[nfb-talk] New THOUGHT PROVOKER #130- To Braille With Love

[dmgina]

Hi there,
I don't feel parents should learn how to do the Braille if they don't want 
to.
That they don't have to feel guilty.
But if they do learn it more for the parents.
I am pleased that the child has a computer, would have loved that growing 
up.
I enjoyed learning Braille and didn't have to read anything to my parents of 
the letter I would receive in the mail.
There are times when I feel privacy is needed.

--Dar
www.mypowermall.com/biz/home/5779
Every Saint has a past
Every Sinner has a future

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Leslie Newman" <newmanrl at cox.net>
To: "nfbtalk" <NFB-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 10, 2008 1:50 PM
Subject: [nfb-talk] New THOUGHT PROVOKER #130- To Braille With Love


> NFBtalk members
> RE:  To Braille with Love
>
> The new THOUGHT PROVOKER is a Valentine's Day special topic relating to
> parenting. The question is this- "Do you think parents of a blind child
> should learn Braille to support their child as they learn and implement it
> into their lives?" If you have not read the PROVOKER, it follows.  Recall
> that I collect responses and post them upon my web site for all the WWW to
> read and learn from and that URL is- Http://thoughtprovoker.info  If you
> wish to receive THOUGHT PROVOKERS sent directly to you, just write me and
> ask, at-  newmanrl at cox.net
>
> THOUGHT PROVOKER 130
> To Braille with Love
>
> "Happy Valentine's Day!" chorused Sherry and Tom Hardy to the smiling 
> couple
> that was inviting them into their home. The Hardys and Pam and Rich, the
> Andersons, were members of a support group for parents of blind children;
> the Anderson's were longtime members and the Hardy's were new.
>
> "Hey, how was the lunch on this snowy Saturday?" Rich asked. He and Pam 
> had
> picked up Tom and Sherry's daughter Kathy and their own daughter Cheryl to
> take both eight-year-old girls to a Valentine party, giving the Hardy's a
> chance to go out for a romantic lunch and movie. And now the Hardy's were
> over for a short visit to the Anderson's, then it would be Hardy's turn to
> pick up the girls, take them to their home, giving Pam and Rich their
> opportunity to go out for a special dinner and dancing.
>
> "Wonderful." answered Sherry. "We took our time. It's great that 
> Valentine's
> Day fell on a Saturday."
>
> "You bet ya!" said Pam. "Come on in. I have a fresh pot of coffee on and a
> plate of Valentine cookies Cheryl made special for us."
>
> Seated in the kitchen around the family table, the two couples dug into
> their coffee break. "These are fantastic cookies. Your Cheryl is a great
> little cook," commented Sherry, raising a cookie for another bite.
>
> "Knew I was smart to pass up the restaurant's dessert--love the pink
> frosting." added Tom.
>
> "Oh, let me show you her card." Pam said, getting up and detaching a card
> from a clip on the refrigerator door.
>
> "Whoo!" cooed Sherry, looking at and running her finger over the front
> surface of the card, opening it to see inside.
>
> "Huh?" exclaimed Tom. "Braille . picture and all?"
>
> "Yeah, she made it herself." said Rich, obviously proud of his daughter's
> handiwork.
>
> "She used her Braille writer." said Pam, pointing. "The border has full
> cells down the sides, then dots 1-2-4-5's across the top, and 2-3-5-6's
> across the bottom, making an even two-dot border all the way around. And 
> you
> can see the heart consists of full cells and parts of cells to get the 
> right
> shape."
>
> "And she colored the heart, too. So creative!" continued Sherry. "And this
> down here?" Tracing with a finger, "Words, I take it?"
>
> Retrieving the card, closing her eyes, Pam began reading with her right
> index finger. "I Love You Mom, Be My Valentine."
>
> "Whoo, I'm impressed! With your finger no less." Sherry said, her face
> showing a self-conscious mix of surprise and maybe guilt.
>
> "Oh, Sherry . guess we've talked about this . parents learning Braille?" 
> Pam
> gave her friend a concerned look.
>
> "Well yeah, Tom and me, our life's are just so.busy. And, you know, with
> this electronic age, we have a computer in just about every room and 
> there's
> voice mail."
>
> Tom added, "my God, Kathy is a wiz on the computer, you should hear how 
> fast
> she has that voice cranked! These kids today they've grown up with all 
> these
> electronics."
>
> "Rich." Sherry looked at Pam's husband, her face showing that something 
> was
> still eating at her. "Do you read Braille too?"
>
> "Yeah, but I haven't gone so far to develop the tactual sense for reading
> it. I cheat, I read it with my eyes." Looking to his wife for any sign of
> guidance, or a warning perhaps. "With Cheryl's blindness, we feel 
> supporting
> and encouraging her lifelong literacy is ." Beginning to think he was 
> going
> too far with his pointed remarks. "Ah, anyway, it's fun!"
>
> "Tom spoke up, obviously not offended. "Hey, so the card was for the Mom.
> How about the Dad?"
>
> "Oh!" both Pam and Rich chorused with big grins on their faces.
>
> "Grab your coats, ladies and gentlemen!" said Rich rising. "We need to 
> step
> out into the back yard."
>
> Outside. "Whoo, Whoo, Whoo!" hooted Sherry.
>
> "How in the .?" Said Tom. "Did you guys get a picture of this?"
>
> Before them the white-blanketed yard spread to the fence and at its very
> center lay a one-foot tall, six-foot across, very pink heart, with white
> geometrical rows of dots on its top surface. Walking up close, it was
> evident that the heart was constructed of compacted snow and the white 
> dots
> were hand-formed snowballs arranged to create Braille letters.
>
> "How did she get that snow painted pink?" Tom nearly stuttered.
>
> Pam answered. "A spray bottle and one gallon of red Kool-Aid."
>
> Standing near the broad part of the heart, Rich pointed. "This single dot 
> is
> a capital sign, followed by the letters in the word. That makes her words
> here, cap L o v e, cap Y o u, cap D a d. Second line, cap I ' m, cap Y o u
> r, cap V a l e n t I n e."
>
>
>
> Robert Leslie Newman
> E-Mail- newmanrl at cox.net
> Web Site- thoughtprovoker.info
>
>


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