[NFBWATlk] anybody want to learn braille?

[Dean Martineau]

I am developing a free curriculum to teach braille to motivated learners.
What I offer is not for most people, maybe not for many people, but I
believe it will be of benefit to at least a few. By this, I mean people who
might want to learn braille well enough to read books or articles.
Instruction may also be possible in Spanish and French.
 
While reading braille on paper has some definite advantages, I suggest that
nowadays, reading electronically offers many advantages. Braille is easier
to feel, and much more material is available electronically than ever will
be available on paper. I can provide you a lot more material for practice
and skill-building because I am not limited by paper size and the cost of
printing a paper learning manual.
 
We will use the free Zoomax EReader available from the Library for the Blind
as our reading tool. I would send you sd cards with lessons and point you to
audio files to give instruction on use of the EReader as well as lessons. 
 
Since you are somebody who wants to learn to read braille, we will teach
some contracted braille as we are teaching letters. After all, you have an
adult brain, and you can do this! You might as well get a head start!
 
For this to be worth your time and mine, you have to be willing to practice,
for short periods of time, on most days. If you do not practice, you will
not learn. 
 
It would be ideal if you have some support locally, particularly somebody
who can test your EReader when you get it to see if it works, because
sometimes they don't. Fortunately , the bugs are being worked out of these
devices. And if you don't have any such support, we'll make do. I will do my
best to work with you remotely.
 
If you don't think you can learn braille because of neuropathy, you might be
right, or you might not. Braille on the EReader is much easier to feel than
the braille you probably felt before on paper. 
 
If you have questions, or interest, reply to me at topdot at gmail.com
<mailto:topdot at gmail.com>  and we'll discuss what comes next.
 
Dean
 
Encouraging and thought-provoking reading
https://bahaiteachings.org