[nfbmi-talk] Colors Question

Thu Jan 5 23:59:56 UTC 2012

Who said that Barney is color blind?
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Powell" <mpowell at wowway.com>
To: "'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List'" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2012 1:42 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Colors Question


> 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
>
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