Braille revolutionized literacy for blind people and has become a natural part of our everyday lives.
It allows us to read books, stay in touch with friends, and find our way more easily in unfamiliar places.
But Braille can do even more: it sparks curiosity and often serves as a perfect conversation starter.
That’s exactly what today’s piece is about: Oleg Shevcun shows us how Braille can be used intentionally to strike up conversations, sharing plenty of helpful tips and entertaining anecdotes from everyday life.
Thank you, Oleg, for this fun and witty journey through your life as a Braille bridge-builder!
Building Bridges With Braille: Six Tips For Starters
How do you start a conversation with someone you don’t know well? What tools or techniques can you use to break ice with a team? Or, how can you entertain a company of friends, so that you all can spend some memorable time together?
The internet is full of tools and tips for achieving all of these goals.
But do you realize that we all have an excellent tool at our disposal, which can work beautifully for these purposes? And yes, you’ve guessed it already: I am talking about Braille.
Of course, Braille is about literacy, as well as personal and professional development. But also, if used properly, it can serve as an outstanding conversation starter and bridge builder.
Here are five techniques and Braille-related tools which I’ve seen to do miracles. And of course, you are more than welcome to add your own.
1. A Classic Slate And Stylus.
Even if you no longer use them for your daily writing, slate and stylus are an excellent conversation starter. Just take them out and write a quick note, and someone will definitely ask some questions. In fact, I remember a student telling me: “Oleg, I am sorry to say, but you are writing from right to left. Are you not just blind, but also dyslexic?”
Wow, what a great conversation starter indeed!
But actually, very few people will throw a bate of this caliber. But even if someone just asks: “How does this Braille thing work?”, you still have a wonderful dialog already.
For a more modern approach, try the Braille Cards from DBSV. They are a lot easier to carry than a slate and stylus; and you can give them away if you see an interest. Just let the people you meet write some Braille on their own. This works much better than any explanations.
2. Tactile Cards
It was many years ago that I received my first-ever tactile card. It came from the Netherlands, and it was a simple yet colorful picture of a tulip, with the word “Tulip” written in Braille. I put this card in a very visible place on my desk. Whenever friends came by, they always wanted to see the “tulip” card. One day, we made a game out of it. I gave my friends a sheet of plastic, the kind they use to wrap flowers. I also gave them a rubber pad and a ball pen. With this simple device, they would draw the tulip. The ball pen would produce something similar to a tactile line on the plastic, as it was pressed against the rubber pad. (BTW, the rubber pad came from the Erica Picht Braille writer; but that’s a story for another occasion).
Then came the Christmas and New Year cards from DZB in Leipzig. Again, each of them made for an excellent conversation starter. And one question was: “What do these cards say?” And that was the chance to introduce Braille to sighted people.
3. Relief Wall Calendars
I first got one of these as a gift from my German pen pal, way back in 1983, and then I would get them each year until late 80s. Then, there was a long pause; and my next Relief Wall Calendar dates to 2013.
OK, wall calendars are somewhat irrelevant in the 21st century. But the pictures and their descriptions are magnificent!
In fact, for 7 years, I worked in an office where I was the only blind employee; and the Relief Wall calendars from DZB Lesen were
A highlight of the year for all of us. That’s because we set up an informal competition, where most coworkers were eager to participate. A sighted colleague would put something around their eyes; then he or she would feel one of the pictures and tell us what it was. And you know what? For some reason, our office manager was the best on it. She would easily get 10 or 11 out of the 12 pictures! AS a visually impaired employee, I should confess that I never reached these heights of perfection. But the ”calendar game” was indeed a time of both fun and learning.
4. The Relief World Atlas
We talked about tactile cards, and you can get them easily today. We talked about the Wall Calendar, and you can still order it each year.
As for our next bridge builder: I am not sure if you can still get it. Nevertheless, it deserves a special mention as the King of braille conversation starters and bridge builders. And, even if you can’t get the original edition, you can still explore the market and order whatever is available right now. OK, it may not be as powerful as the original thing. But it will serve your purposes, if you know how to use it.
SO, what was that “original thing”, anyway?
In 1987, I got a box in the mail. And immediately, right there, at the post office in Moscow, USSR, it turned into a conversation starter. Everyone was asking just one question: “What’s in that box”? The box was probably a meter wide, if not more. Think of the largest format book you’ve ever seen, and that would be the Relief World Atlas, produced by DZB in Leipzig.
The maps were printed on plastic sheets and bound in a volume of humongous dimensions. If I wanted to open the volume, I would have to clear everything from my desk. And, for a few hours, my desk would become The King’s Throne.
Of course, there was also a Braille volume, containing the key to the map.
I spent countless evenings and nights, traveling the world with that atlas. But, what’s more, this KING of Bridge Building allowed my friends and me to explore the world together.
When I became a university student, my sighted classmates would come to my home, and the Atlas was the greatest attraction. In fact… Sometimes I even felt somewhat disappointed, because the girls would be interested in that Atlas more than they were interested in me.
The games were something like: “With your eyes closed, travel from Warsaw to Prague”. Or, “Feel any random map and try to understand where you are”.
I am sorry to say that, as years went by, this Atlas fell apart. Literally. But the friendships it produced still hold strong.
Is there something that can replace that old Atlas in the 21st century? That’s a question for your research.
5. Tactile Children’s Books
Reading to your kids and with your kids is fun! But who said that tactile children books are for your kids only? What if their friends come to visit? For example, what if there is a birthday, or a sleep-over, or even a school event where the kids are supposed to bring their favorite books?
I’ll tell you plainly: if you read tactile books only with your kids, then you are definitely underusing their potential. Think of it this way: you’ve got at your disposal the type of books that are not available to other children. In fact, access to tactile books is somewhat of a privilege, and we would do well to share this privilege with others.
Let your kids’ friends explore these books! GO ahead and read together. And of course, build games around these books, so that blind and sighted children can share the fun. In the process, you will also teach your blind kids how to build bridges with Braille.
6. And finally: the Braille display
When someone asks you: “How does this thing work?”, this is your key to start building bridges. Of course, there’s no point trying to explain this at the beginning of a serious business meeting. But, since the question was asked, you have an opportunity to show and tell.
A quick tip, though: go ahead and let the people write something using your display’s keyboard. If you have a Braille notetaker, simply create a new text file, so that the writing will not interfere with your documents. If your Braille display is connected to a computer, then, again, just create a new document. And, when a person is typing in some random Braille dots, let them hear the speech and see the computer screen. In my personal experience, this works much better than a mere verbal explanation.
To sum up: as blind people and Braille users, we have a generous selection of bridge-building tools at our disposal. Using them to their full extent is only a matter of your creativity.
Have you got a tip to share? Please let us know!
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