[stylist] Speed reading audibly

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

Jackie, Chris and others,

Chris, like you, I listen to most books on an accelerated speed. With my
Victor Stream, it's usually set on speed 6 or 7, though I too will slow
it down if I really want to absorb material. When sighted, I was a speed
reader and could finish print material quicker than most. After losing
my sight, it was an adjustment at first especially since I'm a
kinesthetic learner, but eventually I adjusted to taking in info
audibly. I do know Braille, but again, like you, Chris, I'm a slow
Braille reader, sadly, but also, so much more is available in audio
formats instead of Braille. We see this more and more. My first semester
back to school, I had to slow any reading material down whether it was
narrated audio or electronic. I learned pretty quick though especially
considering my major was creative writing, and the majority of my
homework was reading as well as writing. I can now read through things
at a pretty good clip even with JAWS. I currently have JAWS set on 60%
with the speed, though I know a few who have it set even higher. I still
will slow things down a bit when really trying to absorb material
especially when editing. I heard a blind student from Canada once
explain that, much like everything done nonvisually, speed reading
audibly is no different than speed reading visually; you are just using
a different medium in which to read. I guess it's like reading a
newspaper to get the news compared to watching television programs
geared towards the news. Same info, different medium. All I know for
sure is the more you use and do something, the better you will become.
Not everyone will read audio at accelerated rates, or at least not as
high of speeds a some, but the same goes for sighted people; I once
could read print faster than most people I knew, and absorb what I had
just read, but again, not everyone could read at a similar rate.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
 
"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

Message: 6
Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2012 13:31:03 -0700
From: "Jacqueline Williams" <jackieleepoet at cox.net>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [stylist] what I've been reading...
Message-ID: <DE206D8045B54F31BCC9E3DD0B779D11 at JackiLeePoet>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"

Chris,
I get Choice magazine, and just got my new copy. I find it has excellent
selections. Your book list is varied, and exciting. I do not know how it
is possible to be such a prolific reader to finish so many books. Are
they all recorded or digital books? That is to say do you listen? Or do
you have enough sight to read them. The reason I ask is that even if I
am listening to a riveting
book, I fall   asleep after forty minutes or so. How can you be a speed
reader with a taped selection.
Your books are exciting enough to keep most on the edge of their seats.
Admiration abounds. Jackie

Message: 8
Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2012 16:05:24 -0500
From: "Chris Kuell" <ckuell at comcast.net>
To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [stylist] what I've been reading...
Message-ID: <C5427CDDC16143D59CCEAEA33FB7E384 at ChrisPC>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
	reply-type=original

Hey Jackie,

No, I'm totally blind, and read exclusively by audio books. I know
braille, 
but read at a snails pace. I have both a tape player and digital book
player 
in my kitchen, so I listen to magazines primarily when I'm cooking and 
cleaning and eating lunch (Newsweek, Choice, Braille Monitor, The
writer, 
Dialogue). I have a VR Stream for downloading books from NLS, and I
listen 
when doing housework, gardening, sometimes in the evening if my family
is 
engaged in stupid TV, and every night before bed. I'm also a bit of an 
insomniac, so it's not uncommon for me to lay in bed listening to a book
at 
4 in the morning. I do read a bit faster than the average person would
like 
to listen, but not so fast I can't pick up all that's going on. And with

non-fiction, sometimes I'll go back and re-read sections to be sure I 
understand what's been read.

Having free audio books and the time to read them is number one on my
list 
of benefits of being blind.

Chris