EBU (Junior group) Excellent Work "Not a single day without Braille" Kristina Misiunaite van Schie (13, female, Netherlands) |
How would it be: a day with or without Braille? With: I feel my Braille watch to know what time it is. I still have some time to read a book. I look for the right Braille volume between the books I have in my closet. My fingers dance across the lines; I read the letters with my ten eyes. Without: I listen to the church bells to know what the time it is. "Did you read that?" I was asked. No, I cannot read. "Recently I read in that magazine...." I cannot join the conversation. "Look quickly on the internet." But that is not possible without a Braille line. With: I switch on my laptop and check if I have received new messages. Everything that appears on the screen I read with my Braille line, I have access to the World Wide Web, I couldn't do without it. Without: The bell has rung. That reminds me I have an appointment. I pick up the phone and desperately try to remember the phone number. With: I put a sheet of paper in my Braillewriter and write down the phone number. Then the mailbox clatters, on the mat lies a magazine in Braille. I am up to date with the news and current events. Without: A little later, I step into the elevator. I feel little buttons with numbers I cannot read. How do I get to the right floor? By feel I press one of the buttons... "Where do I have to be?" I wonder as I arrive upstairs. I pass doors with nameplates I cannot read." With: I step in the elevator and press Braille number two. On the second floor I feel the nameplates in Braille next to the doors. Thus I find where I must be. Without: I sit in the classroom. "Name a country in Europe," was asked. But I haven't got an atlas to look it up. With: A tactile atlas of the world lies on the table. My fingers feel across a map, looking for the abbreviations of the countries. I read the names of places and rivers and make a picture in my mind. Without: To make music, to play in a band. That is what I would like. But how can I do it without notes? I cannot read sheet music. With: I like playing music. I go through my book with Braille sheet music looking for a nice song. I read some notes with my right hand. Those I play. This way, I learn to play the song bit by bit. Braille is important to me, in all places, in every moment, and I am sure I cannot go one day without Braille. |
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