Happy Thursday, and welcome to our blog. If there is one thing we believe, it is the fact that it is imperative for persons who are blind and/or visually impaired to embrace a positive philosophy of blindness in order to live a happy and productive life. One way this can be accomplished is learning about assistive technology. So, put your earbuds in, get your fingers limbered up for braille and check out what Anita has to say about some technologies designed for those who have little to no vision.
As a teacher, part of my job is to collaborate with other professionals to determine what technology tools a student will need in order to be successful and gain access to the curriculum. Some students need devices to assist them in making use of their functional vision and to support them when their eye strain causes too much discomfort or pain. A screen magnification program, for instance, can help a student browse the Internet. In the meanwhile, using a braille display to access apps or the Internet on his iDevice can help him be prepared should his retina become detached in the future. Other students need technology so they can access the curriculum altogether since they do not have enough usable vision to benefit from it. For example, a screenreader, or software designed to read aloud text on the screen, is a tool that enables students to access electronic textbooks, browse the Internet, create and edit documents, etc.
For work, I use a BrailleNote, which is a device similar to a PDA. It has a word processor program, a scientific calculator, an address book, a few games, the ability to record and play music, and several other features. Its refreshable braille display is useful in reading and writing any material produced directly on the machine or the SD card inserted in the unit. It contains bluetooth capability, but this is difficult to connect to iDevices. One of its downfalls is that it tends to freeze up during writing, and thus, work can be lost. For personal use I have a Braille Sense Plus. This Device is similar to a BrailleNote, but its bluetooth capability is much better. I can use it with my iPhone or I can choose to use it as a PDA, saving my file on its internal storage, an SD card, or thumbdrive. It appears to be more stable than the BrailleNote. Also, I like how editing requires fewer keystrokes than the BrailleNote. For example, to select text, I perform the B + enter keystroke, then move to the end of the text and hit backspace. It then asks me if I want to delete, and I can press Y to confirm. On the BrailleNote, I mark my spot with B + spacebar, then press T for top of block, then move to the end of the text, then press B + spacebar again, then press B for bottom of block, and then D for delete followed by Y to confirm. A Brailliant is a refreshable braille display that can connect to a computer or bluetooth to an iDevice. While it is great for reading purposes, it is difficult to use its braille-style keyboard because one must use equal pressure and press all dots simultaneously. Also, it does not contain any storage capability.
Students with blindness and low vision should use an array of techniques and tools to enable them to access the curriculum, but blindness skills and nonvisual technologies should be the primary focus for students, regardless of vision level. This is difficult to do with children since the goal is to enable them to access the curriculum rather than to train them in blindness skills.
One of the biggest barriers of people who are blind is accepting their condition. Some people with blindness and low vision will go out of their way to use vision they do not have to complete a task because they do not want to be thought of as "blind." I remember insisting I could see to use a Closed Circuit Television, or CCTV, back when I was in school. I was determined I could do it, but I could not. Unfortunately, attempting to use vision one does not have can lead to injury. One of my former students did not give up driving until he ran into a pole. Also it reduces the person's quality of life. Another one of my former students was so sure that his doctor was going to be able to cure his blindness that he saw no purpose for learning nonvisual skills, even though he was totally blind. It has been more than ten years, and the "miracle cure" he was waiting for still hasn't happened yet. Rather than learn skills and how to use adaptive tools, he is dependent on others and very depressed.
Another way to move toward acceptance is to be around other people with blindness and low vision. This also allows the person to ask questions and share strategies that has worked for them. For example, at a seminar one time, someone shared how she cuts meat by placing her fork in it and then cutting around the fork with the knife. I modified this strategy for my own needs, but learning this strategy was useful for me. Learning adaptive techniques will also help people with some usable vision to make a more informed decision about what they can and cannot do with their vision. While a family member, educator, or friend cannot force someone into accepting blindness, we can provide training and support to those experiencing vision loss in hopes that they will someday embrace a positive philosophy of blindness and learn what is needed to help them live a happy and productive life.
Thank you for joining us today. Feel free to leave us a comment below. Have a great weekend.
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