[nabs-l] Question concerning slates and styli

[Jewel S.]

My personal preferences:
1. Pins on the bottom if it's a regular slate (20-30 cells). This is
because it makes lining the paper up easier, something I have trouble
with. If the pins are on the bottom, I can push the pins through the
paper before lowering the top. Of course, I guess you could do that
with a top-pin slate. The advantage of a top-pin slate is that you can
read the Braille without removing the paper from the pins, by opening
the slate and reading underneath the top. I'm not good at this, and
don't find it easy, but some do.
2. I use a Jannus (sp?) slate a lot more than a regular slate. This is
an interpoint index card slate. I carry this slate, a stylus, and a
box of index cards (a plastic one with snaps bought at the bookstore),
and I'm good to go if I need to take a note. Big plus is that you
slide the index card in from the side and there are no pins.
Disadvantage, sometimes the index card slides a little, so you gotta
hold the end if that happens, so your Braille isn't skewed. I like to
leave a card in the slate so I can just whip it out with the stylus
and I'm good to go.
3. If I'm doing a long letter or lots of writing, like for an essay, I
prefer a full-page slate. This allows me to write without the skew
that inevitably happens when I move the slate down (I'm bad at
alignment). I can also do pretty decent Braille pictures on a full
Braille slate that would be skewed a lot using a four-line slate.
4. Styli do matter! I much prefer the round stylus because the saddle
stylus hurts my finger joints, but most people like the saddle stylus.
There are other styli out there (like the pen stylus, which I do *not*
recommend), but the saddle and round styli are the most popular.
5. Reading the Slate Book is a great way to get back in practice with
the slate and stylus. It's available from Bookshare, or you can order
it in Braille, I think from APH?

Hope that helps! And I'm going to be a TVI also. Where are you doing
your Graduate work?

On 11/14/10, Hope Paulos <hope.paulos at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi there. I haven't used a slate and stylus for a very long time. Can
> someone recommend a good type of slate and the difference from having the
> pins on the top and the bottome? Which type of stylus do you prefer and why?
> I have to get one because am going back for my masters to become a TbVI.
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
> Thanks.
> Hope Paulos
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-- 
~Jewel
Check out my blog about accessibility for the blind!
Treasure Chest for the Blind: http://blindtreasurechest.blogspot.com