Ileen was born blind. Her mother figured it out about a year into her life. She immediately started taking classes and joined support groups for the parents of blind babies…and quickly rebelled. She believed the instructions she received would only coddle her child and slow her down. She wanted HER daughter to grow to be an independent woman. As a result, she went rogue, even isolating herself from her family who often pampered Ileen more than her mother liked. Instead, she gave Ileen the opportunities to learn to communicate like other children and mainstreamed her in school. As a result, Ileen developed an uncanny talent for all things tactile.
A Printing Tool
Early in life, Ileen began to learn to read and write using the tactile method called Braille. There are more high-tech Braille devices now, including the top of the line Braille Notetaker which has Braille dots that raise and lower depending on the text being read. But Ileen started on a more mechanical level. After learning the alphabet she quickly moved beyond to become a true fluent Brailler using what is called contracted Braille, a kind of shorthand.
Before being introduce to the Perkins Braillewriter, she started with a low tech device that I have rarely seen. She is able to poke holes on a page writing Braille characters backwards and then turn the page over and read them!
Braille Expertise
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Ileen at Work
Ileen was fortunate enough to be employed as a receptionist in an office when she was a college student. She utilized JAWS, a screen reader software product to schedule appointments using Microsoft Outlook calendar. Because of her extensive knowledge of Braille, she was also able to do a number of non-computer related tasks generally relegated to sighted people.
Since Ileen has left school, she has not been able to find work utilizing all of her skills. She is one of the many underemployed. She is proud that she has work and is supporting her college student daughter. But she longs for a time when she can use more of her hard-earned skills.