Braille in daily living
Santa Clause does Braille!
Author: Malia Bender Sudbury ON
Twenty years ago, I was a recently divorced single mom with 2 lovely daughters, ages 3 and 6.We were on our own for the first time at Christmas, and it wasn't an easy time for any of us. The tradition in my family was always to leave the plate with milk or cocoa, and cookies, and of course, carrots for Rudolf in the kitchen for Santa. He would then write a little thank you note and include a few funny remarks or personal things for everyone to read after the gifts were opened.
Now, the big Dilemma, something I never even thought of, even after labeling all the gifts in Braille so we'd all get the right ones... What about the note!
I have been visually impaired all my life, and totally blind since age 16. I started learning Braille in grade 1 at the same time I learned to read and write in print. My hand writing though is not very good, to say the least. I didn't have a typewriter, and I knew my 6 year old wouldn't be able to decipher my hen scratches. So, what to do...
In desperation, I got out the Perkins again, wrote a short note thanking them for the treats, and left it by the empty plate.
In the morning, the excitement has died down. The gifts are opened, and the girls remember the cookies and milk.
I will never forget this as long as I live. My older daughter looked at the note, and with an absolutely astonished voice said...
"Mom, did you know Santa does Braille!!!"
I then read them the letter, just like my own parents always did. I think that little bit of being able to provide what was normal for them really made
their Christmas great. I know it sure made mine a whole lot better.
I Love Knowing Braille
Author: Carm Powers, Moncton NB
I love knowing Braille! Having Braille makes it not so scary, knowing that I may someday lose all of my vision. In the late 1970’s I tried to learn Braille while working on a Canada Works project. I was around thirty years old at the time. I had begun to lose my vision in 1970. At that time I tried to learn it with my eyes instead of my fingers. I guess I just wasn’t ready.
I was told I would eventually lose my vision completely because of macular degeneration. So I started again a few years ago.
I thought it would be hard, seeing as how I was older, and things don’t get easier as you get older. But it was the opposite with me. I found it quite easy and I progressed quickly. I have one story about learning to write Braille with a slate and stylus. You sort of have to think of Braille backwards when you write that way. This other lady and I were learning together from Lynn at the CNIB I turned my head backwards and tried to see in my mind how the Braille would look if I looked at it from that position. Everyone laughed so hard at me. We still laugh about it all the time.
I want to read well enough so that I can read books to my grandchildren. Right now I can’t read quite fast enough to keep their attention, so I have to practice more. They have a French Braille teacher at the CNIB and I am going to start learning French Braille so I can read French to the grandchildren as well.
I can still read print—large, large print using magnifiers. The print gets larger as my vision gets worse. There is something I have done to make it easy for me to learn. I like to make the dots on paper so I can see them. To help myself learn the contractions I have set up my lessons in WordPerfect. I use Control W and go into the section where they give you the symbols for different languages. Then I construct the Braille cell on the screen and make the dots for the contraction beside it. Then I write the contraction in forty-point type beside that. Lynn suggested this to another student, but it was all Greek to him. But to me it was so easy!
I think a lot of public buildings should have more Braille on elevators and on signs. When I go to see the doctor, there’s no Braille on the elevator, and that’s a medical clinic. I always hope there will be somebody else in the elevator. One day I got on with my white cane and another man got on and asked me to press 4. So I asked him to press 4 for me. I tell my doctor that my blood pressure wouldn’t be so high if he would get Braille on his elevator. I wouldn’t have so much stress. I tell him that if he gets braille on his elevator, he should check with the CNIB to make sure it’s done right.
THE MYTH THAT BRAILLE IS NO LONGER NEEDED
Author: John Rae, Toronto, On
These days, you often hear people say that, with the growth of technology, braille is no longer needed. It's time we dispelled this dangerous myth!
I am now 58 years old, and was a somewhat unwilling student, trying to learn braille during my summer holidays between grades 8 and 9. At that time, I still had enough remaining vision to be able to take notes in school with a thick pen, but that vision quickly ebbed as I grew older.
During the first half of grade 9, I continued learning and mastering braille, and it has been an important part of my life ever since. Rarely does a day go by when I do not use braille, whether reading a government report. Labeling my cd collection, writing down someone's address, or taking down a short note during a phone call.
I should add here that I also believe in using all modes of communication, including technology, though I was dragged kicking and screaming inch by terrifying inch into the computer age. Now I also cannot conceive of not having a computer at my disposal.
Braille is a blind person's road to true literacy. Most of us who are avid braille users are good at spelling and grammar, and these are the building blocks of real independence and good communication.
Today there is a desperate need to train more teachers to teach young blind persons the use of braille, and each province must do more to promote and encourage students to learn and use this vital means of communication. Gaining access to print requires the use of all options, and braille must be given higher priority
A lifetime with Braille as primary asset
Author: Penny Leclair, Ottawa
Braille has always been a part of my life; though things have changed in how I access Braille. As a child I used Braille to learn to read and write, so it was an automatic way to keep information and read information. My hearing declined so that I no longer could listen to books; I embraced Braille even more as I depended on the dots to provide most of the news and reading enjoyment. I have always considered a system that uses Braille to file information to be most practical. Before computer technology, all my recipes were stored in three-ring binders, and my appointments were stored on hard paper. Now, of course, computers perform the filing function, but knowing and using Braille is still important.
I think the most creative way I devised to use Braille was when I labeled a
skeleton with letters that corresponded to a list of names of bones of the
body. I studied anatomy, and learned 212 bones of the body by labeling a
skeleton with Braille letters, taped to each bone, along with sheets of
paper that explained each label in more detail. I doubt I could have learned
the body as well, if I had not used Braille in the system of displaying
information that was totally meaningful to me.
As technology improves our lives, it does not diminish the value of knowing
and using Braille. I use a communication method called British Two Hand manual, because I am
Deaf-Blind. This system is based on touching parts of the hand where each
location stands for a letter of the alphabet. I use Contractions of Grade 2
Braille to short form words, making it faster to receive information.
Utilizing contractions of the Braille code has made a big difference in how
accurately I can receive information at a reasonable speed. One thing I know
about myself and Braille is that we will remain linked for ever.
Getting an education can be a challenge when you have "special" needs. For
me, back in the late 1990's, it was a serious challenge to locate qualified
Intervenors. An intervenor ( a person who uses tactile sign language to help
Deaf-Blind people to communicate with others, or if enough hearing might
repeat at close range what is said.) When I began attending classes at
Algonquin College in Ottawa, I had to help train interested people to be
intervenors. To start off I used to show them Braille contractions to short
form words. I would email to them, using short formed words, actually taken
from using the grade 2 Braille code. They learned the British Two Hand
Manual, and practiced, this using short forms. It took many hours to have
them progress to a fast speed, so we started by using a laptop computer, and
a Braille display. I would pack all three pieces of equipment, my personal
equipment, into a brief case, and travel from class to class. I would sit
next to the person using the keyboard of the laptop, typing into a word
processing program. I would connect my Braille display to the laptop, and
read as the intervenor typed, using Braille contractions. All this was done
without any of us having any experience about how to! It was a challenge for
us to maintain speed, but this system was fully dependent on Braille. We
moved from using a laptop to using the sign language, as the new intervenors
became more automatic with the use of Braille contractions and the Two Hand
Manual alphabet.
Today the intervenors use the Braille forms of words when they write personal notes for themselves, finding it a very convenient way to produce accurate notes in writing.
The strange thing is that if I indicated someone would have to learn Braille contractions, they would be intimidated, so I stopped telling the new intervenor they were learning Braille short forms. Only after they become proficient, do I explain to them that they are using contractions of the Braille code! Braille is perceived is being extremely difficult to master. It really is not harder than learning any logical system of writing or communicating.
A Braille Story from Betty Nobel
Author: Betty Nobel, Vancouver BC
Before going to school at the Jericho Hill School for the Blind, I attended a kindergarten class in Hope BC. For the most part, it was a very frustrating experience. Every day I was given a piece of plasticine and asked to make something. I wanted to learn the alphabet and couldn’t understand why I wasn’t doing the same activities as the other children.
The next year, at Jericho Hill, I was introduced to Braille. My name was on my desk. I learned to read words. I even got a book to read! In the spring of that year, I was in the hospital having my tonsils out. You can imagine my joy when I was presented with a brand new book all wrapped up in plastic. With some help, I opened it and tried to read it. Much to my horror, the lines were so close together that I couldn’t make out a word. It was my first exposure to single-spaced Braille!
My memories of reading and writing Braille as I was growing up are many and varied. I remember daily practicing with the slate and stylus with the teacher dictating to the students, always pushing us to write faster. I read many books aloud to my sister who struggled to read print due to low vision. I remember long hours in the school library browsing the shelves and choosing books. I remember writing math equations on a perkins Braille writer.
I loved to read so much that I used to hide my book under the covers and read long after I should have been asleep. One night, my mother heard me crying in the bathroom at about 3:30 am. When she asked me what was wrong, I told her that "Eva had died." At the time, I was reading Uncle Tom's Cabin. Braille has always been so useful. My life would be so different without it. On a regular basis, I read notes for meetings and presentations at work, choir anthems and hymns at church, books and magazines for leisure reading, and so much more! Without Louis Braille’s initiative and determination, I would have been deprived of many of life’s experiences. Thank you Louis.
I Loved Braille Right From The Start
Author Sandra Brooks, Kingston ON
I was totally blind from the age of one, and so went to the Ontario School for the Blind in Brantford, Ontario at age six. I can remember learning Braille. We were given cards with words on, written out in uncontracted Braille, and then written in contracted Braille. The first words I can remember on these cards were Mother and Father. We had plastic envelopes that I remember we called "houses" and we kept our cards in these envelopes.
When I was in Grade One at the Ontario School for the Blind, at Christmas my parents received a Braille Christmas Card. I remember that it had a raised velvety feeling poinsettia on the front, and the message in the card was written in Braille and print. When the card was opened completely, the alphabet was shown so that it was possible to see which dots made up which letters.
Using this and a slate and stylus, my Mother learned how to write enough uncontracted Braille that she could write letters to me when I was away at school.
It was such a special thrill for me to be able to read my own letters from home without someone having to read them for me. I can only imagine how long it must have taken her to write them, what a loving thing that was for her to have done for me.
When we were cleaning out my parents house after her death, the card was still there, definitely showing its age and the fact that it had been well used.
If memory serves me, we started learning to write in Braille with a slate and stylus at the same time we learned to read. Once we had a large enough vocabulary, we started reading books all about Dick and Jane and Spot.
I loved Braille right from the start, and have never changed my mind with respect to that. Despite all of today's technology, and the fact that I have a computer, a Braille printer, an mp3 player that will play audio books in Daisy format as well as in mp3 and text format, I prefer to read to myself in Braille and always have Braille library books and Braille magazines on hand. I have a Braille writer, but a day doesn't go by that I don't write myself a message or take down some information with a slate and stylus.
Braille made it possible for me to graduate from high school, to go on to the Royal National Institute for the Blind School of Physiotherapy in London, England, and to receive my diploma as a registered Physiotherapist. Later, still using primarily Braille, I graduated from Queens University with a B.Sc. in Physical Therapy.
Braille made it possible for me to take notes on my patients, write down information I would later type up to go on charts, and to label pieces of machinery so that I could use them independently.
Braille has helped me to label equipment in my home, to organize files, to label food items, to label clothing so that I know what colour it is. I think one of the saddest things that seems to be happening these days, is that educators seem to think young children being educated in the regular school system don't really need to learn Braille. They feel computers and audio equipment have taken its place. This is totally wrong. Without being able to read and write Braille, children are being made illiterate. It is vital that we be able to write and read, not need to rely on equipment that may not be portable, or, as we all know, can be unreliable.
I cannot emphasize enough, the enjoyment Braille gives me every day, and the independence it allows me. Yes, Braille books are bulky and take up a lot of space, but the advantages will forever outweigh the disadvantages.
I hope that Louis Braille realized what a wonderful legacy he left us, and I hope that the blind community will always cherish it and insist on its continued and increased availability.
Me Read Braille?
Author: Beverley Berger, Nobleton, ON
Me? Read braille? Are you crazy, braille is for blind people and I am not blind, I just can't see! Those were my initial comments when a long-suffering Orientation and Mobility instructor suggested the idea to me. The instructor, whose name is Rosie, quietly reiterated that I should give it some more thought. Never! I was determined to be the most unblind, totally blind woman in Canada! Several years passed as I came to terms with carrying the darkness with me. Typically I was angry, bitter, frustrated and very stubborn. The transition, at 30 years of age, from being a "sightie" to a "blindie" was painful. I was, however, a wife, a mother and responsible for a large house. My determination to retain my preblindness way of life created an unhappy, stressful atmosphere in my home. One of the greatest challengers of my stubborness was my young daughter. At 4 years of age, Stephanie could not comprehend why it was that Mom could no longer tackle the household chores as before. She was particularly annoyed about cookies. Prior to my vision loss, the cookie jar was always full - always. And when the jar contained only crumbs, well Stephanie was shocked. Why can't you make chocolate chip cookies like before she challenged.
Not wanting to disappoint my girl and to prove to everyone [including myself] that I could easily produce several dozen fresh, warm chocolate chip cookies I tried. This venture into "baking blind" was an exercise in frustration to say the least. I managed some creative measuring manoeuvres for the dry ingredients, the electric mixer took care of the butter, sugar and eggs. I was progressing quite well until it came time to segregate baking powder and baking soda and salt. And the cinnamon, which jar held the cinnamon? It was at that point when I discovered that I would be obliged to do a "sniff/taste routine" each time I wanted to bake - not just cookies but anything! My mind scrolled back to Rosie's soft voice, "Bev it would be really helpful for you to learn braille".
I look back now and after 25 years I can see the wisdom of Rosie. She understood that I would find a need for the dreaded braille and I did. In learning braille I found it was the simplest, most efficient way for me to label pantry items. The "sniff/taste routine" is long gone for braille allows me to literally find my baking needs at my fingertips! Humble thanks to Rosie, Stephanie and Louis Braille. Cookies anyone?
I like the Braille
Author: Charlotte Mackinnon
I learn Braille from my interveners and Lisa and Angela, my Braille teachers. I learn Braille during class at school.
At school I do a lot of Braille projects with my intervener. For example, I read short stories and answer questions from the story. During my winter break I read the book called "All That Jazz". I really like that book. That helped me relax. Sometimes when I work on a unit my intervener Brailles the story for me for that unit. I draw pictures on the brailler. I think that is fun.
I use Braille on the elevator downtown. I was surprised to see Braille at the hospital. At CNIB I see a lot of Braille on the wall. But I would like to see Braille everywhere.
I like to use Braille when my eyes are tired. Also, I like to use big print when my eyes are good.
If an archaeologist unearths my house 200 years from now, he will find Braille in my house. He will find my Braille book and story and cards.
How I Feel About Braille
Author: Linda Tennent, Kingston, ON
This story expresses how I feel about braille.
A few years ago, I had the good fortune to learn Braille through the CNIB. This knowledge has added a new dimension to my life and is definitely not too
heavy to carry around. When the power goes out, when I am travelling, when my batteries die, I have something very interesting to do.
The National Braille Press in Boston ( www.nbp.org or 1 888 965 8965) publish by-monthly a women's magazine called Our Special. As a Canadian, I pay $15 US for a one-year subscription and I keep my braille skills sharp by reading a page or two each day. They also publish a newspaper/magazine weekly called Syndicated Column.
When I am asked why I chose to learn braille, I say a simple, "why not?"
A Braille Teacher
Author: Armando Del Gobbo, Kingston ON
I arrived in Canada from Italy in June of 1959, and in November of that same year, I started to lose my vision! It was a frightening experience! I did not know the language, it was a brand new culture, and the children around me were not very kind!! I was ushered to every doctor in the country, I was picked, poked, punctured and anything else they could thing of doing to me. Finally we were told that there was nothing that could be done, and that I should think about going to the CNIB. I finally had a wonderful doctor who understood my plea for help, and contacted CNIB on my behalf. A short time later a worker by the name of David visited me, and suggested that I learn Braille. Of course, not fully understanding what was being said to me, I was very hesitant!
A few days later a wonderful young lady, hardly older than myself, showed up to start teaching me Braille. By this time, I could no longer read print at all. It was love at first touch! With Braille that is!
I wanted to inhale the whole think all at once! Myra kept telling me to slow down, or at least, I think that is what she was saying!
I spent hours unend devouring the material!! By the time Myra came back a couple of weeks later, she nearly fell off the chair when she saw how much I had done.
Braille had brought back light into my life, a real gift!!
Being a new comer, it helped to learn the language, I could hear the words, but until I saw them in Braille, I had no idea how to spell them. Being able to have the words at my finger tips, it was a huge advantage.
The English language is not an easy one to learn!
Later at OSB, Braille became an intregal part of everyday life. Math assignments, poetry, science and all of the other subjects came alive right under my finger tips!
Later in university, and on to my job, Braille was always with me!
As I have been teaching Braille for the last 35 years, I have had the extreme honor and prililage to pass on the gift to hundreds of others.
As I watch each student complete their goal, and hear the delight in their voice, I experience a real high!!
My students have been young children (3-1/2) parents, grand parents and great grand parents. The delight eminating from these folks at the accomplishment of their goals, at times leaves me speechless!!
As I show up for a lesson with a parent, and am met by his two-year-old daughter rushing into my arms to show me how proud she is of her accomplishment of taking a pen and joining the dots on the page.
The delight of working a new comer to Canada trying to learn the language, Braille, and trying to cope with her recent loss of vision, as we sit during the lesson, her newly acquired kitten derives great pleasure in sitting on my hands while I am trying to read the Braille. When I decided to sit her on my knee to keep her off the book, she decided to place her paws on the page much the same as mine, and following from side to side. Taking a moment now and then to look at me, as if to say “am I doing it right?”
Visiting a grand parent, who is learning Braille to be able to read to her grand children.
This lady had a huge dog, who went through a routine at everyone of my visits, as soon as I walked in the door, the dog would come and pin me to the wall, at which time I pushed him away saying “get out of my way you big horse!” One day her grandson had stayed home from school and witnessed the ritual! When the parents came to get him, he was asked what he thought of meeting grandmother’s teacher, and did he notice that I was blind? His reply was “is he ever, he thinks our dog is a horse!” While teaching a young lady, I could not figure out why we were making such slow progress, she just did not seem to be paying attention! I happened to get a little closer, and I could hear music, at which time I realized the she was wearing head phones and listening to her walkman!! At times, I have also received notes in Braille which made me blush!!
Through the years, I have tried to keep Braille interesting and fun for my students, which makes learning much easier! I tried using oranges, marbles, rubber balls in muffin tins to teach the consept of Braille, but it wasn’t until I came up with a little game which I play with children, that I really got their attention! The game is made up a board about 5 by 7 inches, and has six hollows in it, to represent the Braille cell, in these hollows I have little rubber balls of very bright colours! I also have a pair of dice, which lend themselves very well for this purpose, since they have from one to six dots on them the same as a Braille cell. We play a game by playing a ball in each dot position, starting at one and so on. We playing by taking turns placing a ball and calling out the position. Once this is mastered, we then roll a die, and place a ball in the corresponding place. After this is mastered, we start forming letters using the same principle.
After letters have been mastered we play a fishing game, where each fish is holding on to a letter, the student reads the letter and then shows me what it is on the board! This is a very popular game with the little ones, and with some not so little! Another tool which I use, is a Braille alphabet on a small zinc plate which has been glued to a small board, (pocket size) which students can carry with them at all times, and practice the alphabet, while at the doctor’s office, waiting for a buss and so on! Giving the gift of Braille, is to give freedom, privacy and dignity! Ifeel extreme honor and privilege to be the giver of such a great gift! It saddens me to hear people say, “why would you need Braille, when technology has come such a long way?” Yes, technology has come a long way, and it does make it easier to produce Braille, which should make it more available.
No matter how far technology has come, my best friend is still my little Braille slate, which goes with me every where. It works for me no matter what! It does not need to be booted, plugged in, or worry about running out of batteries, or worry about the version of the software!!
Braille Heroes
Author: Sandra Friesen, Windsor, ON
Dr. Bertman and I met because he taught a series of courses on ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt that I was interested in. He became one of my staunchest allies at university. When my taped textbooks failed to materialize, or segments arrived too far apart to make much difference, Dr. Bertman recorded supplemental tapes. Such was the case with a textbook on ancient Greek that was being transcribed by the University of Hawaii. When my spirits sagged, Dr. Bertman spurred me to greater heights. I might have given up otherwise. Obviously I inspired something in him to merit his time and effort. We became fast friends and remain friends to this day.
How and why I came to teach Dr. Bertman Braille eludes me, but he took to it like a plant to water. Was it because the university I attended was slow to set up a technology unit for exceptional students and we had to dream up alternative way of doings things? Or was it because Dr. B. liked to assign surprise quizzes in ancient Greek class and I wanted to participate. Whatever the reason, Braille became another tool in our toolkit. Essay themed exams were typed for obvious reasons, but multiple-choice exams could be responded to in Braille.
My chance to thank Dr. Bertman in a big way came in 1996 when I was invited to nominate him “teacher of the Year.” Another nuggets of wisdom, Dr. Bertman told his audience that the best student is the one the teacher learns from.
Nowadays we communicate via email and print letters. But there are the occasional Braille notes and cards signed in Braille.
Dr. Bertman is my hero.
Louis Braille, you’re my hero too. Happy birthday!
I am delighted to add my voice to those who will be honouring Louis Braille next year.
I’ve been using Braille since the age of six and I love it. When I encounter braille in unexpected places, I rant and rave. I know people around me think I’m nuts. Be it on the door of the Ladies’ at the Tim Horton’s, the elevators at City Hall, a changing table at Wendy’s or the emergency exit on a Greyhound bus I proclaim my love of Braille by saying: “Well, Hello there!” My most unexpected encounter with Braille to date was on the Cuban convertible peso. Whereas Canadian money has full cells denoting the amount of the bill, the Cuban Convertible Peso has actual Braille numbers minus the number sign. Way to go, Cuba!
Braille is enhancing my ability to complete a course in basic conversational Spanish from the Hadley School for the Blind. I must respond to each unit on tape but when I’m ready to study the next unit, I use both the cassette and Braille course materials as learning aids. The tapes help me to actually speak Spanish and learn its rhythms, the Braille text allows me to see Spanish in written form. For me the tapes alone wouldn’t suffice. Having a text in Braille cements the language more firmly in my mind.
My Brailliant 40 Display enables me to be a much more proficient computer user. Braille is great on occasions when JAWS develops tonsillitis suddenly and inexplicably, or just doesn’t feel like talking. Sometimes I wonder.
I’m in a unique position to promote Braille. I serve on the Windsor accessibility advisory Committee. An entrenched perception of city Council is that Braille is one of the most expensive methods of accommodation. When I think of how and where tax dollars are being squandered, the expense of employing Braille as a method of accommodation is really minimal. Of course the issue is more complicated than that. However, I still believe the issues surrounding Braille are more attitudinal than anything else. How to convince them? I do know that not trying to convince them isn’t the solution.
- I love Braille so much that I promote it around the world. I’ve been passing along Braille magazines since I was twelve years old. My aim is not to impose my culture on others through literature, but rather to put braille in the hands of blind citizens in other countries. By becoming Braille literate they are so much closer to being equal members of their communities. They’re able to think, converse and generate ideas. Through knowledge gained by reading they can contemplate their own destiny and their country’s place in the world. The other side of the coin entails exposure to ideas that may be out of step with other beliefs, reminders of the gap between rich and poor, etc. However, were I Jane in Malawi, or Sabah in Israel the window on the world that Braille affords would be far more preferable to me than illiteracy and isolation. Currently I send Braille magazines to Malawi and Israel.
My home is a veritable museum to Braille. I invite all archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, librarians, and graphologists to visit now and in the future. The museum is open seven days a week. Admission is free.
I live in an apartment on the fifth floor of this building so future archaeologists will be sifting a middle layer.
Before the excavation commences, a seriously diligent archaeologist will have put together a composite sketch of the lives of people who lived here. She will then have a better understanding and perspective of certain artefacts as they emerge. If she was alerted to the site without much time to prepare, repeated unearthing of certain artefacts will be her best teacher.
Amidst the glass and wood and metal of this particular layer she will uncover several volumes collapsed in on themselves. They will be recognizable as books only by their pebbly hard covers, faded ink and faint etchings of dots. Further research will tell her that she has found the King James Version of the Bible in eighteen Braille volumes and a two-volume Braille hymnbook. Except for particles of plastic combs and metal staples, constant sifting and shifting and exposure to the elements will reduce my collection of soft-covered books and other materials to a soggy mess. Our archaeologist might be very curious about the faint outline of dots on a soft, pliable, very brittle plastic-like material.
My shell of a computer might not offer up much evidence, but with a little imagination and a lot of guesswork, our archaeologist will glean that the person who lived here was not only literate, but could communicate on many levels using alternative methods to do so. She will have better luck establishing the history and use of my metal slate and brailler and the remnants of my plastic slate. Patience and very careful manoeuvring of her spoon will reveal a carrot-shaped writing implement to go with the slates.
A cataclysmic moment would occur when our when our archaeologist came upon a series of flat plastic cartridges threaded with ribbon. If the excavation allotted a generous budget and the right people are on staff, research concerning these mysterious objects and their function can begin without delay. It will take the concerned efforts of several disciplines to establish time use and history of these objects. One of them will sacrificed in the name of science on the assumption that it is astound recording. It may never to determined what these objects are. If the right equipment can be found, and the right people are involved, it will come to light that the cartridge is a cassette containing Braille data and the machine used to used to input that data was called a Versa-Braille. Really intense focus on the project would place the time as the late twentieth century and the use of this invention as an exciting chapter in the era of paperless Braille.
Our hard-working archaeologist would uncover a smattering of fragmented, dot-studded plastic surrounding many household items. Was the person who lived here a graffiti artist, a decorator, or an avid Braille label fanatic?
There’s Nothing Like Reading
Doris Goetz, Edmonton AB
I have used braille as a means of reading and writing for 56 years, and can't imagine my life without it. Recipes, knitting and crocheting patterns, keeping track of print materials, phone numbers and messages as well as labeling things are the very useful things braille has done for me. However, the hours of enjoyment playing bridge and ther card games, playing scrabble and mah jungg, all in braille, have added much social interaction and a lot of fun to my life. But the best thing braille has done is provide me with hours and hours of sitting with a good book and being emmersed in the lives of people in books. I enjoy reading talking books, but there is nothing like reading the book for myself, and being able to check spelling, rereading favourite passages--nothing beats it.
For many years I taught braille to others. Most of these people were adults and did not develop their skills to the degree where braille was the most efficient means of reading. They usually used it for labeling, reading braille cards, and writing reminders and phone numbers. Occasionally there were some very motivated and determined individuals. There were some who wanted and did read books in braille and loved it. There were several ladies in their nineties
who very much wanted to learn it. None of them mastered it, but they had a wonderful time trying. I have recently learned of one of the most thrilling results of my teaching. During the early nineties a lady who was very hard of hearing asked for braille lessons. She said that if her hearing got much worse she would not be able to hear the tv and would have nothing to do. She learned braille, and I had no more contact with her. Then, nine years ago
I retired. A few months ago Bert asked me if I would coordinate a social coffee gathering for deaf blind people. These are held twice a month, and are
to encourage deaf blind individuals to use the two hand manual. Anyway, on the first afternoon I went upstairs to get who ever was waiting to go to the coffee social. The lady was there, and when I spelled who I was into her hand, the first thing she said was: "Doris, you have no idea how grateful I am that you taught me braille. I can't hear now, and my husband is dead. I read between eight and ten hours a day." It is wonderful just knowing that braille
has saved her from the isolation she would otherwise have experienced. Just knowing how I love to get inside a good book, it must be a double thrill
for her. Now when I see her, she still tells me the same thing about how happy she is that she can read braille.
I Wanted To Be Independent
Author: Khadija Mohamedbhai, Brantford ON
I have been using Braille since 1997. I use it for a lot of things, recipes, phone numbers, notes when doing presentations, making short notes for myself when I am out with friends and family, just about anything you would want to write down with a pen and paper. I am currently studying to be a rehabilitation teacher. I am attending Mohawk College. My practicum will begin in April 2008 and I will be finished and ready to look for a job in August 2008.
I grew up in Tanzania. I learned Braille by correspondence from the Hadley School for the Blind. It took a long time, about a year, because the lessons had to travel back and forth between Tanzania and the United states by mail. I was 17 years old and had finished high school. I had struggled to use print with my poor eyesight. We didn’t have much technology in Tanzania. We borrowed a Perkins Brailler from a primary school for blind children.
I wanted to be independent. The CNIB in Edmonton accepted me as an international student and so I came to Canada. I lived with family friends and adapted to the Canadian life style in a very short time. I completed a diploma in office administration at nor quest College in Edmonton so that I could meet the entry requirements for Mohawk College.
In my opinion, Braille is very important for any blind person because these days a lot of public places are implementing the use of Braille for example, in the elevators, bank machines, washroom signs, restaurant menus etc. I learned to use a slate and stylus in Edmonton and I find it very convenient. I don’t carry my laptop with me everywhere I go but I do carry slate and stylus in my purse every where I go. I also use JAWS and Openbook, but I still need Braille. As a Rehabilitation Instructor, one of my duties will include teaching Braille. I am looking forward to teaching my clients and share the joy of independence with the use of Braille.
Out Of Despair
Author: Edna L. Perry Winnipeg, MB
Nearly 20 years ago, I became blind. The news that I would not be able to read the printed word again was traumatic for me. I was lost. At every turn in life I ran into the blank world of not being able to understand what was going on around me. What should I do?
My life up to this moment had been crowded with the visual. I was a Priest in the Anglican Church of Canada with the responsibility of a rural parish. How could I possibly keep up my obligations?
I had also been a School Principal, teaching Speed Reading to a separate group. I thought my life was shattered! What could I possibly do? I was offered braille by the Winnipeg CNIB. A wonderful teacher came out to my house every Friday. At last I had something to wrap my brain around. I was so thankful!
I was so fortunate in the fact that my husband supported me in all my ups and downs. We have three supportive sons and daughters-in-laws.
Braille became my waking and nighttime thoughts. My 5 year old Grandson spent Sunday afternoons with me. He was very quick to pick up on the fundamentals of the dot system. He was always one step ahead of me. When we came to the story of Louis Braille, he was as impressed as I was to learn how that very courageous young man not only overcame his handicap, but made the lives of others more meaningful and productive.
Braille saved my sanity! It also gave me a purpose in life. I have tried to keep Louis Braille's wonderful example of courage and creativeness at the forefront of my vision.
I broke my right wrist and three years later broke my left one. This affected the sensitivity of my fingers. So my grasp of the braille reading, was slowly lost. I was blessed with the gift of another great teacher, who came out faithfully each week, this time to teach me the use of the computer. Braille, however, has been the true tool that saved my sanity when I needed that light to pull me out of despair.
Thank you Louis Braille! Looking at the future, I can not see that my use of braille will be prominent in my life. The electronic age offers so many other shortcuts. The impact of braille however for so many of us will not be lost. The support of that fine organization, CNIB, has been a beacon of light to so many.
Bravo Braille!
Author: Mary Randall, London ON
I know that braille reading and writing has been essential to me as a way to communicate and learn throughout my life.
I am a teacher of thirty years, with three children of my own. This September i retired from formal teaching and immediately stepped into volunteering at an adult learning centre. Needless to say I love teaching people to open up their lives with
language. What I want to talk about is the importance of hand writing, that is, slate and stylus for we braille users.
When i was a fairly unmotivated eight year old we were given cumbersome slates with four large metal parts to play with. It sounds silly, but those big clunky pieces of equipment made writing a challenge and fun to conquer. We used slate and styluses to write with until we reached high school, and consequently became very fast accurate braille writers.
when I went to university in the early seventies, i wrote all my class notes and everything else that needed portability with a small four line slate. even when I came into the computer world kicking and screaming in the nineties, I still carried a slate along with my braille note-taker. (you never know when the battery will disappear etc.) I have used my little slates, both card sized and page sized to teach all of my blind
students to write, (their pen!) i have created endless art projects for my children and students; I use them to label everything and sign cards and make quick notes. In short I need my braille daily to read books and computer displays, and to write with computers and by hand. Braille makes me literate, and helps me to teach other people to read regardless of age, culture, gender, or level of vision. Yesterday my son helped me to
braille a beautiful book, (goodnight moon_ for my friend who has a new grandson and was wondering how to read print books with him. Guess how we did it. Right with a slate and plastic tape.
Bravo Braille
I label MyFood
Author: Eunice Smitht, London, ON
I learned Braille so that I could identify foods. I thought I should know what I was getting out of my freezer, and what was in the cans I was opening. I had thawed a package of beef and found that it was ham. I had opened green beans and found that they were pork and beans. My family thought maybe I shouldn’t be living alone but I had been a widow for twenty-six years. I decided I was going to survive somehow.
I lost my sight two years ago. The process took 24 hours. It was the optic nerve. It was very frustrating because my vision had been perfect. I was terrified to use my stove. I was frustrated because I would be trying to focus on a bus sign and people wouldn’t understand what I was looking at. That was before I started using a white cane. I have had to accept things. It was hard to accept help cleaning my house. I used to be Head of Environment and I wanted it to be clean.
I have great family support. My family went with me to Braille lessons with Mary Ann. If my daughter couldn’t go, her partner went. Both of them learned Braille an so did my granddaughter. I am not a great reader. I read a letter and then go back over it again to make sure of what it is. But I label my foods. My stove, microwave and TV controls are labelled as well.
Now Mary Ann is teaching me computers. I never typed before, so I have to learn the keyboard. I am just getting to know the position of all the numbers. I am learning email too. I’m not good at sending yet, but I can reply to anybody who sends an email to me.
Not So Fulfilling Without It
Author: Vicky Stacknick, Kingston ON
I am totally blind and have been using braille since grade 1 at the W. Ross MacDonald school, in Brantford. I have a cousin, Cathy, the same age as myself. One summer we were on the beach, and playing like kids do, in the sand. She was curious about braille, so I taught her the alphabet, in the sand. She picked it up very quickly, and we had fun all summer, practicing braille.
Fast forward to adulthood. She was my maid of honour, at my Wedding, and became interested in the best man, who happened to be blind. She married him and they have a Visually impaired son. I am sure braille came in handy, when her son was small. I also have a visually impaired son, who learned all about braille because I used it in all the board games when he was small. I also read him lots of the print braille books. When my son grew up and got married, he tried to send me an anniversary card, in braille, but each letter was backwards. The thought was there, though.
I learned about karaoke, from a blind friend and began to collect my own tapes of songs. I painstakingly brailled all the lyrics out on thermoform paper, so that the copy would last. I would practice and practice, even recording some of my songs. Then I would go to the bar, and sing in front of the crowd. I won several prizes, and also sang at some old folks homes. I use the plastic rings to bind the songs together and now have several books of lyrics.
Now that computers and technology of all kinds are so popular, I have a
braille note, and the refreshable braille is very helpful, in meetings, when
the voice would be a distraction.
That's only a few of the uses I have for braille, but life would not be as
fulfilling without it.
The Importance Of Braille
Author: Thomas Woodward, Milton ON
I am a person who has made my mistakes in life and am now paying for those mistakes. I am 32 years old, and for years I took advantage of the sight I had. At 16 years old I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up being shot in the through my left eye. My life fell to pieces, I got into trouble with the law for stealing and fraud. In 2005 I developed a rare disorder called sympathetic ophthalmia, which has cost me my total sight. In January 2007 my past caught up with me and I was arrested and charged with fraud and sentenced to ten months in jail. I was sent from there to London where I received an additional two years. To where I am now, Maple Hurst, Milton Ontario, I was transferred to now await trial in Kitchener for charges I am actually not guilty of, defrauding of $700. So as I sat in jail I learned to read Braille and to use m white cane and to develop some skills and techniques to independent living. But I found there is nothing to do with my time here as I am not allowed Braille books. The jail says they are a security problem because of how they are bound and because I am a blind person and not allowed my cane n the living units I am kept isolated in the infirmary unit. So with no radio, television books or even a cell partner to talk to I sit and do nothing all day. I am allowed out for a shower and a 20-minute period in the yard by myself. CNIB did get them to approve a slate and stylus for me to write, and I can and I can receive Braille as long as the pages are not bound together. So I pass my time writing to Paul, Bob and Sharlene in Calgary. I always loved reading and passed a lot of time doing so. Now I have learned to read Braille, at least I will still have that joy in my life. So Braille has become part of my everyday life, and I love it. I think of all the important things that I need Braille for and realize that without Braille blind people everywhere would be forced to rely on other people to do a lot of things for us. A simple task like getting an elevator, using a microwave, or keeping track of phone numbers are but a few things I rely on Braille for as well as labelling things so I know what is what. Louis Braille, in his search for continued wisdom and freedom, has given all who choose to learn Braille to be self-supportive and have their independence. So I make a toast to Louis Braille, a man who, though his struggles, created the blind revolution, granting all those who choose to learn Braille a continued chance for independence, employment and joy, as well as to stand proud and say, “I can do this.” Allowing us to have hope and faith and to continue in our lifelong search for knowledge and wisdom. Next time you go to use your microwave, close your eyes and try to use it, or when you get on an elevator, likewise, try to use that. Sight is something we all who ever had it have taken great advantage of, and paid no attention or thought to what we would do without it. Take me, I knew my sight was going and I panicked. I resorted to my old ways and stole money and defrauded money from people because all I could think was, “What will I do for money once my vision is gone, and what about all the things I will never get to se?” So I stole and I travelled and I saw some stuff that I am truly grateful for. But what I didn’t think was how much more there was for me to see after. Through Braille I have learned to see the world and I have learned that without my sight I see more acutely the things in life that matter, such as family, friends, employment and just sitting alone enjoying a good book in the warm sun. So the next time you see a blind person, or you use an elevator, remember the importance of Braille. Through reading, wisdom is achieved. Without Braille, that knowledge would be impossible to achieve.
So if you live in an apartment building, look in the elevator and on the mailboxes for Braille. If it is not there, stand up and say to the others, “Let’s get this done so we may all use these.” Do the same at work.
If you have a desire to learn, and want to achieve wisdom, take a Braille course and learn our language, because it is a language created and developed by love and true passion.
