kestrell | Entries tagged with braille

Join the library for a new monthly event!
Beginning Thursday, August 11, 2022, the Patron Engagement Section of the National Library Service (NLS) will offer a monthly program called The Many Faces of BARD. This program will occur on the second Thursday of every month from 7-8 PM Eastern Time. Each session will start with a brief presentation covering one aspect of the BARD (the Braille and Audio Reading Download) service, followed by an opportunity for questions about the presentation or other aspects of BARD usage. The first presentation will provide an overview of all of the available BARD products. At the end of each program, the topic for the next presentation will be announced.

These sessions are open to all patrons, and can be accessed through
Zoom online
https://loc.zoomgov.com/j/1611161911?pwd=bVh5ejFsWFBlL21KY0VqaHlRMUlSQT09#success
using the
meeting ID 161 116 1911
and
passcode 489758,
or via phone at (669) 254-5252 followed by the meeting ID 161 116 1911.
Upon connecting, participants will be placed in a virtual waiting room until the program begins. When they enter the room, they will be on mute, and they should remain on mute unless the host calls upon them to speak. At that time, they may unmute by using Alt-A from a computer or star 6 if dialing in by phone.

All Many Faces of BARD sessions will be recorded.

As part of its braille modernization initiative, NLS is launching the Braille-on-Demand pilot project on Monday, June 20, 2022. This project will allow active NLS patrons to request and receive one hard-copy braille title per month, which they can retain for their personal use. If an individual who is not registered as a patron submits an order, NLS will refer the individual to their local network library to begin the process of becoming a patron.
Braille titles will be limited to books that are currently available on BARD, the NLS Braille and Audio Reading Download service. At this time, requests are limited to one book per patron per month. Only complete titles will be distributed. Requests for partial titles (for example, volume one of a three-volume book) will result in receiving the entire book.
The form to request a braille-on-demand book can be found linked from https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NLSbrailleondemand. Patrons may complete the form themselves or contact their network library for assistance. They may also contact NLS Reference at [email protected] for assistance in completing the form.

Article originally posted at https://www.braillists.org/uncategorised/nls-launches-braille-on-demand-pilot-project/

Yesterday I received a letter from the IRS, and it was actually a *welcome* letter, as it also had copies in large print and YES! *BRAILLE!* And it announced the URL to its accessible formats and information webpage, so here it is. Note that there is a second URL which includes ASL videos.

IRS Accessible Forms & Publications
https://www.irs.gov/accessible

The Internal Revenue Service offers content in a variety of file formats to accommodate people who use assistive technology such as screen reading software, refreshable Braille displays, and voice recognition software. We have prepared hundreds of tax forms and publications that can be downloaded or viewed online in text-only, Braille ready files, browser-friendly HTML, accessible PDF, and large print.

Our PDF tax forms comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1; however, the IRS does not advise filling out forms on mobile devices.
For more details, visit the Information About the Alternative Media Center [Kes: includes ASL videos]
https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/accessible-irs-tax-products#main-content

APH and Lego are offering a series of webinars about using these Lego Braille blocks for education; you can request free sets of braille Legos if you are affiliated with teaching visually impaired students
https://nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/aph/app/uploads/2021/02/01100015/LEGO-Webinar-Teasers-2021.pdf

Hear more about this new device being developed from the Blind Abilities podcast:
Braille Doodle: Creating touchable drawings. and the Perfect Solution for Teaching and Learning Braille While Remote Learning
by Blind Abilities Team
http://blindabilities.com/?p=6483#genesis-content

Show Summary:
BlindAbilities presents the team from touch pad pro assistive technology, who is in the process of developing three new and totally innovative products for the blind and visually impaired. Jeff Thompson chats with Kristin Smedley, Chief Communications Officer, Brian Edwards, chief operating Officer, and founder and Chief Executive Officer, Daniel Lubiner
With long term plans to develop the highly technical touch pad pro, the team is first focusing on the loess technical, but equally as important Braille Doodle.
As Daniel comments, "it would be great to offer a device at or around $65.. which we could not only buy for one student, but for all students.”
The Braille Doodle should be about the size of a laptop computer, with hundreds of holes, housing magnetic dots that can be raised using a magnetic stylus to draw pictures, shapes, or other tactile images, or which can be covered with a plastic sleeve to reveal only braille cells which will facilitate teaching young students or others who might not be able to enjoy Face-to-face braille instruction from a TVI, or parent.
Witnessing a unique interest among the blindness community and with a building passion for what they are creating, the team is targeting release of the Braille Doodle in September of 2021. At this point, they are trying to raise awareness of this innovative product and funding to produce it. So if you would be interested in helping the team out, while participating in the mission of a socially conscious start-up company, check out their web site at
https://tppat.com/the-brailledoodle/
.Contact Your State Services
If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361.

Celebrate Braille with the New York Public Library's Andrew Heiskell tech team and special guest Mike Hudson
Monday January 4, 2021
2 PM - 3:15 PM
Register here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvdOqprzovHdAVzzEOKXk9UqyI44qKIqiF

Join Mike Hudson, Director of the Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, Kentucky for a lively walk through a history of the braille code and the development of the mechanical braillewriter around the world. Along the way we'll share new research on the roots of braille in a code originally developed by the brilliant but often misunderstood Charles Barbier.
Plus, enjoy a lively round of Braille trivia and share what Braille literacy means to you.

Anyone is welcome! Our remote tech and culture programs are an evolution of the in -person and hybrid workshops hosted at the Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library. Whether you're blind, sighted, or somewhere in between, in New York City or on the other side of the world, we welcome you for fellowship, learning and dialog.
To join our technology and Braille team's event announcement list, just email heiskelltech+subscribe@googlegroups.com - we'll let you know about all the other remote programming we offer.
To learn more about us or suggest a workshop, or to volunteer your time, contact our tech coordinator: chanceyfleet@nypl.org

Access Academy (formerly #AtHomeWithAPH)
https://www.aph.org/educational-resources/training/access-academy/
is hosting a number of education-related webinars
Access Academy Archives
Missed a chance to attend one of our webinars or just looking for more resources? Many of our past Access Academy webinars are available on our Access Academy YouTube playlist.

Watch Access Academy Webinars
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUj6DcM1nN3ETBrf17n6IKIxSihSU-gx0

Are you new to Google Classroom? Do you want to learn more about using screen reader software to navigate and complete classwork within Google Classroom? Join this webinar to preview the Google Classroom interface, navigate using keyboard commands, and explore other various components using JAWS.
Time
Wednesday, Nov 11, 2020 11:30 AM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register here
https://aph.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1WF5vBG4RKCt-QsVx5XbUw

Promoting Social Connections for Individuals (all ages) with Visual Impairments during Physical Distancing
November 12, 2020, 6:00 – 7:30 PM EST
As widespread social lockdown and physical distancing remain the new norm due to the Coronavirus pandemic, individuals who are blind and visually impaired face more social challenges than ever. This session aims to explore strategies for preventing isolation, boredom, loneliness, and disengagement during these uncertain times. Activities and other opportunities to create and maintain social connections will be explored for people with visual impairments of all ages.
AVCREP Credits will be available only for the live session.
Do you need access to RealTime text interpreting or Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) as an accommodation under the Americans With Disabilities Act? *

Tips and Techniques to Develop Pre-Braille Skills in Toddlers
Monday, November 16, 2020, 2:00 - 3:30 PM EST
It is never too early to start incorporating activities that promote the development of pre-braille skills. Sara and Julia will share a variety of strategies that can be implemented within the home to support future braille readers and writers. Join us to learn more about how household materials or very inexpensive items can be put together to create educational materials that promote growth in different developmental areas with an emphasis on pre-braille skills. Many of the activities shared in the webinar can be adapted to meet learners of all ages needs and interests.
AVCREP Credits will be available only for the live session.
Register Here
https://aph.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QCp2_Gn9Sgq2tUgOXLyjdA

Kes: If you're searching for more materials and resources for promoting braille skills in children, take a look at the many books and resources available through the National Braille Press
https://www.nbp.org/

This article
https://www.howtogeek.com/662339/how-to-join-a-zoom-meeting/

lists multiple ways to join a Zoom meeting.

However, I've found that using my PC involves tweaking way too many settings, so instead have whoever sets up the meeting send me a text with the OneTap link in it.
Troubleshooting I have had to figure out so far:
1. Sometimes if the person sending the text includes other text, aside from the link, in the text, it makes it difficult for me to click on the link.
2. Sometimes when I get into the meeting, Voiceover says that I am muted and it doesn't matter how many times I use the unmute command of *6, I just get repeatedly muted, and at some point my onscreen keyboard gets dimmed and I can't get it undimmed to unmute.
I haven't found a way to tweak the keyboard dimming setting, so every few minutes I flip my phone up and then back down to the horizontal position, which refreshes the keyboard.
There has to be a better way to accomplish this but, since I am using Voiceover, it changes many of the default commands, so it's difficult to find troubleshooting fixes that also work with Voiceover.
Many users who are more confident using an iPhone turn Voiceover off while using other apps, but I'm not at that level yet.

Finally, let me once more plug the national Braille Press nbp.org for providing a pile of technology guides for blind and low-vision users. Anna Dresner's books, in particular, are both detailed and clearly written, and you will definitely get your money's worth from any of her guides.
Note that, although it is called the "Braille" Press, you can get these guides in all sort of accessible formats, including Daisy, and that you can buy these books already loaded ona thumb drive so that you just plug them into whatever device you use to read your books.

The American Printing House for the Blind has an electronic braille preservation service which will scan braille books, metal plates, etc., and convert it to electronic format
https://www.aph.org/custom/braille-preservation/

Also, here is a Windows optical braille scanning program that works with a flatbed scanner, although I have no experience with it so cannot say how well it works
http://www.karishmaenterprises.com/OBR.htm

Current Location: aerye
Current Music: Radio margaritaville

I just received a very nice email from an academic scholar who I contacted earlier today with a request that she consider adding her book to Bookshare.org.

So this is just a reminder to readers who use Bookshare: if you find a book you would really love to read, and it isn't already in Bookshare, consider contacting the author or publisher and asking them to add that book to the Bookshare collection. I usually try to contact the author first, because most are thrilled to hear from someone who wants to read their book, and to find out that there is a way to make their books accessible to PWD.

Many writers and publishers still don't know about Bookshare, so in my emails I usually include a link to the Bookshare page describing how authors can get their books added to the library
https://www.bookshare.org/cms/partners/authors

Can anyone recommend a source for braille business cards? Thanks!

Current Location: aerye
Current Music: Devil's Music playlist

Does that make braille the true language of love?
http://becomingitalianwordbyword.typepad.com/becomingitalian/2017/02/valentines-day-in-the-italian-language.html

Sorry about the previous incorrect link, although I like to think that Klingons are probably total Lou Reed fans
http://specgram.com/CLII.2/06.wells-jensen.klingon.html

Current Location: aerye

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayCSA6fk9ZA&feature=fvsr
Thanks to Selkiechick for the link

Current Location: aerye
Current Music: wwoz.com

From the NLS Sept./Oct. Braille Book Review

The Pennsylvania Council of the Blind has published a new cookbook for individuals whose physical or visual impairments make precise measurements difficult.
The True No-Measure Cook-book includes more than 225 recipes that call for ingredients in amounts of "one can" or "a handful," rather than requiring the
use of measuring spoons or cups.

The book is available in braille, large-print, Microsoft Word, and DAISY formats and may be ordered by contacting Sue Lichtenfels at (412) 429-1727 or
cookbook@pcb1.org.
A braille hard copy costs $25; all other formats cost $12.50.

Kes: Actually, this is more useful as a detailed description of the archive.org scanning process (1,000 pages an hour? I can't decide if I'm more envious or turned on--probably equal parts of both). Also, not only do braille Playboys not include a centerfold, they don't include advice columns, Playboy bunny interviews, or anything else that talks about sex. I know this because I used to read Playboy when I was learning braille in my mid-twenties.

http://blog.archive.org/2011/08/17/scanning-a-braille-playboy/

Kes: I also have the scanned etext of
_Because Pictures Matter: A guide to using, finding, and creating tactile imagery for blind children_, a free booklet published by National Braille Press
http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/BPM.html
if anyone would like me to send it to them, e-mail me; you can read my review here
http://kestrell.livejournal.com/610671.html

Via the Art_beyond_sight_theory_and_research mailing list
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/art_beyond_sight_theory_and_research_nfbnet.org

1. The Solar System A Tactile Representation
By: Dr. Cassandra Runyon and Dr. David Hurd
Tactile Illustrator: John Matelock
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
http://www.nasa.gov
( nine books in all, continued below cut )

National Federation of the Blind
Partners with Santa to Promote Braille Literacy

Baltimore, Maryland (November 15, 2010): Once again, Santa has enlisted the help of the elves at the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Jernigan Institute to get Braille letters out to hundreds of blind boys and girls this Christmas season.

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “Santa approached the National Federation of the Blind a couple of years ago and asked us to be his helpers. I’m quite fond of the fellow and was delighted that we could assist him in his work. Braille literacy is the key to success and opportunity for the blind, but unfortunately too few blind children are learning it today. This program will not only spread holiday cheer but will also serve an important educational purpose, as blind children will be able to practice reading Braille as they enjoy their letter from merry Saint Nicholas.”

Between November 15 and December 20, parents can go online at
http://www.nfb.org
and fill out a Santa Braille Letter request form. The form can also be printed and faxed to (410) 685-2340. Beginning December 1, the Braille letters from Santa will start going out to boys and girls around the country. The Braille letter will also be accompanied by a print copy (for mom and dad to read), and parents can choose the contracted or uncontracted form of Braille for the letter. Requests for letters must include the writer’s name, the child’s name, birthday, gender, mailing address, and a telephone number or e-mail address in case Santa’s helpers at the National Federation of the Blind have questions.

The deadline for letter requests is December 20, to ensure that a return letter in Braille is received before Christmas. For more information about this and other programs of the National Federation of the Blind, please visit our Web site at http://www.nfb.org.

Note: this is not my personal wishlist, although there are a couple of things on this list which I do lust after, but rather this is a list of nifty accessible gift ideas for blind people.
Also, the next Tek Talk show on Nov. 8 will feature Stocking Stuffers.

The National Braille Press Bookstore
http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/publications/index.html
has lots of good stuff available in many formats including downloadable braille, but a seasonal recommendation would be
1. A Wish for Wings that Work
http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/BC1011-WINGS.html
( continued below cut )

American Foundation for the Blind publishes a newsletter called Dots, and the fall issue recently came out
http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=6&TopicID=19&DocumentID=5348
which includes an article about prison braille transcription programs. As it turns out, one of the major providers of braille is prison programs which train inmates to become braille transcribers.

There is also a phone number regarding National Braille Press's program to provide free braille books to young blind children and their families.