Okay, gang. I think we agree that we all have our own ideas about this appearance issue. Terri's point is valid, and so is the opposing viewpoint. I too sing in mass choral groups and have used my BN;I cradle it in one arm and read with the other. Not ideal. What I usually do, for Terri or anybody else who wants to know, is transcribe the music into the BN and use that during rehearsals, when I am more often seated and can hold the BN in my lap; that way I can put the rest in Measure 7 that the director has asked for. Then, right before the concert, I emboss the edited music and put it in a black folder, or a black cover, or something that looks like concert black. This works for me, but everybody's system has to work for the person who invents it and does not have to be approved of by the rest of us.
Susie Susie Stageberg Project ASSIST with Windows Iowa Department for the Blind (515) 281-1351 [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of pann1 Sent: Friday, October 01, 2004 12:55 PM To: Chris Meredith Cc: 'Braillenote List' Subject: RE: [Braillenote] braillenote pk Let me get the record straight. I am not and never have been ashamed of using my BN or any other adaptive device. My point is this: there are circumstances when a person is required to dress in a certain way. Blind people are not exempted from these requirements. On occasions like this, the sighted people in charge want everyone to look "uniform." In college, I sang in an Oratorio Society and we were required to wear black. So I wore black shoes and a black dress etc. We had to stand up and sing. I was allowed to use a music stand for my braille music. But in high school, I wasn't allowed to do so and I was the only one required to memorize all the music. I didn't like it, but I couldn't thumb my nose at the director and do what I wanted to. Here is where the BN comes in: I want to use my BN safely while standing but the music stand provided is not very safe because it moves quite easily. On the other hand, standing up in front of a group of people with a BN strapped onto me would have to meet the approval of the choir director and it could not obstruct the sight of those in back of me. I believe if I am diplomatic, I should be able to come up with a solution which would allow me to use my BN safely without jeopardizing the appearance of the choir. But if I appear with a ramrod approach of, "I'm going to use my BN whether you like it or not," then I would cause unnecessary friction and my goal wouldn't be achieved. If PDI could make a stand designed especially for the BN, it would fill the bill for my particular situation. Terri, Amateur Radio call sign, KF6CA. Army MARS call sign, AAT9PX California ___ To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit http://list.pulsedata.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote
