[duxuser] Re: Dilema, How to Train Sighted Staff to Do Braille using DBT

From: "Foxworth, Ann" <Ann.Foxworth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <duxuser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 14:48:31 -0500
And, don't forget those dreadful headers, footers and text boxes.  All nothing 
but a pain in the neck for Duxbury users.

Ann Foxworth, Computer Braille Specialist
Texas Commission for the Blind
4800 N. Lamar BLVD Suite # 130
Austin, TX 78756
PH: (512) 377-0654


-----Original Message-----
From: Kaizen ESL Program [mailto:kaizen_esl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2003 2:25 PM
To: duxuser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [duxuser] Re: Dilema, How to Train Sighted Staff to Do Braille
using DBT


I think that properly formatted Microsoft Word documents are important, but
there are still  some other problems that develop when people who don't
really know or use braille make automatic translations with Duxbury or
Megadots. I won't go into formatting problems, although I think there are
definitely a few. But, here are some examples of problems related to
translating from conventionally used print symbols to braille: if the
document contains the symbol for number (that is #) directly before an
actual number, it will come out in braille having two number signs, which is
very annoying for a braille reader (at least this one). If the document
contains the symbol for underline (that is ___) to denote lines where people
were supposed to write by hand, to give answers to questions, etc. it will
come out with a series of dot 4 and dot 6, not a line at all, and very messy
looking to me, as well as being often confusing to students. If the document
contains curly apostrophes, they will come out in braille as open quotes
followed by a letter sign and then the letter s or the letter t, or whatever
the letter following the apostrophe happens to be. If phone numbers aren't
properly grouped and end up at the end of the braille text line, the second
part of the phone number after the hyphen will often appear on the next line
without a number sign before it. I have also seen headers that run into the
page numbers and knock out the page number, so that only the "a through j"
appear at the end of the last word of the header, rather than having a space
and a number sign before the letters that stand for the numbers. As I
proofread things produced by people who don't use braille, I am constantly
finding new things of this sort to deal with. And, I even find them when
proofreading Documents that I produce myself. But, at least, I can correct
my own work rather than just asking students to wing it.
Sylvie Kashdan
Instructor/Curriculum Coordinator
KAIZEN PROGRAM for New English Learners with Visual Limitations
810-A Hiawatha Place South
Seattle, WA  98144
phone:  (206) 784-5619
email:  kaizen_esl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

----- Original Message -----
From: "George Bell" <george@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <duxuser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2003 1:55 PM
Subject: [duxuser] Re: Dilema, How to Train Sighted Staff to Do Braille
using DBT


Hi Ray,

A lot of people are going to hate me for saying this,
probably including you, but if you present DBT with a well
prepared Word document, you are probably 95% of the way
there - and without knowing more than the basics of braille
and DBT.

But of course, as is usual, money can be found for training
one person in how to use DBT, and correct all the mess ups
untrained Word users make, but nobody can find 10 minutes to
show a group of Word users a few tricks which will make
everyone's life easier.

I could write a book on how not to use word, to cause the
maximum chaos in a braille document.

Indeed I wish I had the time to be able to go into an
organisation, spend 2 hours, at no cost to the organisation,
just looking at how word processing is done.  My bet is that
I could offer training, which would save at least 5 times
what I charged.

But alas, all I can say is that with your stated
credentials, I'm sure you know this already.

George Bell.


-----Original Message-----
From: duxuser-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:duxuser-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Ray E.
Campbell, DCIL
Sent: 22 April 2003 17:44
To: duxuser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hi All:

I am currently working for a Center for Independent Living
here in DuPage County, Illinois.  We have a Juliet Pro
Braille Embosser and run DBT.  As an expert Braille reader
and technology guru, I've learned how to use DBT to produce
some Braille materials for our center such as newsletters
and flyers.  Here is where I need help.

I would like to know of successful strategies any of you
have used to teach other staff who are not familiar with
Braille how to format Braille.  I don't want the staff here
to always depend on me to do their Braille for them.  In
particular, our Deaf Services Coordinator has a consumer who
is deafblind and she needs to be able to generate
information in Braille for her.  Currently, if I am not
available to do it, she has to wait for me to run the
Braille for her.

What works as strategies for training sighted staff to run
materials in Braille?  Are there people in the Chicago area
that any of you know of who could come in and give our staff
an in-service on how to produce Braille?
Are there good handbooks and materials we could obtain for
our staff to help them understand how to format things in
Braille using DBT?

Any help or ideas any of you have will be appreciated.

Ray Campbell, Independent Living Skills Coordinator, Visual
Services DuPage Center for Independent Living 630-469-2300
(V), 630-469-2606 (F) raydcil@xxxxxxx

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[duxuser] Re: Dilema, How to Train Sighted Staff to Do Braille using DBT

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