Hi all,
>>>>> "Denis" == Denis Anson <[log in to unmask]> writes:
Denis> I have often wondered if the skills necessary to learn
Denis> Braille might also translate to the skills necessary to get
Denis> and hold a job. Just as Calculus is used as a filter
Denis> course in many college curricula that never use higher
Denis> mathematics, Braille reading might be a filter of those
Denis> without the necessary skills to hold a mainstream job.
I think that making such an assertion is a generalization. Yes, it
may be easier for a braille reader to obtain full-time employment, but
braille literacy is only one skill needed. Literacy, certainly is
needed. If a student grows up sighted, say till the age of fifteen,
he/she would benefit greatly from learning to decode braille. But
he/she is already literate.
Denis> On the other hand, we do know that it is difficult to learn
Denis> the structure of an illogical language from a screen
Denis> reader, whereas Braille readers know the difference between
Denis> homophones, know capitalization, and the like. This
Denis> information is available to screen readers who take the
Denis> time to spell out words, but only by breaking the flow of
Denis> text. It is always available to Braille readers.
This is true, and can lead to better spelling and the like. However,
there are, like me, braille readers who do not spell well. It's not a
complete theory.
Denis> Then, too, screen readers are so new that we probably don't
Denis> have reliable information. Historically, there was a
Denis> choice between reading Braille, and not reading
Denis> independently. Today, there are other ways of getting
Denis> access to written information that may change the picture
Denis> entirely.
This is also true.
Ann P.
--
Ann K. Parsons
email: [log in to unmask] ICQ Number: 33006854
WEB SITE: http://home.eznet.net/~akp
"All that is gold does not glitter. Not all those who wander are lost." JRRT
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