Comments on Perspectives from a Blind Point of View: I Can't Read Braille With My Eyes Closed

That's really fascinating. Have you practiced ...

2009-12-01T12:25:14.847-08:00

That's really fascinating. Have you practiced much with your eyes closed? Does it get easier? I'd be willing to bet that it does have something to do with your brain associating open eyes with the activation of the visual cortex. Thanks to the interesting posts!

Manny, you have a similar condition to myself. Se...

2009-11-30T23:29:34.727-08:00

Manny, you have a similar condition to myself. Seeing is possible and also very uncomfortable. Currently I read braille for the "fun stuff" and use it daily. For screen reading, I tried ZoomText's free trial, did not care for it and am now trying a freeware program called Thunder Screenreader. If you google, there are quite a few different screen readers that don't cost

actually it's said that it takes 15 days (usua...

2009-11-27T09:39:53.337-08:00

actually it's said that it takes 15 days (usually) for the body to assimilate a new habit or break a pattern.

I find it's true, it takes me about 2 weeks to really get used to something or break a bad pattern

I've even been applying a "15" rule to lots of things lately, like if i want to digest a harsh, negative news or thought i would take up to 15

I'm sighted and just tried closing my eyes and...

2009-11-19T23:18:27.792-08:00

I'm sighted and just tried closing my eyes and "reading" text in my head -- I can visualize someone's mouth moving, and a few letters trying to form, but text eludes me.

I think you may be on to something with the brain mapping.

It's definitely harder for me to read Braille ...

2009-11-19T14:25:34.954-08:00

It's definitely harder for me to read Braille with my eyes closed, because that means I'm using my hands. But when I do read Braille with my hands I usually keep my eyes open and stare blankly, usually at the TV out of habit. I have closed my eyes before and it's definitely less comfortable for me, but I don't know about slower, as I'm not sure I could get any slower.

This phenomenon might diminish over time, with pra...

2009-11-19T10:44:31.449-08:00

This phenomenon might diminish over time, with practice. The brain is highly plastic :)

That's fascinating, although if seeing your ha...

2009-11-19T09:40:11.168-08:00

That's fascinating, although if seeing your hands would distract you, then closing your eyes makes sense. I didn't mention this, but sometimes I can see the braille in my head when I'm reading. Even though I have very little usable vision, I guess my brain is just used to my eyes being open when I read.

This is a very interesting question. I have enoug...

2009-11-19T09:31:00.104-08:00

This is a very interesting question. I have enough sight I can actually SEE the braille if I have the right glasses on and the light is just right. So I have had to force myself to read it by touch at all and to deliberately practice since I mostly use print. To that end, I generally choose to read braille at night in bed with the lights off... and my eyes closed. It's just the way I have