Ok...so spent AGES yesterday doing my Braille Calendar. And a LONG list of ups and downs (mainly downs)
Looking for the right material to use for my calendar (card)... so rushed out and bought 5 LARGE sheets from a close-by library.
Once I finished designing ALL my pages (13 of them), I realized the card is far to thick for me to be able to see the dots when I hold the paper up in the light. So, I spent even longer designing a page that I will print on the opposite side of the page, so I would know where to poke to emboss the braille dots.
So FINALLY finishing all that, came time to print, only to find my paper was TOO thick to be printed on, and it would continuously get jammed in the printer. So... all that extra time spent designing the inverted opposite side, went to waste.
So ended up just printing on regular A3 paper.
Heading out home, I started by accurately cutting each page, then once all that was done. Moving to the tedious parts...
In my new design I have tabs, where the blind/partially blind client can mark if they have something to do in the morning or night. So cutting each tab so it can be folded up.
Finishing up doing 730 cuts for the tabs
Came the part that took me over 5 STRAIGHT hours....
The embossing.
What I did, was placed the cutting mat on my lap so its standing, leaning against the table, where the light from my laptop helped me to see through the paper to the other side. Holding the paper securely to the mat, I used my tablet pen, which has a blunt tip. And used it to poke the paper, so with the help of the mat, didn't let the paper to rip or break, only be indented.
So... continuously doing the tiny dots, were tiring... and painful (blisters and all), but it was WELL worth it! I'm SOOOO happy how it turned out!
The bigger dots I have for the front cover was done with the tip of the C battery (pinky-size fat round battery).
Now... to do...
* Add another layer, so that even partially blind people, who can slightly see, can OBVIOUSLY find a date quickly.. possibly the grid being split in 2's or 5's.
* Consider different dimensions for the calender, possibly a pocket calendar.
* Analyze how braille is read, more horizontally or vertically dominant
* And a more constructive way to produce the flaps.
Al Noor Institute for the Blind
ReplyDeleteOne of the most advanced and well known centres in the Gulf, Al Noor Institute for the Blind is a learning centre for visually impaired and blind children from ages 3 to 21. Although the centre focuses on treatment for the blind, its children typically present multiple developmental disabilities.
Info: alnoorqatar@windowslive.com
Tel: (+974) 481 3498 or (+974) 482 3630
I have volunteered for a two days event in that center, and I tell you the girls in there are very talented and very smart.
ReplyDeleteAww really.. how lovely.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the contact detail Pornprapha, I'll give them a call tomorrow and make an appointment. I'm really excited to go there