Belated Happy Birthday Louis Braille

Happy 202nd birthday Louis Braille. RantWoman readers can go use Wikipedia their own darn selves.

Some links RantWoman herself means to check:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4902834/apostle%20of%20light.mp3

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4902834/History%20of%20Braille.mp3

RantWoman celebrated with testimonials on several email lists about how much Braille means to people, for example in feeling the structure of words, taking notes in private, and managing many other aspects of life.

RantWoman and another reader echoed the following comment: one place RantWoman wishes there were more Braille is in places like evacuation routes from tunnels or buildings. If it's dark and the power is out, people dependent on light are stuck until rescuers show up with a flashlight. Meanwhile, in places like public transit facilities, chances are not miniscule that there would be a blind person, aka someone more skilled than average at getting about without seeing, present. So put Braille (and raised letters) on the evacuation routes so people have the option of getting out before rescuers arrive.

RantWoman can hear rescuers saying well, you don't necessarily want to get out into something that is just as unsafe as where you are. Wanna bet? RantWoman can think of LOTS of situations where she would be glad to be out in fresh air instead of in some underground tunnel.


Finally RantWoman celebrates Louis Braille's birthday with sincere good wishes to now former NY governor David Paterson, set soon to enroll in the Helen Keller School in New York City to learn skills of blindness without which he has already had a busy career in public life.

RantWoman has not paid attention to whether this training is to include Braille. If so, RantWoman hopes Gov. Paterson has as much fun learning as RantWoman is even if the results are pretty slow and aggravating a lot of the time.

In fact, "have fun with it" is the best RantWoman can do about cheerleading. RantWoman thinks Gov. Paterson has been beset by a bunch of blindness busybodies who probably all think they know more than Gov. Paterson himself does about what works for his situation. The issue is that Gov. Paterson never went to blind school as a youngster. He grew up in a prominent political family that came with a whole lot of contacts that have probably proven invaluable in his career.

Even if one puts all the blind people in the state of NY in Gov Paterson's old state Senate district, that probably would not be enough people to get him elected. Plus there would be the problem of financing a campaign if 80% of his constituents are unemployed as unfortunately might be true.

RantWoman congratulates Gov. Paterson on having won elections among both blind and sighted voters; RantWoman has no opinion or no opinion suitable for her blog of his recent political setbacks. On the bright side, if nothing else, now he has lots of time for sitting on blindness boards and being a presence in the blind community--if he wants.