Slate and Stylus Saves the Day

Slate and Stylus Saves the Day

Slate And Stylus Saves The Day

(And Maybe The Job)

by Bennett Prows

Reprinted from the Summer, 1995, issue of the Blind

Washingtonian, the newsletter of the National Federation of

the Blind of Washington. The original title is "Technology Is

Not the Answer."

Editor's Note: Another one of the panel topics at the

November, 1996, Third U.S./Canada Conference on Technology for

the Blind (see my introduction to the preceding "microwave"

article) was entitled, "Low-Tech Must Not Be Forgotten." The

topic was addressed by Judy Dixon, Consumer Relations Officer,

National Library Service for the Blind and Physically

Handicapped, Library of Congress. Ms. Dixon would surely give

a thumbs-up to the following account by Ben Prows:

There are those who say that listening to recordings,

speech synthesizers, and live readers obviate the need for

Braille. They say Braille is slower, less efficient, and soon

will be totally outdated. (Of course we know that if this were

the case, print would also be obsolete, and the sighted would

listen to synthesizers, too.) I read an article recently in

which the author emphatically argued that technology will soon

mean the end of the need for teaching Braille to blind

persons. My personal experience shows why this is not the

case. I think the following account reveals why the use of

Braille reading and writing is very necessary, even today.

My job is to investigate discrimination cases in hospitals,

health centers, departments of social and health services,

etc.

Sometimes I am required to travel great distances to

interview witnesses and to review medical records. On one

occasion, I traveled to a neighboring state for a week of

witness interviews. I had lined up about seventy-five people

to interview during the course of this investigation. I was

planning to take notes on a lap-top computer that could

operate on either A.C. or by batteries. I also took a Braille

'n Speak, which would allow me to take notes in Braille for

later conversion into print text. (This pre-supposes a

knowledge of Braille.)

The first day of interviews began smoothly. I began the

task of questioning the first witness. I had plugged in the

lap-top, since I was able to set up in a conference room for

the week.

Soon, however, the lap-top started beeping and the "low

battery indicator" came on. I ascertained that the plug I was

using, which was permanently connected to the battery charger,

had shorted and I could not use it. But neither was the

battery charging properly. Thus, the lap-top computer was

quickly rendered completely useless. I determined that a new

charger would cost over $100 so I would have to wait until I

got back to the office to get a new one.

Not to worry, though, I had my Braille 'n Speak. I pulled

it out, turned it on, and immediately I was told "battery

low." I looked in my briefcase and discovered that my power

supply/battery charger for that device had been left in

Seattle. The auxiliary battery and plug were not in my

briefcase either.

Two down! Neither electronic note-taking device was

working, and I had seventy-four interviews to go. Luckily for

me, I thought, I have my Braille slate and stylus. Wrong! It

was not in my briefcase, because with all the technology I had

brought I had decided I didn't need it. What a dilemma. I had

no way to complete my interviews. Sure, I had a reader with

me, but she was scheduled to take written notes on records I

had to review. If I packed up and went back to Seattle I would

have to reschedule the entire review. I would cost my employer

a considerable amount of money and time, and could risk losing

my job. After all, it wasn't the employer's fault. I had been

provided with reasonable accommodation. What could I do?

I found a local NFB office in the area and bought a new

slate and stylus. (Editor's note: a slate and stylus costs

somewhere between $3.00 and $15.00--far less than the cost of

replacing or shipping the items Mr. Prows needed to get either

of his other two pieces of technology working again. Then

there was the time factor. Finding and buying the slate and

stylus took perhaps a few hours. Finding someone to locate,

package, and ship his Braille 'n Speak charger and/or

auxiliary battery and plug would have taken at least 24

hours.) I came back to the rest of the interviews and took

notes all week in Braille. In short, I was able to "handwrite"

my notes with my slate and stylus just as a sighted person

would have done in my situation. I later transposed the notes

back at the office. I could do this, of course, because I was

taught to read Braille and to write it with a slate and

stylus, and I use both skills regularly. If my teachers had

subscribed to the theory that Braille was worthless, or that

the computer would solve my problems, I would have been at a

distinct disadvantage.

This is what we mean in the NFB when we say that given

training in the alternative techniques of blindness (such as

Braille) we can compete on an equal basis with our sighted

peers. If I had not been able to use the equivalent of a pen

or pencil (the slate and stylus) I would have been unable to

perform my job tasks in a timely manner. I would have had to

make excuses and sell myself (and other blind people) short.

This is why it is important for blind people to learn and use

Braille--and to learn and use the slate and stylus for writing

Braille. This is why we have the National Federation of the

Blind.