Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!hcap!hnews!109!143.0!Al.Hoffman From: Al.Hoffman@p0.f143.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Al Hoffman) Newsgroups: misc.handicap Subject: Re: Mags In ASCII Message-ID: <12281@bunker.UUCP> Date: 7 Jun 90 15:35:04 GMT Sender: wtm@bunker.UUCP Reply-To: Al.Hoffman@p0.f143.n109.z1.fidonet.org Distribution: misc Organization: FidoNet node 1:109/143.0 - DARKNESS III, Falls Church VA Lines: 32 Approved: wtm@bunker.UUCP Index Number: 8707 [This is from the Blink Talk Conference] John: Concerning "poor braille reading,": If a fully sighted person were to say, "I am a poor print reader. I'd rather use voice, and not bother with ." What would you think? The point of braille is not access, but literacy. Anyone can listen to a letter on tape, or from the synthesizer, and they can learn spelling, grammar, all that too--but its still not the same thing. Of course if emulations are so good that the viewer can't tell the difference, who cares--but I don't think rest of the non- blind world would allow people to drop print in favor of tapes/synthesizers. For many things braille is not really needed. For example, NLS produces a large variety of perfectly useless braille books, on subjects like Lesbianism and the Handicapped, or Harlequin Love novels. This material could just as easily be taed as are other more "interesting," materials. But, at least the user has the choice of "reading," the materials rather than listening. Okay, I'll stop with the outburst, but the trend towards less braille for the blind drives me nuts. Maybe some of you don't want to read out there, but your lack of braille interest makes my life harder with each passing tape. -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!109!143.0!Al.Hoffman Internet: Al.Hoffman@p0.f143.n109.z1.fidonet.org