Category: Geeks r Us
I have several questions and since they're all somewhat related, I'm putting them all here. For the record, I've been brailling since I was about six-years-old.
1. I'm taking the Literary Braille Transcription course from the NLS/NFB. They say that for the first lesson, I should have 25 phraises on the first page and 23 on the second. But I can't seem to do it. I put the heading (Lesson 1 Exercise), skip one line and then start the phraises and can only get about 23 of them. Am I not supposed to write a heading? And do I put my name on the first sheet or the second? Would it be easier if I just used a 40 cell slate? I've never really used one seriously, though I have several smaller slates. That said, I'm willing to give it a go.
2. My Perkins braillewriter is the kind with the old style roller and smoother finish. I can't describe it any other way but I've seen slightly newer models and notice only those differences. Mom says mine is silver. Sometimes, when I insert a paper, it'll stop and I'll have to pull up the release lever, roll it in a bit and then let it go in order to continue. Usually, this happens twice and usually at the same points, but this doesn't happen when I use regular-sized paper, only with the larger size that the NLS requires. What's going on here and how can I prevent this?
3. I have a Versapoint Duo that I bought a few years ago from ebay. I only used it once and it appeared to print extra dots or something on the sides of the paper. Assuming mine isn't the talking kind, how easy is it to reset to factory defaults? Should I sell this one and get the Braille Blazer that I've always wanted? There's one on ebay now. Yes, I know that it's old and not designed for heavy volume brailling, but I don't need to braille that much and I can't afford the newer kinds. Plus, I love that this one talks and that it brailles on different kinds of paper. Which of the two is better for printing graphics? I doubt it, but can I use either one with my Macbook running Leopard and with the Louis Braille Translator software if I get a usb to serial adaptor?
4. Is it possible to scan in a printed page and then have it emboss the print letters instead of having it translated into braille? If so, which programs can do this and how is it done? Can I make it emboss in large or extra large print so that I can more easily feel the letters? How do I print graphics, say something that I found online? What about something that was drawn with a pen, pencil or marker and then scanned in? Out of pure curiosity, if I were to scan pictures of two different people, would I be able to tell the difference between them if the image was made tactual?
5. Does anyone know where I can get a New Hall braillewriter if it's even possible? I absolutely love those! If not, has anyone seen the Next Generation Perkins brailler? If so, what are the differences that you personally saw between that and the older ones? What about other braillers? I know there are several on the market but haven't seen anything except the New Hall, the Perkins and my Jot-A-Dot. In any case, I'm thinking of selling mine for something else. It works fine, but is heavy and does have that small problem.
Thanks for all your help and sorry for the huge number of questions.
I have been using Braille since I was 5/ 6 as well. I unfortunately, don't know a whole lot about transcription but you may want to contact Ann West at all braille. If you do a search for all braille transcription, you should be able to find her. She is located in Massachusetts; and is an extremely nice person. I wish I could help you more but when I asked if I could take that course, they said that someone who is totally blind can not take that course. This was back in the 90's though. I am glad to see that things are changing, and wish you all the luck in the world!!!!!!!!
Patti