[Ohio-talk] Low-Tech Is Good!

[via Ohio-talk]

Hi Colleen,

The slate and stylus and the Braille writer need to be taught first, even before a blind child starts playing with high-tech equipment.  We are so used to high-tech devices that we give little credence to the honest-to-goodness low-tech alternatives of yesteryear.  ON the other hand, we need high-tech devices, too.  To be an effective blind person, one needs to learn Braille with a slate and stylus, Braille writer, and computers because the more skills one has learned, the more competitive one becomes in society.  As blind people, we need as many alternative ways to accomplish a task as possible, not just computers and notetakers.

When I went to public school, I would use a slate and stylus to take class notes and the Braille writer to do my homework.  Then I would use the typewriter (first I had a manual, then an electric) to type up my assignments for the teachers to read.  Not only did these skills get me through my compulsory education, but they got me through college as well.

Milena