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Blind and Visually Impaired Community

Full History - 2016 - 09 - 21 - ID#53ubon
4
Convert document to .brf software? (self.Blind)
submitted by catchthetams
I have several students who are visually impaired, one of which is completely blind. She has a Braille reader, and I work with her aid often. I recently discovered that her braille reader takes files in .brf format. By recently I mean at the start of class a few periods ago. I am looking for software that will allow me to convert .doc and .pdf files into .brf but haven't had much luck on my own.
-shacklebolt- 3 points 6y ago
[Duxbury]
(http://www.duxburysystems.com/) is the standard in translation software.

There's also http://tech.aph.org/lt/ for a quick, passable solution.

That said, you can't produce grade 2 braille in a high quality manner without a human braille proofreader who checks the software output. Software makes a lot of guesses as to the correct way to contract text, but it isn't always right. Computer-translated braille is fine for most things, but if the message must be absolutely correct then a human should be verifying the content.

Depending on her note taker (which is what I assume you mean by braille reader) it may natively support .doc or .pdf files, and display them as either grade 1 braille or as software-converted grade 2 braille.

Does this student have a braille teacher you can work with? Is her aid an experienced braille user who produces braille for her? Who is generally producing braille materials for her such as textbooks, worksheets, etc on an ongoing basis? If the answer is nobody, that needs to be addressed as you can't be responsible for producing text in a code you don't actually know. What decisions were made to actually *provide* the braille for the student in her IEP?

(And as someone who teaches multiple blind students, one of the most effective things you could personally do to enable braille instruction in the classroom is to [learn braille yourself,]
(https://nfb.org/Images/nfb/Publications/fr/fr12/Issue2/f120209.html) and advocate for experienced, effective braille instruction and braille materials for all your blind students.)

(Also, see the book [making it work]
(https://ecommerce.nfb.org/asp/product.asp?product=703&cat=47&ph=&keywords=&recor=&SearchFor=&PT_ID=) for more on educating blind children in regular classrooms.)
catchthetams [OP] 1 points 6y ago
You are my hero!

This is what I'm 99.9% sure she has http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/74665000/png/_74665576_u2.png

I should have mentioned, but I teach HS Government/History/Law. She has a braille teacher / aid, and is normally quick to get everything done for her. I just realized I could maybe help cut out the middle man while we were watching a documentary. We watched a Frontline Documentary and I was able to get the transcript - but if it had been printed out it was heading towards 180 pages, so her aid worked with our district VI guy to get everything into the format, and my student uploaded to her reader.

On that note, I have to say I have the utmost respect for those who are effective at teaching VI students. The sheer thought of explaining math to someone who literally cannot see it in front of them absolutely blows my mind.
-shacklebolt- 1 points 6y ago
> http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/74665000/png/_74665576_u2.png

I'm blind, along with most users on this subreddit. I did a google reverse image search and this seems to be a [Braille Sense U2 MINI.]
(https://hims-inc.com/products/braille-sense-u2-mini/) The U2 natively supports .doc files and accessible .pdf files. Simply loading the file onto the notetaker (using the internet, or an SD card, or a USB stick) will render it readable. It will not be professionally proofread braille (thus unsuitable for tasks that require a good translation) but is suitable for "on the fly" reading.

> I should have mentioned, but I teach HS Government/History/Law.

> On that note, I have to say I have the utmost respect for those who are effective at teaching VI students. The sheer thought of explaining math to someone who literally cannot see it in front of them absolutely blows my mind.

I absolutely recommend the book I linked then. Having all of a student's teachers in integrated classrooms understand how to teach blind students has the potential to radically alter the course of that child's education and their whole life. It isn't a mystery, blind students can learn the same material the same way as comparable sighted students with typically fairly minor modifications in the way the material is presented.
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