Pauline:
I absolutely agree with your comment and opinion. 
John O'Rourke


-----Original Message-----
From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Pauline Smith
Sent: Friday, August 25, 2017 8:01 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [VICUG-L] braille on groceries

I usually comment on these messages from home, but I had to say something after reading this.  I strongly concur with Brian.  It gets so tiring to hear the "very few people use braille" message to justify not providing stuff in that format.  We always talk about accommodating needs and best learning styles.  Braille users deserve to be accommodated, too.

In addition, little availability of braille materials makes it very hard to justify providing such instruction.  Teaching braille is my primary job and I cannot do this if there are so few concrete examples to motivate students to learn it.  One final reminder:  There is a portion of our community that cannot hear or have hearing impairments significant enough to make using audio resources impossible.  They deserve adaptations that will make them more independent and integrated into the world, too.

Pauline


On 8/23/17, Brian <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I strongly disagree with Mike I am really getting very tired of this 
> kind of argument against braille.  Lets not provide the blind with 
> braille because only 10 percent use itlets make the information 
> available through some device and just who is going to pay for this 
> device?  Well the blind thats who along with all that we have for if 
> we want to have access to information that the sighted have and take 
> for grantit.  I agree that braille should be on groceries so we can 
> shopour own.  This logic is very flaud and very wrong just because the 
> majority of the blind can't read braille then whose of us who can 
> should not have.  We are all to often forced to use audio when braille 
> is our prefered format. Some of us like me would rather read for 
> myself instead of being read to through audio.  This should be 
> comended instead of discounted how many sighted people really read 
> anymore?  This kind of argument is the demize of braille it's not 
> technology but it's the belief that technology can and has replaced 
> braille.  This has made the blind illiterate because we don't read we 
> just listen it's not the same.  People who know me from other list 
> know that I am a strong proponent of braille and that I prefer it to 
> audio and I request it and use when and whear possible.  I have gone 
> out to eat and used a braille menu so that they will see that is being 
> used so maybe they will keep it current.  I have in there knowing what 
> I was going to order but I wanted to let the staff see me using it.  
> You would be amazed how many people say when I ask for a braille menu what is that or what do you want.
> They have never heard of braille.  For us blind we are living in a 
> world of ferenhight 51 braille is band.  We need more braille and not less.
> If more braille were made available may we would have more people 
> learning and using it.  People might be saying why should I learn 
> braille when almost nothing is producted in it?  Braille is the only 
> that we are literate if we have no braillethen we have no literacy. I 
> think that the root of the problem is that do what is best for the 
> seniors and to the heck with the needs of all of the rest of us. I 
> would like to ask Mike if you don't to have braille on groceries and 
> use some high tech device are you going to buy it for all of us?  
> Rember Mike that we are not rich and there are lots of high tech items 
> that we would all like to have but we will never have because of the 
> high cost with no payment plans.  This technology might as well be 
> science fiction because wewill have it.  Don't get me wrong there is 
> certainly a place for audio for phones and computers and echo dots but 
> there is just no substitute for good old faction braille.  I am glad 
> that you are fine living in a world of farenhigh 51 because I for one 
> am not.  When we request braille we are told no because of the high 
> cost and the 10 percent of readers I say to that is just bs.
>
> 73
>
> n8mnx
>
> Brian Sackrider
>
>
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