How many deafblind AD'ers are out there?
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I was the one who bring it up after all since it got my interest and attention to the 'deafblind' -- I find it extraordinary interesting!
It is. I enjoy reading them.
Hear Again
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that's a real shame. too many vision teachers want students (or adults) who are legally blind to use their residual vision instead of relying on braille. i strongly disagree with that and think ALL legally blind children and adults should know braille.
sablescort
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I agree with that. ASL and braille are like a really unique way to reach either the deaf or the blind. Would you expect a blind person to read something when he or she says he cant see the damn thing? Would you expect a deaf person to listen to you even he or she cant hear damn anything you speak?
I do feel that braille has a unique place in the Blind world as much as ASL has for the Deaf world.
The Deaf-Blind has a very unique place that they can do much to bridge the Deaf-Sighted and Blind-Hearing worlds together.
As hear again mentioned, I'm deafblind.
Regarding 'traditional' perkins braillers versus newer braillers which will probably last considerably less time.. I'm still glad they exist. While I do have the hand control/strength to push down on a normal perkins with quite considerable efforts, filling even 15 cells would take me 7+ minutes- very slow! Having a less-long-lasting but electric (and thus, less effort required) brailler is essential for me, as using a slate and sylus poses the same limitations regarding hand use.
It's frustrating. While blindness technology is great for people who are blind as their only disability, the overwhelming majority is not accessible to deafblind people. That which is accessible to people who are deafblind is probably not accessible to anyone with any additional disabilities, whatsoever. Which is great if you fit into a simple mold of 'this, and only this, doesn't work so well'... but if you've got a lot of that going on, it gets difficult.
For examples, buying a cane involves thinking long and hard about how long you're going to be able to hold it, not just the tactile transmission that's relevant to deafness. Buying a braille display makes you decide to downgrade from 40 cells to 20 because it requires less wrist movement. Buying any braille device, from a slate to one of the various accessible pdas, either involves deciding you can't use it or, as I did, buying a qwerty pda instead of a braille input one because you can't co-ordinate holding down more than one key at once at any reasonable pace for computer use (and without extremely frequent mistakes). Even in the realm of non-technology, consider being able to sign over extended periods of time (or find a suitable alternative, in which case we go back to the limitations of technology), being able to manually adjust a hearing aid or anything connected to it.. so on.
Regarding 'traditional' perkins braillers versus newer braillers which will probably last considerably less time.. I'm still glad they exist. While I do have the hand control/strength to push down on a normal perkins with quite considerable efforts, filling even 15 cells would take me 7+ minutes- very slow! Having a less-long-lasting but electric (and thus, less effort required) brailler is essential for me, as using a slate and sylus poses the same limitations regarding hand use.
It's frustrating. While blindness technology is great for people who are blind as their only disability, the overwhelming majority is not accessible to deafblind people. That which is accessible to people who are deafblind is probably not accessible to anyone with any additional disabilities, whatsoever. Which is great if you fit into a simple mold of 'this, and only this, doesn't work so well'... but if you've got a lot of that going on, it gets difficult.
For examples, buying a cane involves thinking long and hard about how long you're going to be able to hold it, not just the tactile transmission that's relevant to deafness. Buying a braille display makes you decide to downgrade from 40 cells to 20 because it requires less wrist movement. Buying any braille device, from a slate to one of the various accessible pdas, either involves deciding you can't use it or, as I did, buying a qwerty pda instead of a braille input one because you can't co-ordinate holding down more than one key at once at any reasonable pace for computer use (and without extremely frequent mistakes). Even in the realm of non-technology, consider being able to sign over extended periods of time (or find a suitable alternative, in which case we go back to the limitations of technology), being able to manually adjust a hearing aid or anything connected to it.. so on.
i can relate to that student. after i received my braillenote, my grades jumped from b's to mostly a's. i also used my braillenote for braille realtime captioning which made class lectures (especially 3 hour lectures) and class discussions so much easier. my braillenote has made a world of difference in my life in more ways than one. it's a wonderful piece of technology.
I don't know how, or if, i'd be able to keep up with school without both my pacmate and just my accessible computer. Since I use it for everything from note-taking, researching and completing assignments, and communicating with classmates (in and out of the classroom, especially out and without the benefit of a terp).. i'd really be in a pickle without it!
Hear Again
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very good post, aleser.
i have many of the same problems you've described thanks to the severe cts (carpal tunnel syndrome) in my left wrist.
i'm now unable to use my perkins brailler because i don't have enough strength to press down on the keys.
however, i am still able to use my braillenote 32 bt (braille keyboard) since the keys are ergonomically designed and don't require much pressure for them to be activated.
i'm lucky that i only have cts in my left wrist, so using a 32 or 40 cell braille display isn't a problem since i mostly read braille with my right hand anyway (although i am able to read with all 3 fingers of both hands as well).
one of the other difficulties i've run into is that i can no longer type using some capital letters because it requires the use of the shift key and i don't have the strength to be able to activate it without pain and numbness.
i also need to be careful about the weight of the cane i purchase. a heavy cane is too painful for me to hold, so i stick with lightweight canes instead.
i also am sensitive to the texture of the cane's handle and cannot use a cane containing material that irritates my skin.
since my diagnosis of cts, i'm seriously considering the use of an electric one-handed perkins brailler. the only problem is finding someone who will pay for it.
again, good comments aleser.
i have many of the same problems you've described thanks to the severe cts (carpal tunnel syndrome) in my left wrist.
i'm now unable to use my perkins brailler because i don't have enough strength to press down on the keys.
however, i am still able to use my braillenote 32 bt (braille keyboard) since the keys are ergonomically designed and don't require much pressure for them to be activated.
i'm lucky that i only have cts in my left wrist, so using a 32 or 40 cell braille display isn't a problem since i mostly read braille with my right hand anyway (although i am able to read with all 3 fingers of both hands as well).
one of the other difficulties i've run into is that i can no longer type using some capital letters because it requires the use of the shift key and i don't have the strength to be able to activate it without pain and numbness.
i also need to be careful about the weight of the cane i purchase. a heavy cane is too painful for me to hold, so i stick with lightweight canes instead.
i also am sensitive to the texture of the cane's handle and cannot use a cane containing material that irritates my skin.
since my diagnosis of cts, i'm seriously considering the use of an electric one-handed perkins brailler. the only problem is finding someone who will pay for it.
again, good comments aleser.
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aleser,
i haven't read enough of your posts to know this, but do you know tactile sign?
i also use my braillenote for everything: keeping track of appointments, important dates, completing exams at school, braille realtime captioning, writing documents, transferring files from my braillenote to the pc and vice-versa, keeping track of recipes, gps and so much more.
Hear Again
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i couldn't agree with your post more, sabs!
as for a blind person trying to read something they can't see (or have significant difficulty seeing), you'd be surprised how many vision teachers emphasize the use of residual vision to the extent that a legally blind person experiences headaches and must hold the material they are reading inches from their face. i think that's ridiculous. i wish some of these vision teachers could look through the eyes of their legally blind students so they would have a better appreciation of how difficult and inconsistent it is to rely on poor vision.
To some extent. I mostly find myself making use of just the manual alphabet or braille these days, and i'm trying to convince myself to go back and take an ASL course because what I DO know is primarily signed english / somewhat PSE. Enough that I can definitely hold my own with some pre-lingually deaf ASL users, but do not find myself comfortable with it as much as I do using strict english.
I can read braille without taking significant (more than a minute) breaks, which is somewhat true with using only the manual alphabet, and not at all true with sign- which is a factor in which is the 'fastest' method of communication, and certainly a factor in which is physically easiest for me.
sablescort
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The braillenote i would call it the blind's own blackberry. It's very unique and I do think HearAgain would hold on to it very dearly as much as I do hold on to my Blackberry. It's so much the ultimate communication device she would get.
i couldn't agree with your post more, sabs!
as for a blind person trying to read something they can't see (or have significant difficulty seeing), you'd be surprised how many vision teachers emphasize the use of residual vision to the extent that a legally blind person experiences headaches and must hold the material they are reading inches from their face. i think that's ridiculous. i wish some of these vision teachers could look through the eyes of their legally blind students so they would have a better appreciation of how difficult and inconsistent it is to rely on poor vision.
That is one of the things i've struggled to wrap my head around. My approach to O&M was always making use of non visual skills- which have included partial occlusion methods like taping off the bottom half of my glasses, so i couldn't try to visually confirm what my cane felt (or, on the flip side, ignore what my cane said in light of incomplete and often inaccurate visual information.) That was how I was taught and it made sense.
On the other hand, regarding education and literacy, although I learned (very much through my own demands) braille, I have consistently encountered the perspective that as a legally blind person- and especially as a deafblind person- I need to make use of my remaining sight no matter what the costs may be. One very frustrating aspect of that is the 'aha, you can see more than you say!' ive had repeated to me so many times over whenever i can see something that most legally blind people can see. I have randomly placed scotoma that cover the majority of my vision with 100% no sight blind spots- but I DO have areas in my peripheral vision, that if you could test a sighted person for just that spot in their vision, would probably be that good.
Practically, it means that I don't have enough vision to travel without a cane, read print (beyond extreme magnification on a cctv with my head turned!), speechread, see a photograph, or differentiate any colours. However, I will catch things 'out of the corner of my eye' like a person moving or a sign or whatnot, and often make the mistake of mentioning or turning to it... thus, the 'aha, you can see!' Yes, I have about 0.2% of a normal visual field. Hear again, imagine being asked to navigate an entire museum without your hearing, your cane, or your hands to guide your way- only whatever your feet will incidentally touch. Now imagine your feet only being one toe
- that is how useful my vision is- about a toe's hitting the floor worth of information instead of my hands, ears, feet, cane, so on. I can see- the potential is there. But in my day to day life, I have no use for it. Reading something letter-by-letter on a CCTV out of the corner of my eye while trying to intentionally avoid looking at it, instead fixating on multiple points elsewhere to get the entire letter in (I look Very funny doing this!) is.. well, a lot less simple than picking up something in braille and getting right at it.
Choosing to live as a completely blind person has been for me the best of all possible choices. Functioning with partial sight was and would be limiting.
Hear Again
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That is one of the things i've struggled to wrap my head around. My approach to O&M was always making use of non visual skills- which have included partial occlusion methods like taping off the bottom half of my glasses, so i couldn't try to visually confirm what my cane felt (or, on the flip side, ignore what my cane said in light of incomplete and often inaccurate visual information.) That was how I was taught and it made sense.
On the other hand, regarding education and literacy, although I learned (very much through my own demands) braille, I have consistently encountered the perspective that as a legally blind person- and especially as a deafblind person- I need to make use of my remaining sight no matter what the costs may be. One very frustrating aspect of that is the 'aha, you can see more than you say!' ive had repeated to me so many times over whenever i can see something that most legally blind people can see. I have randomly placed scotoma that cover the majority of my vision with 100% no sight blind spots- but I DO have areas in my peripheral vision, that if you could test a sighted person for just that spot in their vision, would probably be that good.
Practically, it means that I don't have enough vision to travel without a cane, read print (beyond extreme magnification on a cctv with my head turned!), speechread, see a photograph, or differentiate any colours. However, I will catch things 'out of the corner of my eye' like a person moving or a sign or whatnot, and often make the mistake of mentioning or turning to it... thus, the 'aha, you can see!' Yes, I have about 0.2% of a normal visual field. Hear again, imagine being asked to navigate an entire museum without your hearing, your cane, or your hands to guide your way- only whatever your feet will incidentally touch. Now imagine your feet only being one toe
I can see- the potential is there. But in my day to day life, I have no use for it. Reading something letter-by-letter on a CCTV out of the corner of my eye while trying to intentionally avoid looking at it, instead fixating on multiple points elsewhere to get the entire letter in (I look Very funny doing this!) is.. well, a lot less simple than picking up something in braille and getting right at it.
Choosing to live as a completely blind person has been for me the best of all possible choices. Functioning with partial sight was and would be limiting.
i found your post very interesting, aleser. thanks for sharing your experiences with me.
i have legally blind friends who are in the same boat you are. one of them is totally blind in one eye and has less than a 10% visual field in the other yet he doesn't use a cane, braille or blindness techniques because he was never taught how to. i remember an o&m instructor in arizona telling him (when my friend and i went to tucson several years ago because i want to move there) that he used his vision extremely well considering the very little vision he had. i feel sorry for legally blind children and adults who have to live that way because it's not necessary when there are alternative techniques available that can make functioning so much easier. that's why i strongly believe in the nfb's philosophy. i think one of the reasons why nfb'ers are so well-adjusted and confident in their blindness skills is because they DON'T have to function with limited sight. i just don't get it. if canes, braille, alternative (tactile or auditory) techniques are available, why not use them? at the same time, if someone WANTS to use their residual vision, that's entirely up to them, but i don't think it should be at the exclusion of relying on other senses like hearing and touch.
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that's a good comparison, sabs.
and you're right. no one is going to get my braillenote unless they can pry it out of my cold, dead hands.
sablescort
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I have to say that too as a completely deaf person. The sound of silence is so much of a blessing to me. I use as much of my sight as I can to compensate for being deaf. But meeting a lot of DB ppl's, I learned how much precious the 5 senses of human life can be.
Hear Again
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aleser,
do you have any physical condition in your wrists such as arthritis or cts?
my diagnosis of cts was recent and based upon the overuse of my left hand (i'm left handed) due to typing on a keyboard for 25 years, reading braille, using a cane, holding onto my guide dog's harness, writing with my left hand to sign my name, using a slate and a variety of other things. my doctor also said that it's not surprising that i have severe cts given the fact that (like you) i use my hands more than the average sighted person does.
sablescort
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OMG I'm pretty much a lefty too, but I abused it for a long time. Even with 13 years of writing reports, using scanner guns on my left hand, and doing normal things to the extreme, I hadnt been hit with a CTS on my left hand side. When I signed on with the company I work for I expected I might end up with a horrible case of CTS in 10 years or more.
Hear Again
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wow sabs. i'm surprised you don't have some form of cts by now. you're lucky. i never imagined that i'd have a severe case, but i do. even now i'm still in denial about how severe it really is because i can't believe it happened to me. if truth be told, i'm afraid of having surgery for fear of being unable to permanently use my left hand. it's bad enough the post-op recovery takes several months to a year and that people don't regain the use of their hand until several months after surgery. i suppose i could learn how to function with one hand, but i know it would be extremely difficult -- especially when it comes to tasks like using a computer and cooking. fortunately, i'm ambidextrous when it comes to my cane, so i wouldn't have a problem there. however, i wouldn't be able to use my guide dog tigger unless i had her trained temporarily to work on my right side. speaking of which, my doctor recommends that when i do go back for another guide dog that i have him/her trained on my right side so i can avoid using my left hand altogether.
sablescort
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ouch....I dont even understand how thats possible. you and I may be close to our ages, and we share the common left hand trait.
I do sign with my left hand, write and eat, use power tools and eat my dinner with it. You sure did wear it out faster than I expected myself to wear it out.