[Nfb-science] An intro

Sun Jun 6 19:55:07 UTC 2010

MathMl can also be transcribed into braille with liblouisxml by using 
its xml2brl program. The library and program are free and open source. 
xml2brl is a command-line application. There is a Mac GUI. A 
cross-platform GUI is in the planning stage. There is also a web 
application at http://www.abilitiessoft.com under the link "try out the 
Software."

John

On Sun, Jun 06, 2010 at 10:55:09AM -0700, John Miller wrote:
> Hello Peter,
> Here are my thoughts about taking calculus in the college setting as a blind person.
> Having a braille notetaker such as a braille note is extremely helpful.  For personal mathematical notes, it really does not matter what short hand you use to describe the math, but for nearly everyone I have spoken with recording math notes in braille format is superior to reviewing it in ASCII with synthetic speech.
> I have a classmate make copies of their notes and get someone to read the notes to me. I transcribe these notes myself into braille.
> Learning the nemeth braille code opens the possibility of reading typeset math material with Duxbury braille translation software.
> Using speech output, you can review mathml documents with Chatty Infty and read scanned math with Infty Reader.
> Do not be fooled - using these programs takes time to get a readable product out if you start with a typeset textbook.
> Most learn nemeth braille code just by reading it.  If you can get your hands on a braille calculus textbook, start reading it and likely the math notation will come to you.
> When stuck, I reference the Nemeth Braille Code from APH.  I also direct a sighted person to the print page number and get them to read me the print equation. 
> Don't let 1 semester of math be a stumbling block from keeping you from the professional career path of your choice.
> I look forward to hearing from you again.
> Very best,
> John Miller, president
> Science and engineering division of NFB
>  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfb-science-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-science-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Peter Wolfe
> Sent: Thursday, June 03, 2010 1:42 PM
> To: NFB Science and Engineering Division List
> Subject: Re: [Nfb-science] An intro
> 
> Good got that and everything. Now you guys I was not born blind technically from the onset in a way I was with heredetary issues.
> However, I don't know Nemeth and if Dr. Nemeth is still living I sent him an e-mail. Well, I need to take calculus and like I will say that it's required. If you have tips in learning or adapting calculus that would help tremendously. Also, in the current fields do you think the computer science or computer informational systems is more viable with current adaptive technology?
> 
> On 6/3/10, Michael Whapples <mwhapples at aim.com> wrote:
> > Hello,
> > I firstly will say there's two sides to the computing options, there 
> > is the highly technical which I think is what comes to mind for most 
> > people, eg. writing computer code, etc. From my experience of that, I 
> > prefer using a Braille display while working with computer code. Now I 
> > do use speech at other times, so it really is a preference for me, I 
> > know others who seem to get on well enough with just speech.
> >
> > The other side to computing relates more to the business/management 
> > side of things and has less technical stuff to read (I mean by less 
> > technical, less code, special notation, etc). This is what my post 
> > graduate course is more concerned with at the moment.
> >
> > So before you switch you may want to look at what sort of things it 
> > will cover.
> >
> > Also I would say that what ever you choose to do you must have the 
> > interest and motivation to do it, simply choosing a course to avoid 
> > difficulties may not work out. That's why I was saying check that if 
> > you want a highly technical course make sure it actually is.
> >
> > Michael Whapples
> > On 06/03/2010 02:41 PM, John J. Boyer wrote:
> >> Peter,
> >>
> >> You know me already. I'm an avid braille user and use a braille 
> >> display for everything. However, a lot of blind people program using 
> >> speech only. Both Jaws and Window Eyes are good. I'm a Jaws user 
> >> myself. For Linux there is Orca and brltty. For the Mac there is 
> >> VoiceOver, which is built into the Mac Operating system. I'm actually 
> >> engaged in a big braille transcription development projectg, so I'm a big fan of braille.
> >> You should learn it if you don't know it already, but if you have 
> >> difficulty with it don't let that stop you from programming.  To 
> >> learn about my software development work go to 
> >> http://www.abilitiessoft.com Even bigger braille projects are in the 
> >> works. We will be doing a lot of our programming in Java because it 
> >> seems to have better cross-platform accessibility with SWT (Standard Widget Toolkit).
> >>
> >> John
> >>
> >> On Thu, Jun 03, 2010 at 02:06:54AM -0500, Peter Wolfe wrote:
> >>
> >>> --
> >>> Peter
> >>> Webmaster
> >>> http://www.darkstruggle.com
> >>> webmaster at darkstruggle.com
> >>> alternative e-mail
> >>> sunspot005 at gmail.com
> >>>
> >>> To NFB Science list:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>     My name is Peter, who is a junior at Auburn University. I'm 
> >>> thinking about changing my major from social science/history 
> >>> education to computer science/computer informational systems or 
> >>> software engineering. I've taken most of my core curriculum so am on 
> >>> here to find blind professions using screen readers to explain their 
> >>> career with challenges and troubleshooting and brainstorming. As I 
> >>> don't know what kind of science, I naturally thought of any science 
> >>> like computer science as opposed to natural or social science? I 
> >>> think this should be clarified even if it looks like it makes sense 
> >>> it's not for everyone. Thanks and can't wait to hear back from you.
> >>>
> >>> sincerely,
> >>> Peter
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
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> >>> godtouches.org
> >>>
> >>
> >
> >
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> >
> 
> 
> --
> Peter
> Webmaster
> http://www.darkstruggle.com
> webmaster at darkstruggle.com
> alternative e-mail
> sunspot005 at gmail.com
> 
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-- 
John J. Boyer, Executive Director
GodTouches Digital Ministry, Inc.
http://www.godtouches.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Peace, Love, Service