[nfbmi-talk] Colors Question

Thu Jan 5 18:42:06 UTC 2012

Hello Terri and all.
Your color question flashed something in my memory and I was reminded of an
article that appeared in the 1985 June Braille Monitor.  Until I did this
monitor search I wasn't sure what month it was but as you can see I had the
correct year.  I think what has kept the memory of this in the back of my
mind all these years is that the letter to President Jernigan was written by
our own John Scott.  When I finally met John in 1990 we had a good laugh
over it as I told him that I felt I already knew him.
I have used the numbering system to some degree with my own clothing.  I
find it helpful in that you can make it as simple or as complex as you want
and it takes the guess work out of matching by color description alone.  I
guess with current technology You could use a note taker or computer to keep
your clothing file up to date as you match by the numbers and your
corresponding clothing description  file.
Anyway, here is the article featuring John.

Braille Monitor
June 1985 

(back)(contents)(next)

Comments on Clothing

Detroit, Michigan
 March 5, 1985

Re: Numbered Tags for Identification of clothing

To Whom It May Concern:

Quite some time ago, I wrote to the American Foundation for the Blind and
presented to their Organization an idea for identifying clothes. This idea
was putting numbers on tags rather than color descriptions. I proposed the
idea for personal reasons which I shall state; however, I felt that the idea
would be beneficial to all blind persons.

I have a fairly large number of dress shirts that are of the same material
and the same cut. However, their similarity ends here. Some of them are
solid colored with white cuffs and collars; some of them are solid-colored
without white cuffs and collars; others have blue and white or brown and
white pin stripes or checks. Still others have blue and white or brown and
white pin stripes or checks with white cuffs and collars. I believe you can
readily recognize the problem I would have in labeling these shirts with
tags that merely state brown, blue, etc. I suddenly came upon the idea that
if I had tags with numbers e.g., 1-20 or 1-99, then I could sew a tag on the
shirt and write the description of the shirt on a card or Braille sheet. I
further considered the fact that even those blind persons who are poor
Braille readers are usually fair readers of Braille numbers, and they could
dictate on a cassette the description of an article of clothing along with
the corresponding number. This procedure would work with ties, socks,
slacks, etc. I know that other techniques are available; however, I believe
this technique would enable a blind person to avail him or herself of all
colors, designs, and materials. It would be a lot easier to identify items
which are of the same material, and it would virtually eliminate any margin
for error.

Please let me know whether you believe this is a viable idea and whether you
believe that it could be implemented by our Organization.

Thank you for your time and attention. I am:

Very truly yours,

John C. Scott
 Attorney at Law

Baltimore, Maryland
 April 2, 1985

Dear Mr. Scott:

I found your ideas about using numbers to identify clothing
interesting--particularly, since it is the system I have used for most of my
life. At the top of the inside of the right hand inside coat pocket on suits
I have a thin metal tag attached with a safety pin. I put a Braille number
on each tag and write a corresponding number on a sheet of Braille paper.
Each necktie has a Braille number stapled on the inside of the narrow end.
Again, the corresponding number is written on a sheet of paper. Since I have
more ties than suits, I begin the system with tie number one. If it goes
with suits three, four, and six, my first line would read: Number one,
followed by a space, followed by the numbers three, four, and six. The
system continues down the page and on succeeding pages until I have no ties
left. On a separate sheet I list each suit by number, followed by a detailed
description of the suit (what color it is, where and when I bought it, and
any other pertinent data--such as: "good for funerals)."

I have never used the numbering system on socks. Rather, I have cardboard
dividers in a dresser drawer. My socks are divided into the general
categories: brown, black, gray, and blue. When socks are washed, I keep them
straight and put them back into their places.

As to shirts, mine--all, that is, that are used for business and dress wear
are (not because of blindness but because of my antediluvian tendencies)
white. Therefore, they require no identification. I have both long sleeved
and short sleeved casual shirts, but they fall into three general color
categories and are thus easily identified by location and/or texture.

I don't know how many other blind people use a variation of the numbering
system for clothes, but I am acquainted with quite a number who do. Of
course, each individual will tend to use his or her own personal pattern.
For my own part I have found the metal color tags not very useful, but I
suspect this has to do more with my eccentricity than the unusefulness of
the tags. Be that as it may this is my reaction to your numbering
suggestion. In summary my feeling is that the numbering of clothes is a good
idea but that most blind people who want to use it will probably not have
great difficulty in devising their own system. After considerable
experimentation I have found, for instance, that thin sheets of aluminum can
be Brailled on a slate or a Perkins Brailler and then cut into tags. The tag
can be left attached to a suit that goes to the dry cleaner. I never remove
the metal number tag from the time I buy a suit until the time I donate it
to my favorite thrift store. As I have already said, I attach the metal tag
with a safety pin. It is easy enough to drill or punch holes in the tag to
accommodate the pin. As to ties, I use numbers made of dymotape. I attach
the number with a stapler. I try to eat in such a manner as not to require
frequent tie cleaning. However, accidents will happen, and the dymotape will
not stand up during dry cleaning. Accordingly, when I am unfortunate enough
to need to send a tie to the cleaners, I remove the tag and reattach it when
I get the tie back. I try not to be so messy as to have to send out more
than one tie at the time.

Nobody taught me any of these things. It just seemed easier to learn them
than to muddle through without them. Whether it would be helpful to share
this sort of commentary with others, I am not sure. Maybe this sort of thing
would be so elementary that the reader would be insulted. On the other hand,
perhaps we should not take it for granted that what one individual finds
easy to think up will pop with equal facility into the next person's head. I
say this because of the difficulty I find with certain problems and
techniques that are regarded as elemental and simple by certain of my
associates.

Thanks for your letter, and I would be interested in having your reactions
to what I have said.

Very truly yours,

Kenneth Jernigan, President
 National Federation of the Blind

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of trising at sbcglobal.net
Sent: Saturday, December 31, 2011 8:39 PM
To: NFBofMichigan List
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] Colors Question

Dear Federation Family:
    Since all of you were so helpful with my candle question, I thought I
would pose another one. How do all of you understand and deal with color, as
far as matching clothes. Please do not misunderstand me. I am sure I do not
go around in unmatched things. However, the way I solve this is by having my
mom or sister in law or a friend assist me with matching things together.  I
put the pants over the bottom of the hanger, and put the sweater on the
hanger like the hanger is wearing the shirt in the conventional fashion.
Then, I make sure I know something tactual about the outfit so that I can
always put it back together after washing. It might be a particular
waistband on the pants, or the particular material that the sweater is made
of. However, I would not mix things around because I would not know if they
match. At one time, I had those metal color tags and used these with safety
pins, but I do not really like them. They have many colors in the tags that
I do not use, and too few of standard things like black and blue. Who has
gold clothes for instance? The other reason I do not like them is that,
since I have been blind from birth, and I know there are different shades of
colors, having a tag on clothing does not really help me know what it goes
with. My method of always wearing the same things together that I have had
sighted assistance to put together seems the most safe. Mom has said that a
few outfits could be interchanged, but when I do this she will inevitably
say that the two things I chose do not go together. How do other totally
blind people match, and more than that, how do you understand color enough
to be able to make independent choices?

Terri Wilcox 

--
I am using the free version of SPAMfighter.
We are a community of 7 million users fighting spam.
SPAMfighter has removed 1779 of my spam emails to date.
Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len

The Professional version does not have this message
_______________________________________________
nfbmi-talk mailing list
nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
nfbmi-talk:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org/mpowell%40wowway.com