran Services (IBQS) have been
> carrying out online Braille Quran training programs for several years.
> Currently we have several online platforms where we provide training
> in religious topics including Arabic courses in English and French.
> Thus, I can take responsibility on organizing Arabic Braille course
> for brothers/sisters in this NFB Muslims group. I can provide Braille
> materials needed including the Arabic Braille codes and licanced Zoom
> account. IBQS has just prepared a Braille Quran training book
> containing planty of examples for each topic and cleare explanations
> for each concept. We can produce Braille copies of such document
> easyly and share with participants. After completing the course, IBQS
> can provide 1 set of Braille Quran with each trainee who has completed
> the course. If the management of this group/community accepts, I would
> like to suggest coming together online with sister Reem and propose a
> very effective and simple plan to be discussed. Of course sister
> Reem's approval is also crucial for my above proposal.
> I will be looking forward to hearing regarding the above.
> Salams to everyone.
> Your brother Selahattin Aydin
>
>
> 2021-07-25 6:00 GMT+03:00, heather Albright via NFB-Muslims
> <nfb-muslims at nfbnet.org>:
>> Asalamu alaykum wa Rahmatullah  inshallah, I hope everyone is well.
>> I was just brain storming about how we can start an Arabic braille
>> learning
>> class via zoom.
>>  SO what do you guys think. First off, does anyone know where to obtain
>> the
>> Arabic code as the NLS here does not have a braille copy of the Arabic
>> braille code,  it is only in print!
>> I had received my copy from the RNIB who got it from  Bahrain in braille.
>> Inshallah, if there is someone who can produce the Arabic braille code in
>> the states, it would be much better.
>> I did obtain a copy of the Arabic Braille  Quranic primer however, it is
>> lacking in coherent structured lessons.
>> Even my Quran teacher who was teaching me the braille Arabic code did not
>> like it. It did not make sense even to her a native Arabic speaker.
>>  One can not teach a code without teaching all the rules that go along
>> with
>> that code.
>> I have read a few  foreign braille language codes, French and Spanish.
>> They
>> all had structured lessons so your learning the process of the Language.
>> The
>> primer does not tell you what the lesson is and all the rules of why you
>> read a letter a certain  way, they left that part out.
>>  It would be like telling some one dot six is a  capital sign but, if you
>> have two dot  6s it means all the letters are capitalized. And in
>> American
>> English, the dot 6 goes before a sentence, proper names.  While british
>> braille, they do not use dot six at the beginning of  sentences. At least
>> when I had to read British braille, some correct me if this is  no longer
>> the case.
>> I am hoping someone knows how  to produce arabic braille plastic flash
>> cards
>> to show all the positions of the Arabic braille letters. I used to have a
>> plastic print letter set and it last forever. If you spill something, you
>> just wipe them off. Here is an idea from the independence market it is
>> for
>> little kids but the idea is still the same:
>> "
>> BRAILLE/PRINT ALPHABET FLASH CARDS WITH TACTILE ILLUSTRATIONS:
>> Young Braille learners will enjoy interacting with these Braille flash
>> cards
>> with their tactile illustrations. Each of the twenty-six 7 × 7-inch white
>> plastic cards features a tracking guide that leads to the Braille letter,
>> a
>> tactile illustration starting with the letter being introduced, and a
>> raised
>> representation of the print capital letter. The pictures are labeled in
>> lower case uncontracted Braille. The cards are fastened by a removable
>> ring,
>> so they may be easily separated during use.   AIG81B  $22.00"
>> I was thinking about putting the print arabic letter on one side how it
>> is
>> connected and the braille letter on the other side with the various
>> letter
>> positions.
>> I wish we, the blind, had something like alif baa and al kitab  for
>> braille
>> readers as it seems to me we read the Arabic braille code differently
>> that
>> someone trying to learn it in print?
>> These  two books are currently published by George Town Press and they
>> are
>> used by most universities and Islamic centers.
>> I tried to obtain a copy when my Islamic center was going to use this
>> book
>> for their Arabic class and I thought we could use it for this group.
>> Even though  the USA sign the Marrakesh treaty in 2017, George Town
>> Press,
>> the publisher of these books,  still refuse to give   me the electronic
>> copy
>> to the books even though I offered to purchase a print copy of the book
>> and
>> send them the receipt.
>> It was not my first time making this request to obtain a electronic copy
>> of
>> a print book.
>> I noticed, if I am dealing with a publisher out of states like
>> California,
>> they are the most willing to accommodate my request.
>> I would think  a publisher attached to a world famous law school would
>> know
>> that, print disabled individuals in the USA have this right to obtain
>> access
>> to printed materials.
>> That is when I thought about, how we the blind need to create our own
>> teaching lessons to learn the Arabic braille code when Arabic is not our
>> native language. We read it differently than print readers and we do not
>> use
>> symbols above letters.
>> Correction, I believe  Egyptian Braille still puts their vowel signs
>> above
>> the braille arabic letters.
>> I am not sure but, I think they still have not joined the unified Arabic
>> Braille  code along with a few other countries.
>> I am only basing it on what I have read online.
>> I am hopeful for this thread to focus on the best way to teach non native
>> Arabic speakers the Arabic Braille code.
>> A code that so far is not being taught in North America.
>> First, what is the best way to get a massive production of the Arabic
>> braille code for anyone who is blind? Second, where is this class going
>> to
>> be tought?Thirdly, which Arabic Braille Qurans are going to be used? Some
>> have miscellaneous markings for recitation purposes. I think the others
>> do
>> not have this marking, it is just the Arabic Quran. It would be good to
>> know
>> what the student has so they do not become confused with the extra
>> markings.
>> I would like to find out off our list, which Qurans have the markings and
>> which do not so we can tell someone before they ask for an Arabic Braille
>> Quran.
>> It would be good to ask the braille Quran holders to let the individual
>> know
>> if they use the markings or if they do not.
>> Please let me know what everyone thinks of this e-mail and is there an
>> idea
>> how we should proceed inshallah with teaching and learning the Arabic
>> braille code in North America?
>> Also who wants to teach the Arabic braille code, that can be another
>> discussion for anyone who knows the Arabic braille code and thinks they
>> can
>> teach it to someone else most likely over zoom inshallah. And if they
>> themselves can use the Qurans with the extra markings or prefer the ones
>> without the markings. We also have to state which Arabic braille code we
>> will be using as some nations have not joined with the usage of the
>> unified
>> Arabic braille code.
>> fee amanAllah
>>
>> sister Heather
>> "Blindness is a characteristic, not a handicap!" Dr. Kenneth Jernigan
>> contact:
>>
>> 512  680 3985
>> google number:
>>
>> 512 710 7667
>> e-mail:
>> halbright1981 at gmail.com
>> sites
>> National Federation of The Blind:
>> www.nfb.org
>> NFB blind Muslim devision page:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-muslims_nfbnet.org
>>  an accessible library for the blind:
>> www.bookshare.org
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
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