[PHOTO/CAPTION: Merry-Noel Chamberlain]

[PHOTO/CAPTION: Merry-Noel Chamberlain]

The

Braille Monitor

October,

2003

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Psst, Pass It On

by

Merry-Noel Chamberlain

From the Editor: Merry-Noel

Chamberlain is a teacher of the visually impaired and holds National Orientation

and Mobility Certification (NOMC). She lives in Des Moines, Iowa, and demonstrates

high standards for Braille reading. The point she makes in the following article

is important. This is what she says:

Merry-Noel

Chamberlain

As Braille readers, sighted

or blind, it is our responsibility to inform public establishments when their

Braille signs are not correct. Let's face it, most hotel and restaurant managers

and owners have no knowledge of the Braille code. In general, people trust that

the sign manufacturers have exactly translated the print sign into correct Braille.

In fact the Braille is very often correct. But what about when it's not?

Since

learning Braille, I have been checking out the signs around me. Setting aside

the problems resulting from no Braille at all, I have discovered five categories

of Braille signs: Beautiful Braille, Braille Shorthand, Braille Scribble, Braille

Misinformation, and Braille Art. None of these are transparent dymo-tape, pressed-on

Braille. I am referring to the Braille that is formed as part of the plastic

template of the sign. Sign manufacturers boast in large neon orange circles

that their signs "Conform to Americans with Disabilities Act: Grade 2 Braille."

Therefore managers and owners naturally trust those professionals to produce

perfect signs in Braille as well as in print.

If

the signs are in contracted Braille, have no missing contractions, use proper

capital signs, and transcribe the print exactly, I call this Beautiful Braille.

In fact, most of the signs I have read do contain beautifully written Braille.

But what about the rest room sign in a popular restaurant where the Braille

text under the printed word "MEN" and picture of a wheelchair was

written beautifully, aside from the lack of a whole-word capital sign (dot 6,

dot 6)? I call that Braille Shorthand. This type of Braille is rather popular.

I

spotted Braille Scribble, on the other hand, at a popular casino. Both the MEN

and WOMEN signs were written as follows: "(dot 6)M(dot 6)E(dot 6)N"

and "(dot 6)W(dot 6)O(dot 6)M(dot 6)M(dot 6)E(dot 6)N." Who makes

such signs anyway? Simply put, Braille Scribble is written by people who are

just learning Braille and haven't yet learned the proper rules of the Braille

code. I have also seen signs on which the word "ACCESSIBLE" was written

without the double-C contraction. Then there was the Braille sign, "Handi-cap."

A friend told me of upside-down Braille on an elevator. (I have yet to see that

personally.)

Let's

not forget Braille that incorrectly transcribes the print. I call this Braille

Misinformation. At another popular establishment the Braille under the print

word "WOMEN" and picture of a wheelchair read "women accessible"

with no double-C contraction and no capital signs. This sign actually falls

into two categories: Braille Scribble and Braille Misinformation. The Braille

should have read "Women Wheelchair Accessible." I also found

a sign at the door of a hotel meeting room that read "Breakfast Area"

in print but "Pioneer Room" in Braille. So which was it--the breakfast

area, the Pioneer Room, or both?

I

saw another Braille Misinformation sign proudly displayed at a popular office

supply store. The pictures on top showed a man and a woman with a line between

the two stick figures. To the side was a picture of a wheelchair. The word "REST

ROOM" was printed under these pictures. Under the printed word in Braille

was simply "rest room handicapped" (no capital sign). The visual reader

would see immediately that it was a handicapped-accessible, unisex rest room.

Of course the pictures were raised, so the reader could assess additional information

by tactile means other than reading Braille, assuming that he or she found the

pictographs in the process of getting to the Braille.

However,

I found the worst Braille sign of all at a popular fast-food restaurant. Under

the MEN and WOMEN rest room signs were decorative, but not practical, groups

of hard plastic droplets, which somewhat simulated Braille. The hard pointy

dots were so crammed together that the Braille was completely distorted. The

most proficient Braille reader would have had trouble attempting to read it.

I simply call this Braille Art for the sighted.

I

would hope that, if a manager received a printed sign that read "WoMeN",

"mEN", or even "Handi-cap," he or she would return the sign

to the manufacturer for correction, no questions asked. I'm sure managers would

return a sign if a print letter was backwards or upside-down, so shouldn't they

return a sign if the Braille is not acceptable?

I

informed the managers or owners of all the establishments mentioned above that

the Braille was not correct. Did any of them change their signs? No. Why not?

Too expensive? The sign manufacturers convinced the owner that the sign was

correct? They didn't think it was important enough to fix? Whatever the reason,

we have the responsibility to check public Braille signs and inform the proper

individuals about incorrect Braille. It is important for our early Braille readers

to read correct Braille. Sign manufacturers should not be getting paid for producing

inadequate Braille. If enough of us complain to establishments about incorrect

Braille, they will be forced to fix it.

So the next time you Braille

readers are getting ready to walk into a public rest room, hotel meeting room,

or elevator or just happen to come across a Braille sign, take a second to touch

the Braille. Psst, pass your knowledge on so that we can have beautiful Braille

everywhere.

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