Harriet Davis
Transcription
Well, I’m Harriet Davis, and I went to bed one night seeing everything and woke up seein’ nothin’. It turned out to be ischemic optic neuropathy. Some of the sight came back. Since then I have been hit three times with it. And, I still have some sight. My eye is gone, but I do have some sight. And, I like to read. And I truly could not imagine myself not being able to read my bible. I decided to try to reach out for Braille. And I feel very, very fortunate because being a member of the Federation of the Blind allowed me to know about this course. Braille, to me, is a lifeline. I can’t imagine not being able to read. Of course now I can read with the CCTV. But what’s gonna happen tomorrow? And if I’m too old to learn? And by that I mean if I’m too old for somebody to want to teach me. It’s, it’s rough. You have to really work at it when you get older, for the simple reason that your fingers don’t pick up the dots as easily as they do when you’re younger. And, I’m very grateful for the privilege of learning it.
When did you start learning Braille?
Actually, I went to the Commission for the Blind, and as an older person, they wanted me just to come a couple hours a day and learn what I needed to maintain being around home and I said no, I want to know what there is out there to know. But the classes were larger, and of course we did not get to cover very much. I did remember some of it, but not using it, I lost it. So, I mean, I found out the hard way, if you’re going to use Braille, you have to do it often, and stay with it.
When was that, that you first had that experience?
When I first-
How long ago?
Probably ’92.
Really?
No, excuse me, 2002.
2002. That’s a good bit of time ago.
Yes, yes. I became blind around ’92.
Mm-hmm. And so what- from that, what did you move to, from that original, just sort of functional Braille literacy? How did you move in to doing the kind of courses that you’re doing now? The kind of learning that you’re doing now?
Just jumped into it when I heard about it. I realized that I really wanted it, and I think you really have to want it to do it.
So, when you, as a sighted reader, the things that you read the most were what sorts of things?
Hmm. I just liked to read. Actually I would read almost anything I put my hands on. Couple of books a week and of course, as I’ve mentioned, I’ve read my bible a lot. You can get, you know, you can get books on tape and all that, which is nice, but I can’t imagine that replacing reading.
In what way, like, in what way do you read the bible? Do you read it a little bit every day? Do you read according to a particular schedule?
I read it every day, not necessarily on schedule. It’s just been a lifetime habit, and it means a lot to me. And, the bible on tape would be difficult to look up things and, and enjoy it. You know.
So, what has been the hardest thing for you about learning Braille?
Picking up the dots with my fingers.
Just the sensitivity of your fingers?
Mm-hmm. The sensitivity of my fingers. And, of course, this time, getting over into the contractions. It’s, can be difficult.
Yeah.
It’s a challenge, let’s put it that way.
Do you remember when you were younger and first learning to read as a sighted reader? some people don’t remember when they learned to read, they just know they’ve always read. Do you remember when you were learning to read as a sighted reader?
No
It was just something that was always there.
It was just something that, yeah.
I can imagine...
You know, if you like books, you just grow into it.
That's what it was like for me, my parents liked to read and we always had books around the house and I don't remember not knowing how to read, so. Aside from the bible, what are some of the books that you like to read most?
Mysteries, fiction, I like fiction. I just enjoy reading. Magazines--but see, now, with the the print, it’s just very difficult to do it, so I use the [x].
And where do you get it? Do you have one at home?
I do.
OK.
It's a separate black and white because there are times that I read white, white on black easier than I do the black on white. If I pick up a paper and read it, even with the fair size magnifier, you know, hand-held magnifier, pick up a paper and read it, within about three or four minutes everything goes to gray and I lose it, but with the [x] I can put it under there and, put the mode on white on black, and the contrast helps.
I would think so, yeah, and all that white would be, if you had black on white, all that white could tire your eyes out.
The contrast is, yes.
Sorry, I keep fiddling with the equipment. I just want to make sure that everything is working ok.
It’s ok.
So, you’ve mentioned, the hardest thing about learning braille has been just the tactile sensitivity.
Yes
What has been the most fun thing, a fun thing about learning braille, would you say?
The challenge of accomplishing some... you know, just being able to read a word. And when you think about it, someone who could take six dots and design a whole language, a whole English language that you can read. It’s amazing, and if he could do that, surely I can read. [laughter] Or learn to read!
Do you braille in everyday life, aside from...
No, the time will come that I probably will have to. And I'm sure now, in order to hold onto it, I'll have to use it to maintain it.
How do you see yourself eventually using braille in everyday life? For not just reading books and for pleasure and things like that, but other things?
Actually, this will probably seem strange, but I hope I'll don't ever have to use it. I hope I just simply use it because I want to. In other words, I hope what sight I have stays. But your eyes get tired, and when they get tired, you know, I’ll need to use it, so then I'll use it in everyday life. I'm retired, I won't be in an office, you know, or anything like that, so I would just use it for personal use.
I think that we'll all at some point in our lives, I mean, I'm getting to the point now, I'm 43, and I'm getting to the point now where I used to be able to look and something and just read it, and now I find myself going like this and I'm thinking, "Oh, I got to get some reading glasses--and I know that my grandfather lost his vision, his sort of central vision, late in life. And, so, I started to think about, Ok, so you know, if when I'm in my 90's say or 80's, and my vision isn't what it is now, should I be thinking now about braille literacy to, you know, try to anticipate that sort of thing?
Well, now, I don't know about that. But I will say that I firmly believe, anybody who has an eye problem, that might ultimately turn into blindness, needs to do it as soon as possible. And they don't need to do what I do, they don't need just to drop it when they first start it, they need to hold onto it and use it. It seems to me like it will be nicer and more comfortable to know it and not need it, than to need it and then have to learn it. See, I think that would be hard.
I think you're right. So, your advice would be, one thing that you would say. . . for advice for somebody learning braille is, use it. Don't just, like, learn and then put it aside.
Use it everyday.
OK.
I know from trying to learn it. If I don't use it everyday, it's very difficult to learn.
That's true of a lot of things, isn't it?
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Yeah.
And I've also found out that, you know, for me, I can't sit down and study a full hour or two hours. I found out this week that it's easier for me to learn it if I do, say, maybe 15 minutes, six times a day which gives you a hour and a half--or eight times a day. Then you have the time in, but your fingers don't get quite as sweaty and . . .
Hmm!
. . . you know, it just makes it a little easier on you.
So, your fingers get sweaty when you're reading?
Oh, yeah.
[Laughter]
You get kind of, you know, you get antsy wanting to know, "Now, do I have this right; this right?”
That's interesting.
Like when I, when I shook your hand tonight, I told you my hand is wet.
I didn't even notice.
But--and that kind of goes and comes too, you know.
Do you know anyone else or have you known other people in your life who are braille readers?
Oh, yes, yes. I'm a member of the federation, and a lot of friends, many, many, people read braille. Although there are people who don’t. They rely on talking books and all this [sic] things.
Some people say that listening to books, listening to other forms of writing because there are so many technologies now and it's so easy to get books on tape or these things . . .
Yeah.
. . . some people say that, that's not really literacy, that unless somebody's reading with, you know, reading braille, reading the letters with braille, they shouldn't really be considered literate. What's your opinion on the subject?
I think it's an individual choice of what one does. I don't think anybody should criticize anybody or even form an opinion of someone else who is just working their life the way it suits them best. I think it's a personal matter. And while you may wonder, well, why won't they do that or the other, I don't think that it should be voiced among people. Y’know, we think of blindness as coming from childhood. And I will say that I think that when you do lose your sight after you're old, that it's more difficult. It's difficult to adjust. As a child it just comes natural because you've never had your sight or if you've had it, you don't really remember that much. So, I just think that that's a personal matter.
So, if somebody were to say "well now that I have all of these, you know, I can have my books on tape; I can have a computer read things to me; why should I learn braille?” What would you say?
Learn braille.
[Laughter] Why?
Why? Because what if your computer--if something happens that you don't have a computer? What if something happens that you don't have talking books, you know? If you know how to read braille, what if you need to write braille? You need to write something down. If you don't know it, you can't do it. [If you] can't use a braille or you can't do it. If you can't use a stylus, you can't do it.
Do you write braille?
I'm learning to use the brailler. And I know a little bit about the stylus, that I remember from being at the commission and the classes there.
What kind of things have you been learning to write? Like, what sorts of documents do they have you practice with?
Words, sentences, not really documents.
Gotcha. OK.
Not far enough into it yet.
OK.
And I found myself wondering--I think, you know, you're not doing so good. You're doing this. You're doing that. But according to the teachers I'm doing well.
Good.
So, hopefully, they're right.
[Laughter] Well, they're the ones whose opinions should matter, right?
[Laughter] No, my opinion should matter. I’m going to be using it.
That's true too. I keep losing this one question I want to ask you from our, from our list. I'm sorry. [pause] Maybe that's it. I thought I had one more in there that I hadn't gotten to. We were just talking about you, you writing. I apologize. [pause] I think, okay, so I will just finish with one question, which would be- for somebody else in your situation, you know, if you knew somebody, if you just met somebody who was having the exact same experiences you are with their vision, and with braille, what would your advice to that person be?
Learn as much as you can to be independent. They, with my situation, they truly don't know that much about it. When I became blind, they didn't know much at all about it. There seems to be no cure for it at this time. If there is, I certainly don't know anything about it. I think if there would be, it would come through fetal research, which I don't believe the government's going to turn loose and allow ‘em to do, cause mine involves the nerve. Once the nerve is destroyed, then it's gone. But my advice would be to anybody, whether they have macular degeneration or anything, because you never know.
What is it that you’re experiencing? Your condition?
I said my experience with my eyes would make me advise anybody who has an eye problem that they could lose their sight to go on and get as much as they can get so that they can maintain their life independently.
If, now that you've been both a sighted reader and a braille reader- this is the question I wanted to ask- you've been both a sighted reader and a braille reader. Do braille readers have any advantages that sighted readers don't enjoy?
[pause] I can't answer that question. I'm not far enough into braille to feel qualified to answer that question. However, I enjoy working with the braille. I'm looking forward to being able to sit down and read a book in braille, a magazine in braille .
That's great. I'll tell you what the kids all say. They all say they get to, after their mom and dad have put them in bed and told them, "Okay, turn off the lights. Time to go to sleep,"
They can read?
They read under the covers. [Laughter]
The one thing about reading braille, if you were reading something that, you know, you didn't particularly want everybody to know you were reading, well...
That's your way.
They wouldn't know about it.
Is there anything else you would want to say that I haven't asked you about?
Not really, except that I'm very grateful. I'm grateful for the Federation; it's through them that I found out about this. I'm very grateful to my instructors. I'm grateful for the grant that was written, that I could have this class. And to me, it's a challenge that I'm enjoying, and it's a reward I'm looking forward to.
Very well said. Thank you very much for taking the time to [here’s where the video stopped, for proofreading] talk with me.
You're welcome.
I really appreciate it.
You're welcome.