Onkyo Braille Essay Contest 2006 -- Japanese Section ĦRunner-up Award "A Ray of Light" Ms. Kumiko Tanba (20) School for the Blind, Akita Prefecture |
I learned Braille just after I transferred to a school for the blind in my second year of junior high school. At that time, I was still using standard printed materials, but I learned Braille anyway, while I was still able to see. I could feel that I was gradually losing my visual acuity, even though I could still see to some extent. That's why I started to read raised letters with my fingers-letters that I used to read by sight. I was also having a hard time seeing the ball when I played floor volleyball. Despite these difficulties, I enjoyed being able to see and hear things in my comprehensive classes. I could still read comic books, and I started to enjoy music, despite my impaired hearing. When I switched to Braille for my main classes, the lesson content and the method of studying changed dramatically. I couldn't make quick, short notes of what I needed to remember for the exams. Instead I had to make piles of sheets with raised letters. There was a formless world spread out in front of me, like a blurry world of fog. I struggled to recognize my surroundings. What's more, I couldn't hear anything if I took off my hearing aid. It seemed as if I was in a completely different world, depending on whether I was wearing the hearing aid or not. That didn't bother me, though, because I had my hands full with study. I would take my hearing aid out to find tranquility, and withdraw into my own world. I used to read books or write in my spare time, but reading and writing began getting harder for me to do. I couldn't carry other textbooks with me because the Braille one was so heavy. So it wasn't just my sight that was narrowing; it was also my range of activities and my avenues of access to information. Then one of the teachers told me about the "Braille Memo"--a mobile electronic display that could read and write Braille, save documents and connect with a PC. I was considering whether or not I'd be able to get full use out of it, and whether or not I could afford it. Then the teacher told me about its supplementary functions and how it could be used as an electronic organizer or like a PC. That finally convinced me to buy one. Once I started to use the Braille Memo, I could easily arrange my notes. It had a search function, so that it was also easy to review the content. Best of all, this tool made it very easy to edit documents. It allowed me to re-write descriptions of my clouded vision. Now I can write in my Braille Memo whenever I have ideas for a poem. This essay was also written (and repeatedly re-written) on my Braille Memo. Another thing I could do with my Braille Memo was read books. It could save the text data of a book, which I could then read when I was taking a break from study. Unfortunately, I still don't know how to save the Braille data myself, so I have to ask my teacher every time. I have lots of books that I want to read, so I want to learn how to save the data by myself. One of the books I've read on my Braille Memo is called "An Alien at Watanabe House". This is a collection of essays by Satoshi Fukushima, the first blind and deaf person to graduate from a university in Japan. Before reading his book, I thought it would be a story of his life experiences, the like of which I couldn't even imagine. Then when I read it, I found much to empathize with, learn from and laugh about. One point he makes about Braille, that I agreed with, is how it is an effective way for both blind and deaf people to get hold of information by themselves. Those that are hard of hearing can still clearly understand a word using Braille, without having to hear how the word sounds. This confirmed for me that I had made the right choice to learn Braille. At the time I read Fukushima's book, I had just started to learn Braille. I knew that "finger Braille" was a communication tool for blind and deaf people, but I didn't know until I read the book that Mr. Fukushima's mother was the one who had invented it. I had started to learn finger Braille while I was in school and while I could still hear. At first it was difficult, but now I can read slowly. When I was first transferred here, I couldn't have imagined that there could be two kinds of Braille--one on paper and one read by touching another person's fingers. Braille is an essential aid, not only for visually impaired people, but also for blind and deaf people. My goal is to read faster using finger Braille. I think it will expand my world. Furthermore, I think if the Braille Memo can be connected to a PC, it will allow us to have faster access to more information on the Internet. While I think it's important to study for the national exams, I think it's also important to learn how to use finger Braille, the Braille Memo and PCs. With these tools, we can broaden our future through better communication and access to an abundance of information. |
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