Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Surfaces for Braille (self.Blind)
submitted by zagorskikh
Hello there! Another dumb-ish question on the way. I was wondering how much the nature of the surface on which the braille text is located affects how one perceives the text. Like, it matters to me whether the text is printed in a newspaper or in a finely formatted book. The first would initially seem more "temporary" and maybe less important to me than the second. Does the type of surface matter to blind / visually impaired people? Whether it's cardboard or plastic or metal or wood, etc. I am not referring to the durability or "pleasantness" of such a text, but to the perception of reading it.
oncenightvaler 1 points 2y ago
So kind of a funny story about this. So I used to get all my books with properly bound spirals. Then a few years back my library decided to print the books on cheaper paper and staple them together instead of properly binding them. I dislike this option, and additionally they stopped sending out books where Client A would just send book back to library and on to Client B. Instead with these new books client A can either choose to keep them for their collection, or recycle them. That apparently saves money and time, though I dislike this new system, and prefer the more bound books or hardback books in my collection.
zagorskikh [OP] 1 points 2y ago
Hah, interesting, thank you for the story! Is it easier, in general, to "operate" spiral books, or is it just a matter of preference? What do you think?
oncenightvaler 1 points 2y ago
right, it just makes them look more official when they have pretty binding on them, wish I knew what the binding was called, but its like those rings you see for notebooks only larger.
snow671 1 points 2y ago
I think most people understand the durability of materials and judge their importance accordingly. For instance, say you open your mailbox and can't see your mail for whatever reason. The flimsy newspaper flyers are going into the trash. The heavy bubble mailer? It is probably something important.
zagorskikh [OP] 2 points 2y ago
Okay, I guess my example wasn't the best. It's more like this: for example, I'm reading Don Quixote, and I have a huge book in a beautiful binding and exquisite typeface. It immediately becomes more than a text, it's a whole experience. It's another thing to read some silly crime. I don't expect much from it, and a shabby paper book is a great medium for it. They fit together--the text and the medium.
I'm wondering if there is such thing in the world of blind people
I'm wondering if there is such thing in the world of blind people
lil-alfalfa-sprout 1 points 2y ago
I teach Braille to small children, and I can definitely say that they enjoy reading regular children's books with adhesive Braille labels on them more than they enjoy a book embossed on regular paper.
zagorskikh [OP] 1 points 2y ago
Thanks! That's so interesting. Do you have any ideas why is that?
lil-alfalfa-sprout 1 points 2y ago
I'm not exactly sure, but it could be simply because they have been exposed to the "feel" of regular children's books since birth and they have developed some sort of association, like, "this is what a children's book should feel like." Or, maybe they like the feel of the adhesive/plastic Braille better than the paper Braille. The adhesive stuff is way more durable, while regular paper Braille gets worn down over time and the letters become less "sharp" and easy to read.
(Btw this is coming from a sighted teacher's experience, NOT someone who tactile reads Braille.)
(Btw this is coming from a sighted teacher's experience, NOT someone who tactile reads Braille.)
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