A Question for Our Readers

A Question for Our Readers

Braille Monitor
June 2016

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A Question for Our Readers
by Gary Wunder
Any casual reader of this magazine knows that the National Federation of the Blind believes in Braille and believes that some of the most significant problems we face come from not having an efficient way to read and write. Denying blind students Braille is indefensible, and the consequences are at best long-lasting and at worst devastating to those of us who want a career in which reading and writing normally play a vital part.

Even for those of us who have been blessed with early, quality instruction, the shortage of Braille has meant that most of our information has come from listening to the spoken word. When I went to high school and college, I was advised that Recordings for the Blind (now renamed Learning Ally) would be my primary source for books, and material they did not have could be read to me by someone I would hire at the state agency's expense. Certainly the computer means that more material is available today, and most of us are less reliant on human narration, but much of what is digitized is read with speech.

All of this preamble finally brings me to my question and concern. How does one learn to spell if he or she is predominantly an audio reader? Recently I was addressing a group of parents about why they should ensure that their children learn Braille. Spelling was one of the reasons I gave. I told the group about not knowing how to spell certain words whose sounds gave me no clue as to how I could find them in my thirty-six volume Braille dictionary. I thought the word that means "of undisputed origin," and "genuine" was spelled “offentic” rather than authentic. I thought that the word frustrated was pronounced flustrated, a logical consequence of being flustered. When I got down to business and decided I wanted to write something other than business owner, I tried to find “ontraprenure,” and never did I guess it was a French word and started with an e and is spelled entrepreneur. I believed there were different words to describe when one was interested and when something was inter resting. When people looked at my check register, they got a laugh out of J. C. Penny, Wallmart, and Hardy’s (JCPenny, Walmart, and Hardee’s). Business signs simply aren't obvious regardless of one’s proficiency in Braille.

So if one gets most of his or her material from a Talking Book from NLS or through a speech synthesizer, how is learning to spell accomplished, and how does one continue to enlarge his or her vocabulary? Certainly there are spell checkers and easy-to-use dictionaries, but are they learning tools or a tool we always need in writing? Does practice with these tools mean we are better able to take a writing device that is not electronic and still generate material of which we can be proud and which shows us to be the competent people we wish to be?

I'd like to hear from readers who have addressed this problem, the results you have had, and how you suggest we become better spellers who can write without the aid of a $1,000 piece of technology? I don't need an article but something I can use as a contribution to one. Just as we have come to question and refute the notion that blind people should not study or hope to contribute to the hard sciences, let's address head-on the commonly held belief that blind people are poor spellers because we have so little direct physical contact with the written word. With your help, we will give those who wish to become better spellers some practical and effective tips.
It seems only right that we follow this article by demonstrating that blind people can become good spellers, so enjoy the presentation that follows from former President Maurer, one of the best spellers I know. Thanks, and remember to give me your suggestions.

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