moduluxJan 4

Braille is literacy.

Many people think it can be substituted by speech synthesis, by audiobooks, by other things. It can't.

Voice is serial, it unfolds in time. It requires working memory. Braille is static. It unfolds in space, remains stable in time. It backs working memory, does not consume it. For things that require pinning down relationships (mathematics, music, programming) braile has clear advantages.

This is not to say people can't manage without it. I don't always use a braille display. But it makes things better: learning, accuracy, performance, speed.

Witholding braille from blind people is withholding literacy, it's denying capacity.

Don't fucking do that.

Show threadJames ScholesJan 4
@modulux Any research material you'd recommend on this subject? I'd like to learn more and optimise my braille usage.
Show threadmoduluxJan 4
@jscholes I don't have a lot on that line, but this is what made me toot this: https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/fr/fr33/2/fr330203.htm
Why Do You Want to Make That Child Blind?

Show threadVerbal KintJan 4
@modulux @jscholes
Thank you so much for your toots and the sharing of that article, that was so interesting !!
I knew about the decrease in litteracy among blind and low vision people, mainly due to the digitalization of medias and the development of text to speech, but I did not know (even if I could have guessed) about all the barriers in learning and teaching Braille.
Show threadVerbal KintJan 4
@modulux @jscholes
In the article you shared, I was surprised (though I should not have been, in retrospect) that the arguments "you would not make him blind" to not teach someone mobility skills, are precisely the same used for mobility impaired people, and all the "arguments" against using canes or wheelchairs. As if those tools were "giving up on disability", when they actually allow you to not give up on your participation in society.
Not using them, is giving up !
Show threadmodulux
@cripamphibie @jscholes Wow, I should have guessed that wasn't a unique blind thing; but of course it makes sense that to able society, an accommodation, especially if it's visible, if it sets you apart, is an unbearable reminder; when for us, it's how we get things done.
Jan 4 at 7:12pmWeb
Show threadVerbal KintJan 4

@modulux @jscholes
I LOVE how your toot made us both realize how similar it was for other parts of the disability community ☺️.
The case of "wheelchairs (and other mobility devices) will make you lazy or is bad for your walking capacity" is sadly very strong among medical professionals and general public.

Whereas, as you word it very accurately, it should not be "one or the other" but "one and the other" and give the place for everyone to chose the most effective tools in any situation.