Getting better!

[chezames]

I recieved "Just Enough To Know Better" in the mail last week. I can read Braille 1 by sight pretty fast (please no admonishments, I have learning disabilities and I can see in my mind what I feel, so this is the best way for me to learn), and I am doing pretty well by feel also. But I have trouble keeping my finger going straight, which throws

Comments

[jyyne]

Reading braille isn't done with just one finger, but rather by all fingers. Even if you just recognize the letters with one finger, rest all your fingers on the braille line and that will help you keep straight. Move both hands together and the pinky finger on your right hand acts as a sensor (for someone who is totally blind at least) to let you know when you are approaching the end of the line. At this point your left hand moves down to find the beginning of the next line while your right hand continues finishing reading. Then as the left hand starts reading the next line the right hand moves down to join it and the cycle starts over.

Of course, if you're just beginning you don't need to worry about all that at once, but that's the way most rapid braille readers read. For now, just keeping all fingers touching the line at once should help you keep straight.

[chezames]

I've seen blind readers using both hands..I can see how that helps. I don't have much control over my left hand so that might hinder me, but keeping all the fingers on the line I'm sure will help. Thanks :-)

[kat144]

I just checked that out from the library last night....read a page and a half of the first activity and my finger went numb. :)

I also got a copy or two of Brailleways, thought I could figure it out, but there were too many characters I didn't know. Gotta work on that Grade 2 more.

I keep my left index finger on the beginning of the line under the one I'm reading and then move my right finger down to join it and then move the left one down again, like jyyne said....otherwise I would never know which line was next!! I tend to read with just my right index finger....and I found that when it started getting numb, I could try to switch to another finger on that hand but it didn't work as well.

[chezames]

Yeah the excersises (story) are so long *LOL* I wish they had many different practice exercises instead of a long story. The story is interesting, but with shorter exercises you can do one then stop - it's hard to stop in the middle of a page of braille!

I'm sick right now so my concentration is not there. So I'm just getting into chapter 2 where they start with the contractions, etc. So far I like the ay they indroduce new things and tell you how to use and not use short forms/whole word characters.

[kat144]

My problem so far was with the first page of the first activity...most of the page is one long sentence. Since I'm so slow and have to go one letter at a time to figure out a word for the most part, I'd keep forgetting what the first part of the sentence said as I got near the end!

[chezames]

*LOL* same here!!! I did it by sight first and wrote under the braille, so now when I do it by feel if I've forgotten what I've "read" I can just look at the written part :-)

[kat144]

Out of curiosity....is the binding of this book driving you nuts as well? I sure wish it'd open flat, like with a ring binding or something. It's easiest for me to read with it centered on my lap, but then the spine sits right in the hollow between my legs and then it wants to close up some, and it's hard to read without trying to hold it open.

I think when I buy this, I might take out the staple, slice the binding, punch it if I can, and put it in a binder. Probably shouldn't do that to the library's copy though. :)

[chezames]

Yes, it's driving me nuts! *LOL* It's hard to keep open. Good idea for re-binding it, I'd be too scared I'd mess it up to try. And, no, I wouldn't try it with the library copy *LOL*

[jyyne]

Most of the stapled bindings are like that, it also depends on the paper though. But definitely coil or ring bindings are better for larger braille books. This one was probably not intended to be read by touch, though, so cutting it apart or whatnot might be a good idea. LOL.