From: Al and Masha Sten-Clanton 
Subject: Re: Braille Quality from a University
Hi, Mike!  I hope I can be brief yet adequate in my comments.
First, I graduated from a small college in 1977 and from law school in
1981.  If I'd heard that there was a Braille embosser on my college
campus, I'd never have used it:  I'd have died of shock from the news!
The only Braille I ever saw on the Stonehill campus was what I wrote plus
a book or two from the National Library Service.  In law school I had a
little more, my tests and a somewhat outdated copy of the Federal Rules of
Civil Procedure.  To steal from Eddie Murphy, if you've been starving in a
desert for a while, even a cracker's wonderful.
I dare not presume to tell you what the NFB's philosophy is on this
matter, but can only give you my views, drawn from experience and shaped
largely by the basics of NFB philosophy.
I'd say tthat knowledgeable Braille transcribers (whether certified or
not) are most critical for brailling books, as well as graphs, tables, or
maps.  I would include in this group of materials such things as legal
decisions handed out in class because they didn't make it into the
textbooks.  If other things could be transcribed, so that blind students
can get them and just read them like their sighted peers, that would be a
good thing.  (I think paying for this may be a reasonable use of rehab
money; it's little different from paying for readers.) Maybe the best use
of the Braille embossers on campus would be for students to Braille things
that have been taken from the library and scanned (or otherwise provided
in electronic form), while they are given in Braille what others are given
in print.  (My research might have been easier and more productive if I
could have scanned, cleaned up, and brailled some of that print on which
my greedy little mind wished to pounce.)
I'm not sure how far these comments go in addressing your questions, and
current students doubtless have in many ways a collection of more useful
perspectives.  Still, I hope my two cents' worth will be worth at least
the two cents.  Take care!
Al
On Sun, 15 Feb 1998, M. THOMPSON wrote:
> 
> 
> Thanks for your comments Al,
> 
> When I asked:
> >> Should we insist on the use of Certified Braille transcriptionsts when
> >> producing class materials.
> 
> You wrote:
> 
> >I'd say no.  I'm sure no expert, but I suspect that, given a clean
> >document, a good Braille translator and some intelligent human
> >intervention ordinarily should be able to produce reasonable Braille.  I
> >also suspect that the human intervention would be especially important
> >when graphs or tables are being brailled.
> 
> Does this represent the NFB view on Braille Quality for students at a
> university?
> 
> I'm probably looking for something more specific here.  I'm looking for
> what students feel is the most important to them.  
> 
> At NMSU we have four Braille printers at a cost of about $4000.00 each. 
> Combined with the software and maintenance costs, that same money could
> have purchased over ten thousand dollars worth of transcribing services by
> Certified people.  Where would you rather see a university place the
> emphasis? 
> 
> Has this decision served our students best interests?
> 
> I originally bought the first Braille printer and software so that
> students could use it to produce their own Braille on-demand.  The printer
> is located in our main computer center which is available 24 hours a day,
> and 7 days a week.  The translation software is available and accessible
> to blind students on all of our PCs in 13 different labs across campus. 
> The idea behind automatic Braille production was to serve as a tool for
> students to use for themselves.
> 
> However, I had hoped that the various factions of the university who need
> to produce Braille for students would place the primary emphasis on
> Quality Braille by contracting the work out to Certified Transcribers
> since nobody at NMSU can read Braille much less holds any Transcribers
> credentials.
> 
> Unfortunately, this has not been the case.  Now the mind-set is that since
> we have all these Braille printers on campus that if we produce Braille at
> all, that this is "good enough".  
> 
> The result is that while sighted students receive one quality of
> materials, Blind students receive a much lower quality.  That would be
> like saying:  Here in New Mexico, we feed our students Tacos and Burritos
> as a standard diet.  However, our Blind students are simply given "dog
> food"  when it it not too much trouble for the professors involved.
> 
> A university has the resources to make materials available to students.
> Some of these materials need to be in Braille for our Blind students.
> 
> I'm asking (in the ideal world) where would you students (if you were in
> my place) put the emphasis on Certified Braille Transcription?.  This is
> assuming that students always have a redily-available braille printer with
> accessible software to use for themselves.
> 
> We will end up spending the money somewhere.  Where would it benefit you
> the most?  Given all that, what is your attitude toward receiving Braille
> which is mostly, if not allways produced via our Braille printers with
> nobody involved in the process that even reads Braille? 
> 
> You mentioned earlier (graphs and tables perhaps needing "human
> attention")  Should that "human attention be by someone who is Certified
> as a Braille Transcriber, or is it "good enough" to use someone who knows
> a little Braille?  I find that many simple documents contain some column
> or table formatting.
> 
> Why are Certified Transcribers important at all?
> If we can give you either, which would you prefer?  Why?
> Once again, can anyone tell me the NFB philosophy on this topic?
> 
> When is "good enough" Braille acceptable to be provided to Blind
> students, especially when sighted students receive a much higher quality
> version of those same materials.  How can we make our best effort to keep
> the playing field level where materials are concerned?
> 
> There are Certified Transcribers who will take a faxed copy of a class
> handout, transcribe it in an electronic format and e-mail it back to the 
> university (often same day service).  This can then be printed on one of
> our Braille printers.  (note: faster turnaround times cost more)
> 
> The money is going to be spent anyway.  What sould blind people expect,
> and more important what do they need where Braille is concerned.
> 
> Quality, speed, and cost are often a tradeoff.  It's your education.
> Where would you place the primary emphasis?
> 
> What points can you students make that will help us design the most
> effective Braille production facility at a university?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> -Mike
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> >> > How would you rank the
> >following? > > Cost > Quality
> >> Speed
> >
> >I think the priority of these things might be different, depending on
> >whats being brailled.  I use Braille whenever I can, and would have been
> >happy to have a lot more of it in college and law school.  There probably 
> >were times when top quality would have been essential.  With class
> >handouts, I would have been willing to sacrifice a modicum of quality if
> >this were necessary for me to get it fast enough for it to be useful in
> >my studies.  Im having trouble commenting sensibly about cost.  How much
> >it matters depends on what I can afford, to state the obvious.  I do
> >think, though, that if cheap Braille was as difficult to read as some of
> >the stuff Ive heard about, I'd forego the Braille and use readers, tapes, 
> >or whatever else I could get.  
> >> > Thanks > > -Mike Thompson
> >
> >And thank YOU for the questions.  I have spoken only for myself, but I
> >hope my comments have been a little useful.
> >
> >Al Sten-Clanton
> >
> >
> 
> 
> -- 
> 
> Mike Thompson (Systems Programming)  (505) 646-1364
> New Mexico State University Computer Center - Room 133
> Corner Stewart & Sweet      
> Las Cruces, New Mexico  88003
> Fax (505) 646-5278
> 
> 
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