Surmounting the Braille Reading Speed Plateau

Surmounting the Braille Reading Speed Plateau

The Braille Monitor

May 2003

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Surmounting the Braille Reading Speed Plateau

by John Bailey

John

Bailey

From the Editor: The following article first appeared in

the Spring 2003 issue of the NFB Vigilant, the publication of the NFB

of Virginia. John Bailey is first vice president of the Virginia Association

to Promote the Use of Braille. John learned Braille in his later years after

his vision began to fail. He has made Braille an important part of his daily

routine. He writes about several successful techniques that can get people beyond

the Braille reading speed plateau.

Most Braille readers would love to increase our reading speed.

We know of those who have mastered the techniques well enough to achieve Braille

reading speeds of several hundred words a minute.

Although it would be nice, it is not necessary for everyone

to read Braille at lightning speed in order to use it productively. If your

only use for Braille is to mark objects for easier identification or to take

quick notes, lightning-fast Braille reading speed may not be important to you;

however, for those who need to digest a lot of information quickly, any increase

in reading speed can be very beneficial.

Unfortunately, many of us have reached a plateau in increasing

our Braille reading speed. Many of us have struggled to overcome a speed limit

of about sixty words a minute. The truth is that surpassing the sixty-wpm barrier

takes work and the honing of specific skills. By using the proven techniques

outlined below in combination with daily practice, the sixty-wpm barrier can

be broken.

Several speed-increasing techniques and related exercises

follow. They have proved effective for those who already know Braille and want

to increase their reading speed and comprehension.

Technique One

Use two hands. You can identify a Braille-reading pro by the

way he or she uses two hands to move across the page. By using the index fingers

of both the left and right hands simultaneously, a Braille reader can reduce

the time it takes to read a passage of Braille text.

The trick here is to have at least one of the fingers of each

hand moving across the dots at all times. While one finger finishes a line,

the other index finger begins reading the next line; this means no pause between

lines.

For example, at the top of a new page, both hands start at

the top left side of the page. Together they move across the letters until they

reach the middle. While the right hand continues across, the left hand moves

down a line and orients itself at the beginning of that line. When the right

hand is finished with the top line, the left hand immediately begins to read

the second line. The right hand joins the left until they reach the middle of

the second line of text. The left hand breaks off and orients itself to the

beginning of the third line. This process continues to the bottom of the page.

The whole process begins again on the next page.

The problem with the one-handed method of reading is that

a pause takes place between lines because the reader has to slide the hand back

across the page to the start of the next line. The two-handed method of reading

eliminates this delay.

Technique Two

Make the hand movement across the page automatic. If you don't

need to focus on the way your hands are moving, you can concentrate better on

the text. To make the movement of your hands across the page as fluid as possible,

try this exercise:

Starting at the top of a page, move your hands from left to

right as quickly as you can while retaining good two-handed Braille reading

form. Remember to touch every character and line. It's not necessary to understand

the symbols you touch. The goal is to execute your movements as unconsciously

as possible.

Do this exercise for a few minutes several times each day.

After a while your hands will know where to go without your having to think

about it.

Technique Three

Push your reading speed envelope. All readers tend to read

at the speed at which they are most comfortable. Simply reading on cruise control

isn't enough to improve your speed markedly. You need to move beyond your comfort

zone.

Using technique two will assist in mastering this concept;

however, instead of moving as fast as you can, go just fast enough to recognize

an occasional letter or short word. Don't stop to decode the words you missed.

Again, as in technique two, you should do this a few times a day for a few minutes

at a time. In just a few days, you will notice that you can move faster while

understanding more.

Technique Four

Make Braille a part of everyday activities. The axiom "Use

it or lose it" applies to any new skill you acquire. It is particularly

true for learning Braille. Make the commitment to include Braille in your daily

activities. Make opportunities for reading Braille. Use Brailled labels. Take

Braille notes. Take a Braille magazine along with you so you have something

to read when you are waiting at a doctor's office. When you go out for a meal,

ask for a Braille menu. In addition, bring NFB Braille alphabet cards along

with you to hand out when strangers ask you what you are doing.

Increasing your Braille reading speed is a challenging goal

for many people. There are many ways to get beyond the plateau that almost everyone

encounters in their journey towards Braille reading proficiency. The most important

ingredient to any successful Braille reading activity is continuing to practice

while using the correct techniques.

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