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

Mon Feb 11 13:54:03 CST 2008

My Mother learned Braille in 1957, so she could help me with my homework 
when I attended the Denver Public Schools.
Ken Chrane
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "dmgina" <dmgina at qwest.net>
To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 10, 2008 4:52 PM
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] New THOUGHT PROVOKER #130- To Braille With Love


> 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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