[stylist] Speed reading audibly

Sat Jan 7 02:13:28 UTC 2012

When you read Braille, what hands do you use to read with?
I start off and read the first few words with my left hand, then 
finish off with my right hand and put my left hand in the 
beginning of the line.  I've heard it's more proficient to read 
with your left hand, but it's hard for me because I'm 
right-handed.  It's funny how I didn't really think about what 
hands I'm reading with, until in fourth grade one of my teachers 
asked, "Which fingers are you using?" Does it really matter? I 
guess, to people who read with their eyes, they have no idea.
Vejas

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Bridgit Pollpeter <bpollpeter at hotmail.com
To: <stylist at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Fri, 6 Jan 2012 19:14:27 -0600
Subject: [stylist] Speed reading audibly

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

_______________________________________________
Writers Division web site:
http://www.nfb-writers-division.net 
<http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/

stylist mailing list
stylist at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info 
for stylist:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/brlsurfer%40
gmail.com