[TAGS] Introduction and good convention experience

[Bill Outman]

Hello, list.  

 

I was pleased to attend the national convention in Orlando recently and
participate in the tactile art creation and discussion.  It was enjoyable to
create some drawings, and I plan to order that drawing board used to make
them eventually so I can make more on my own.  

 

Before I return to the discussion of tactile art and graphics, here's some
information about myself for those who met me, and those on the list who may
not have met me in person.  I am the secretary of the NFB chapter in Daytona
Beach, Florida and am totally blind.  Age 53 now, I lost my vision totally
at 19 after having a good amount of functional vision.  With my glasses I
functioned basically as a sighted person who couldn't drive.  Even though I
attended a school for the blind in my native Illinois from seventh grade
until I was a junior and then graduated from the school for the blind in
Florida, I did not use Braille or the cane until after I lost my sight
completely, and struggled with Braille, more reading it than writing.  I
spent a semester at a Protestant seminary before I became total, and have
some vocational/technical training in computers I received in the 1990s.  I
joined the Communities of Faith division while at this convention, and am
part of the writers division as well.  So I can be conversant with all sorts
of people, the artists, scientists, and theologians included.  

 

First, I believe tactile art and graphics are important toolsin bridging the
gaps among sighted, low vision, and totally blind.  Even though it is
possible to manage life without vision, many of us are still visual learners
to some extent and feel cut off from parts of society without that input,
especially as our culture is designed greatly around the visual, and seems
increasingly so.  So it is good to be able to create and enjoy artistic
representations that can be touched.  

 

I particularly admired the head shot drawing by Maggie from GA, as it hints
at some long dreamed of technical  applications.  Using Braille dots as
pixels is an amazing concept.  It would be wonderful if we could display
pictures tactily on a computer display.  Not having any idea how we could
get there, I blurted out this idea to one of my computer instructors back in
the day when I had to have sighted help with bit mapped graphics on the
computer screen.  I have a partially written story about the development and
technical aspects of tactile graphics technology and its cultural relevance
to the blind.  It includes some popular culture references, many of them
musical.  It is interesting that braile displays can now be had at a price
that makes them more reachable for many.  

 

I remember many years ago going to the Ringling Art Museum in Sarasota,
Florida where a couple paintings in their collection were presented in
tactile relief.  This was an enjoyable experience I wish there were more of.
I completed the museum experience survey now being run out of Idaho State.  

 

I would be interested in hearing from those both in the artistic and
technical side of this field on their experiences and perspectives after I
have provided this jumping off point for discussion.  

 

Let's build the Federation together.  

 

Bill Outman 

 

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