[nabs-l] Braille Under Siege As Blind Turn To Smartphones

[Joshua Lester]

Great post, Chris!
We can't allow technology to replace Braille.
We can use both, in our daily activities, but Braille literacy is
always important!
Blessings, Joshua

On 2/18/12, Chris Nusbaum <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Anjelina and everyone,
>
> Although there is technology out there which can help us access
> information a lot faster than Braille, there is still an
> importance, in my opinion, to Braille.  Yes, there is technology
> that we can use, but I don't think it can replace Braille as a
> form of literacy.  I believe that as print is the form of
> literacy for the sighted, Braille is the form of literacy for the
> blind.  Perhaps the best way for me to express my opinions on
> this issue is to paste here a submission I wrote for the Readers'
> Forum of the Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind, in response
> to previous posts in that Forum which expressed mixed feelings
> about the importance of Braille.  What are your thoughts on this?
>
> Chris
>
> This is the Readers' Forum submission:
>
> In response to previous posts in the Reader's Forum regarding
> Braille:
>
> There is an interesting debate within the blindness community and
> in the community of people working with us regarding Braille and
> its importance in the digital world in which we live.  There is
> no question that we have seen a remarkable advancement in
> technology, including technology for the blind, and this
> technology will continue to advance and become more accessible.
> Although a lot of information isn't accessible to us, just look
> at what we have in the way of technology that could easily make
> Braille obsolete: notetakers, screen readers, iDevices with
> VoiceOver, etc.  All this technology is very good and allows us
> to access information like never before; don't get me wrong
> there.  But it can't replace Braille! There is technology; there
> is audio; there are ways out there for us to access books besides
> hardcopy Braille; but in my opinion there is nothing that can
> replace Braille literacy.  Yes, you can read books using audio
> (human-produced or synthesized,) but that's not literacy! Anybody
> who is familiar with the English language (or whatever language
> the audiobook is produced in) enough to listen to a person
> talking can do that! But literacy, in my opinion, is the ability
> to communicate effectively and efficiently using some system of
> reading and writing.  Even in today's technologically-driven
> society, there is still a huge emphasis placed on literacy; most
> jobs require you to be able to read; you're definitely not going
> to get into any kind of college without being able to read;
> literate people are typically regarded in society as educated and
> so are much more respected than those who can't read.  Even the
> technology that sighted people use is all print-based, in that
> the sighted user must read the print on the screen to get at any
> information on the computer/mobile device and to operate the
> device.  So, we really are the only people whose form of literacy
> (and the teaching of it) is effected negatively by advancements
> in technology.  However, this technology, in my view, doesn't
> even come close to making Braille obsolete.  As print is the form
> of literacy for the sighted, so Braille is the form of literacy
> for the blind! I believe we still need Braille and that it is
> very important to us! If you ask anybody who says we don't need
> Braille anymore the question: "So should we stop teaching sighted
> children print," you'd most likely get a resounding "No!" So why
> should we eliminate our form of literacy just because there's
> technology that can replace it? Braille is still our form of
> literacy, and I think eliminating it or stopping the teaching of
> it would place all blind people at a severe disadvantage to their
> sighted peers.
>
> Chris Nusbaum
> Taneytown, Maryland
>
>
> Chris Nusbaum
> Email and Google Talk/Keychat (on the BrailleNote) ID:
> dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
> Skype: christpher.nusbaum3 or search for Chris Nusbaum
>
> "The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight.  The
> real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that
> exists.  If a blind person has the proper training and
> opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a mere physical
> nuisance."
> -- Kenneth Jernigan
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Anjelina" <anjelinac26 at gmail.com
> To: <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:49:22 -0500
> Subject: [nabs-l] Braille Under Siege As Blind Turn To
> Smartphones
>
> Good evening fellow students,
> What are your thoughts about this NPR article?
> Since technology is such a large part of our daily lives,
> especially as students, how do you keep up with your Braille
> skills?
> Besides using my BrailleNote for taking notes/reading, labeling
> items  and the occasional Braille leisure novel, I don’t have
> as much access to Braille as I’d prefer.
> http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2012/02/13/146812288/b
> raille-under-siege-as-blind-turn-to-smartphones
> Anjelina
> _______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
> for nabs-l:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/dotkid.nusbau
> m%40gmail.com
>
>
>