Tori
Transcription
I'm Tori, and I'm in eighth grade, and I'm 14. And I was doing braille since I was three. And, some- It's- Some of the signs are- They're not really hard, but they're not easy either. It's not easy to teach a person braille. Well, just, you know- it's not really easy to teach a person braille. Just like, they're not gonna- a sighted person is not gonna catch on to it like that. It's gonna take a while.
How do you use braille in everyday life?
I read and write in braille every day. I use a braille machine to write in braille. Basically how you read in braille is you have to first learn the basics, and that's how I was taught. I learned the basics first, and then I just worked ahead.
How were you taught braille?
I was taught the alphabet and my previous vision teacher, she- I basically just practiced it on the braille machine.
What are some of the fun things about braille?
Well, it wasn't fun at first. [laughs] Because at first I was used to writing with pencil and paper and junk. And then, you know, when I first learned it, I was like, "I wanna to do this." Once you start using it more then it does start to get fun, actually. And then you get faster, and so that was pretty much the fun part about it.
What are some of the hard things about braille?
Contractions and- [laughs] some of the contractions and some braille Nemeth is hard. Contractions are not what you're thinking about. Not the labor! [laughs] But it's like different ways you can write words in braille. Like, how you write 'street' in print is you know "s t r" whatever and period. In braille we just put- it's like, we don't write 's' and then 't r e e t.' We do the 'st' sound, the 'r' and the 'e e t.'
Nemeth code is similar to writing like the alphabet in braille, except you have to skip over a key or whatever. And like 'I' you would do 'I' like 2 4. Well, in Nemeth "9" would be 3 5. Yeah, I think that's right, 3 5. So that's basically. And it, it can be confusing, 'cuz, you know, some people might mistake 2 4 as "9" and 3 5 as "3." I did when I was young.
What are some of your favorite books?
Fiction. I like fiction. I'm in the process now of reading a story that I actually do like, Gideon's Gift. But I do have other stories that I've read previously that I did like.
When you read for pleasure, do you use audiobooks or braille?
The majority of the time I do read in braille. I don't listen to books as much, but sometimes I do listen to books. But the majority of the time I just read in braille. Because, you know, I like to know what's going on and stuff. I mean, not saying that listening to stories isn't a good way, but I just like to read. The more I read it, the less I forget the contractions and stuff. 'Cuz if I just flat out don't read it, I will forget the contractions. I would probably forget the contractions. So that's why I just read. And the quotations and stuff, you know, where to put 'em. You can ask Ms. Bundy. I have trouble if I- I may put the wrong quotation.
When you write in braille, what do you write?
I do school subjects. I do math. And if I'm writing a paragraph, I would write in braille. Or a journal entry. I would write a journal entry in braille. And a telephone number I would write in braille. Email addresses and all that I would write in braille. I just use the braille machine.
Have you every used a slate and stylus?
I've tried to use that. Ms. Bundy has tried to show me how to use that, but I have to have more practice with it because now that's a little different than braille, than actually writing in braille.
What's your favorite memory about learning braille?
My favorite I think was pretty much learning the alphabet and how to actually write words and stuff. Like how you- when I first learned it, I had to practice writing it as sentences. And at first it was hard, you know, because I wasn't used to it. So the more I did it, the more fun it got.
Do braille readers have advantages that sighted readers don't?
Not being negative or anything. But, you know, if I'm reading something that I don't want nobody to see, I can just read it and no one will know. [laughs] Not being negative or anything, but just-
Do you have friends who read braille?
Mmm-hmm. They don't go to school here. But they are actually in Spartanburg. We call each other. That has nothing to do with braille, but- When my friend used to go here, we used to write the alphabet and see who could read it. And see who could get the most right without making any mistakes in the alphabet. At the time, she was better than me [laughs] and so [laughs]. That was pretty much the first time I'd ever- someone ever used it. Now I could probably- well I know I could do the alphabet and some of the contractions. Probably not better than her because she uses it a little bit longer than me.
What do you want to do for a career one day?
I planned to do nursing, but I don't anymore. I could probably see myself teaching visually impaired students. I don't think nursing's for me. We actually did a- it was something like a survey on the computer and it was a question that came up about nursing. And I told her, "No." I didn't, you know, I didn't want to do that. And [laughs] she was- it's just not for me. Because I can't see no ultrasound. Well, I can see an ultrasound a little bit. But it's not, "Oh, there's there's baby there." You know, I can't do all that.
With so many gadgets that read information out loud, why should a person learn braille?
Well, because if they're like me or worse, then they may need to write in braille. And there's not going to be always everybody around to write for them. So, you know, they got to be independent and write for themselves.
What advice would you give to someone learning braille?
I would tell- if I were giving them a lecture or something, I would at least, you know, tell them, "Don't give up." Because I was really wanting to give up, but my teachers, they wouldn't let me. So, don't give up. Just get through the hard part. Even though it is frustrating don't just say, "I don't want to do this no more."