When you find you can't read text anymore, what do you do? If you're an avid reader like me, you may decide to take up braille.
I rely heavily on text-to-speech software to access general day-to-day information, but, when it comes to ripping yarns, there's nothing better than sitting back with a glass of wine in the evening and losing yourself in a good audio book. And if you're a real book worm like me you'll probably miss holding a book in your hands, the feel and smell of the printed page and the extra engagement with a book you can get when reading print visually. I always like to be able to spell things and, I don't know if you've noticed this, but if you're listening to words rather than reading them, your spelling can get rusty, especially if the words are foreign or rarely used.
I find that being able to access the tactile equivalent of printed text really opens up a whole new reading experience. If it weren't for my sight loss, I probably would never have discovered how amazing reading braille can be. I would still describe myself as a braille beginner, but I have learned enough to discover not only how useful it will be to continue learning braille for the purpose of accessing information, but also how I can regain my ability to pick up a book or a sheet and read instantly, just as I used to do with print.
Perhaps braille could also be considered to provide a more experiential reading experience when compared with reading print visually. I say this as all potential visual distractions are removed. This allows you to plunge yourself into the text and use your imagination to create a visual world that is personal to you, regardless of your extent of sight.
What could be more enchanting than the ability to read an apparently blank page? To use a code specifically designed with us, the visually impaired, in mind? Like the hearing impaired who use sign language, we have braille of which I feel proud to use knowing it's at the centre of our community.
How do you access literature? Do you prefer audio technology or braille? Let us know in the comments section below.
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