[nfbmi-talk] In touch with Braille

[Marcus Simmons]

>From one deaf/blind to another, great!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mary Ann Robinson" <brightsmile1953 at comcast.net>
To: "NFB of Michigan List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, January 11, 2013 7:30 PM
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] In touch with Braille


>
>
> Below is an article as it appeared on another list.  I thought it was 
> worth sharing.
>
> Mary Ann  Robinson
>
> In Touch With Braille
>> There was no warning nor time to prepare. I knew nothing of the 
>> horrendous
>> disease embedded in my DNA, or what it would do to my body. At the
>> beginning of the month, I was free and happy, enjoying life with my
>> six-month-old son. By the end of that month, the genetic time bomb had
>> exploded. I was left as a mind trapped in a useless body. I struggled to
>> keep my sanity, despite the great losses I suffered. At this lowest 
>> point,
>> I was totally blind, completely deaf and paralyzed in my feet, legs and
>> hands.
>>
>> I couldn't walk. I couldn't feel anything. I was unable to take care of
>> myself, much less my baby. The worst part was the lack of access to
>> information. I didn't know what was going on around me or out in the
>> world.  Sports, culture, business, politics and wars continued. As they
>> say, "Life goes on." I knew nothing about it. I existed in a state in
>> which I only knew what people deemed to tell me. Since communication
>> involved printing letters on my face with a fingertip, that was very
>> little. It was too much work for my family to keep me informed.
>>
>> I spent endless hours, days and months trying to entertain myself with my
>> own thoughts. I imagined I was watching my favorite movies, tried to
>> remember the lyrics to old songs and recited books back to myself.  I was
>> so isolated, lonely and miserable. I lost all contact with the outside
>> world and so desperately wanted to get back in touch.
>> After eight long months, I realized my hands were beginning to heal. It
>> took another three months before I regained normal sensitivity in my
>> fingers. I knew at once what I needed to do. I had to learn braille.
>> I was another lost one who fell through the cracks in the vocational
>> rehabilitation system. They claimed I was too disabled and therefore
>> beyond their help. I received no services and had no trainer. If I wanted
>> to learn braille, I would have to do it myself.
>> My husband bought a braille learning book online. I didn't have much
>> support at home, so I was literally teaching myself. I carefully followed
>> the lessons in the book. After I studied each new letter, I worked on
>> practice words and sentences. After one month, I could  read uncontracted
>> braille. It was time to move onto the next level.      The training 
>> series
>> for contracted braille was longer and harder. There were so many rules 
>> and
>> so much to remember. I struggled with short-form words, abbreviations and
>> beginning and ending contractions. I worked every day on reviewing
>> information and learning new skills. After three months, I could read
>> contracted braille, although my pace was quite slow.
>> I've been told it's impossible to learn braille that fast.  Yet, that's
>> exactly what I did. I was so determined to return to the real world.
>> Braille was the only means to do so.
>>
>> Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was the first book I read in
>> braille. As I diligently felt the dots, I became so excited. Letters
>> turned into words. Words became sentences. I recognized the story. I was
>> reading!
>> My next step was to find sources to news. I signed up for "Hotline to
>> Deaf-Blind," which sent weekly braille briefings about headline news
>> stories. From the national library, I ordered "The New York Times Weekly"
>> and "Parenting Magazine." Other sources gave me access to "The Reader's
>> Digest" and "Syndicated Columnist Weekly." Hope returned to my life as I
>> read these magazines. I was proud to talk politics with my husband or
>> discuss a story he hadn't heard about. I was back in touch, thanks to
>> those beautiful dots we call braille.
>> Now, 10 years later, I've had some training to refine my braille skills. 
>> I
>> read much faster now. That's essential, because there's so much I want to
>> know about. I spend most of my day reading news and books. I could live
>> forever and still never finish everything I want to read.
>> The purchase of my first Braille Note device provided even more access to
>> information and social networking. I could email my family, join
>> deaf-blind mailing lists and meet new people who faced similar 
>> challenges.
>> I began surfing the web for the first time in my life. I had never
>> imagined so much information in one tiny place. There was so much
>> knowledge to be had, and it was all at my fingertips.
>> I now have a Deaf-Blind Communicatory. This machine allows me to talk 
>> with
>> people who do not know sign language. They type on my cell phone, and I
>> read the message on my Braille Note. The device also gave me access to a
>> TTY. I'm finally able to make phone calls by myself. My son and I
>> celebrated the night I first ordered a pizza for our dinner. Once again, 
>> I
>> owe it to braille.
>> I'm connected to people through text messages, Instant Messages and
>> Facebook. It is amazing what technology can offer these days. I love
>> reading on a refreshable braille display. The dots are like magic. At a
>> push of a button, they change to say something new. The possibilities are
>> endless.
>> I'm still deaf-blind and physically impaired. However, I'm no longer a
>> prisoner in my own body. It was braille that allowed me to escape. Now 
>> I'm
>> a student, a writer, a leader and friend.
>> My online nick-name is "Dot." I'm an actual part of society again. This
>> never would have happened without braille.
>> I've been asked, "What does braille do to enhance your life?" My answer 
>> is
>> simple.  "Everything." Braille keeps me in touch.
> http://www.jp.onkyo.com/braille_essay/2012/
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