ABU (under 25 years old) Fine Work "Which do you prefer for gaining knowledge and information about the world -- Braille or Audio Devices" Syria Rana Al-Khadra (22/female) |
My destiny was to come to this world in 1985, but I was not able to see it.When I became six years old, I was admitted to the elementary school that had been dedicated for blind children.I was lucky because it was the only one in our area, and near to my house. After sometime one of my classmates came to me with a plane paper and asked, " Guess what is this?""It is just a piece of paper", I replied."Touch and examine carefully, what do you feel?"He asked."It is rough as if some small grains of rice were scattered on it," I added.He laughed and said: "it is a paper written in eBraillef method.This type of protruding writing was invented by Mr. Louis Braille for teaching blind people."I was surprised to hear that and was overwhelmed with a great desire to explore this kind of writing.Believe it or not, only after one month, I mastered Braillescript-- reading and writing!I became certain that it would be my foremost way to acquire knowledge, expertise, and to communicate with external world.I had the feeling that I was associated with it.We were growing together while passing from one grade to a higher one. It was a great astonishment to hear my teacher saying about embossed points used in Braille writing. " With these six dots, you can read or write any language in the world!" " What a great and amazing method!" I murmured. I have read a book talking about Louis Braillefs life, how he became blind, and how he could eventually develop this method of writing until it reached the current status we know today. I remember the proverb that says: " Possibly uncomfortable situation leads to an advantage".The illness of this great man was a motive to this invention, which turns to be the reason of happiness for millions of blind people, by granting them the capability to obtain knowledge. So, those six dots are the perfect way to teach blind by using their fingertips.It can cover all letters used in any language --- moreover, it can include vowels and abbreviations. Sometimes, when I am reading a book written in Braille, I say to myself: "What would be the result if Louis Braille did not become blind? There must be another talented person to come and put rules for similar way, but maybe in a different period." As for benefiting from available audio or other technological means, I would say: "Blind persons should continuously look everything that could push them step forward in any field, the world nowadays is infinitely the world of science, knowledge and communication." I think that Braille method, although it is costly and needs time and great effort, is still the best and the most beloved for me because of many reasons: 1.It is uniquely lovely. You get a special feeling while reading or writing. It makes the ideas firm most easily than any other --- communication means. 2.While using Braille method, it is impossible to become absentminded.On the contrary, using other means engenders the feeling of boredom, or sometimes pushes you to fall asleep. 3.To read what you have written by your hands is more liable to be fixed, and more easily to be recovered or memorized. 4.It is distinguished by its availability any time or place, on the contrary of other means which need some arrangements or resources like electricity. 5.Keeping in mind the grace of all other learning means, of which I emphasize to take advantage, I feel that Braille method has grown and prospered with me.It has become part of my personality.It is dear to me, so I cannot stay away or escape from it. 6.strongly believe in Braille method. So, in order to modernize it to keep pace with all eras, I suggest the following: a) Publicizing and spreading this method to cover all learning levels, starting from kindergarten, reaching to those uneducated blind people who missed the studying age, especially those women who live in rural areas, far from schools that are usually located in city centers.Furthermore, due to its importance, I advise to teach Braille to as many persons as possible who are endowed with eye sight. b) Arranging local, regional, and international lectures, workshops, and conferences to interchange experiences and to draw up plans for maintaining and developing Braille method. c) Furthermore, I advise specialists in different fields to hold meetings for preparing abbreviations and contribute by giving time, money, and efforts. d) Focusing by all mass media(written, audible, or visual) on the importance of Braille method, and its civilized role, through stressing on its distinguished features, in order to publicize it, and to be accredited as a script besides the formal scripts used in every country. e) Issuing periodical(monthly, weekly, daily) magazines and newspapers in Braille, thanks to the high technology in printing field that makes this type of printing easily available any time and in any quantity with a very good quality. f) Since these publications need an enormous investment, governments should take part and support projects like these morally and financially, by assisting organizations that are established to take care of blind people. Conclusion:Abstracting what I said before, I can say: "I perfectly enjoy dealing with Braille, in a way I can not find elsewhere." |
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