Many blind people use their fingers to read Braille! Braille is made up of 6 dots. This is just one type of Braille book. This is on a plastic sheet paper and has no print. Tomorrow we will share more about Braille books. Please know that not all people with vision loss use Braille.
Print Braille books. Thanks to places like National Braille Press and others my children and I can enjoy reading books with Gram. The books still have the print pages in between each clear page with Braille. These are the moments we live for. PD: Gram in her recliner with a girl toddler age on her left and a baby boy on her right side. She is holding a print Braille book and reading to the children.
Blind people can cook. Here is my mom working on making meatloaf for her Air fryer. And you can hear the mini chef helping us as well.
A lot of blind people have been able to enjoy the new technologies out there, such as Amazon’s Alexa device. This allows blind people to have so many things ready by voice activation.
Blind people can have sighted children. Although being blind from birth is not the most common way a person has vision loss, not all blind people have blind children. Even with congenital diseases like glaucoma, some blind people have perfectly healthy sighted children. Photo description: my mom who is blind next to me, my baby brother is pushing the umbrella stroller with baby sister. And the brother who is age wise right below me is standing next tot he stroller. This photo was taken at a pumpkin patch around 2003!
Have you ever watched braille made? One way braille is embossed is on a braille embosser. Most blind people do not own one personally. These are heavy machines, but they can print on one of both sides. Here is a past post that shows the current embosser we have at our house. We will cover the personal Braille writers later this week. Send your questions about braille in the comments.
Writing Braille. We shared about the Braille embossed on Monday today we are sharing about the slate and stylus. This is the most convenient way to Braille on the go. You just place your paper in the slate and use the stylus to write. #funfact When writing with slate and stylus you have to write right to left. And your letters are reversed because the Braille is being typed on the back of the paper.
The last way a blind person can type Braille on paper is using a Perkins Brailler. This is similar to a typewriter. It has the six keys for the dots. And paper feeds into the back and you type on it. This can be useful for notes and also cards. PD: Perkins brailler with six main keys and two additional keys one on each side.
Growing up my mom used a cane from the time I was a child until she got her first dog when I was 16! The white cane is a way to help blind people navigate spaces. When used properly the cane is able to help navigate safely through buildings, and walkways. If you see someone using this make sure you give them right of way. And don’t purposefully try to get hit by it.
we talked about White Cane day above. We want share about guide dogs for navigation. Guide dogs are such a wonderful gift. They go through various trainings and situations to make sure they are going to be the right fit as a guide. This is my moms second dog and he has been a blessing. He knows moms patterns when we go to the same places. It also allows me to be less concerned when mom goes places without us. The dogs do a great job of keeping the handlers safe. Thanks to all the puppy raisers for their part in the training. PD: lady with guide dog walking down road while a toddler on a bike follows behind.
Not all blind people look blind. Blindness is a spectrum form those who can use glasses to help correct vision to risk blindness. Most people can’t spot a person with failing vision. And a lot of people who are using their remaining vision have learned to cover up, or make do with their difficulties. Here is a picture of my mom teaching music to a class of elementary school kids. From this picture you would not know she is blind. Her prosthetic eyes looks real. She is standing behind the teachers stand. And you don’t see her guide dog. This week I want to focus on some basic do’s and don’ts of blindness. First, Don’t assume a person does or doesn’t have enough vision to complete a task. Be willing to ask them to help. And let them decide if the task is too hard. My mom was an elementary music education major in college. And so I asked her if she would be willing to teach my kids choir how to read music. I’m so thankful she said yes.
Do introduce yourself to a blind person. If you see them sitting walk up touch them on the shoulder and say “Hi, I’m ___ and I just wanted to come say hi!” This means a lot. Don’t walk up and start talking to them. Also don’t scream at them. Just because they don’t have sight doesn’t mean they are hard of hearing as well.
If you are at an event and see a blind person: DO introduce yourself and see if you can help them. If there is good see if they would like to know what is being served. Don’t assume they NEED your help. Also don’t treat them like a child and try to do things for them. Ask if they need any help rather than assuming they can’t do anything.
Do involve a blind person. We went to an animals park and got to do a safari ride. Even though mom couldn’t see the animals from the bus, we tried to help her feel a few. We also made sure to describe what we could. Don’t give up home on them being able to adapt to new things. We have a tendency to think only in our box. Yes mom can’t see the animals, but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t enjoy hearing about them. And also listening to the children on the bus as they make comments and have giggles from the animals we interact with.
Do watch movies and TV shows with those with vision loss. There are many shows and streaming services that have audio described shows and movies. Don’t exclude a visually impaired person from enjoying time with you while watching the TV. You may need to describe what is happening, it enjoy this time together.
Did you know many blind people enjoy sports? My mom is a big baseball and basketball fan. So tonight we will meet up with my siblings to watch our team the Atlanta Braves play. My mom always listens to the radio guys since they announce and describe so well. @680thefan announcers Are the best at helping bring the game to life for someone who has no vision!