Zines in Braille

[Will]

I love zines. I need to get quicker at Brailling. The obvious solution? Transcribe zines!

 

Does anyone know of any zines already written in Braille? My own zines have always been cut and paste, not because I'm punk as fuck but because I'm terrible at computers (and OK, I'll admit it, I've come to like the look). I've got a few ideas for how to replicate various "looks" in Braille but I'd be interested to know if that's something other zinesters have done. Or, if you read Braille, if that's even something that bothers you.

 

Ideas, comments, suggestions? Recommendations for zines that would be good to transcribe? Of course I would get in touch with the zine's creator, get permission etc before doing anything.

[Grace]

I kind of dont get the point of a zine (or book for that matter) in braille.... unless you found a way to raise the braille off the pages?

[Stephanos]

I assume that's what he's going to do...thats what braille books are!

Grace said:

I kind of dont get the point of a zine (or book for that matter) in braille.... unless you found a way to raise the braille off the pages?

[James N. Dawson]

I half suspect that this may be a "tongue-in-cheek" response to the wheel-chair accessibility thread. "How far should zinesters go with their 'sensitivity' to the differently-abled."  I'm not trying to be sarcastic, just raising an honest question, but I think my foot's planted firmly enough in my mouth to end it here.

[Will]

Yup, Braille is raised off the page. I use a Perkins Brailler, which is a machine with six keys that can be used in combination to raise Braille letters. You can also get emboss printers that can be connected to a computer and will print on-screen text into Braille. For making shopping lists etc, most people I know will use a note-taker or a slate and stylus.

 

Of course, some people do prefer their books in audio format, but I think the option should be open to those who would prefer to read.

Grace said:

I kind of dont get the point of a zine (or book for that matter) in braille.... unless you found a way to raise the braille off the pages?

 

 

Nope, completely serious here. I was quite tempted to label this topic "making zines accessible", though, since the other topic is concerned with zine spaces. =)

 

James N. Dawson said:

I half suspect that this may be a "tongue-in-cheek" response to the wheel-chair accessibility thread. "How far should zinesters go with their 'sensitivity' to the differently-abled."  I'm not trying to be sarcastic, just raising an honest question, but I think my foot's planted firmly enough in my mouth to end it here.

[Beth M]

A recommendation for a zine that would be good to transcribe would be Erin H's Driving Blind #4, which you can get from her distro: http://www.thingsyousaydistro.com

(Erin is a person with disabilities - sorry if I'm using any incorrect terminology, Erin)

[Will]

Hiya Amber. Yup, I ended up transcribing Sarah Tea-Rex's fab zine Get A Grip into Braille. I'm technically still able to do transcription, but what with the huge amount of time it takes (about twenty to thirty hours, depending on length), the difference between American and British shorthand, and finally the high cost of mailing, I'm not currently looking to do any more.

[Hannah Robinson]

I can read and write braille, and I have access to a Perkins (I'm sighted). I'm very new to Zines but I think this is a great thread. I'm from the UK so anything I transcribed would be in British Braille. If anyone is still interested I'd be up for transcribing a zine.

[Emma Jane Falconer]

Don't things for blind people like audio books and braille books go free through the post too? I know they do in the UK at least.

[Laurathelorax]

It would be interesting to team up with the agencies that transcribe and audio record literature for people with disabilities that need this sort of thing. I think it's some sort of government thing, though I forget the actual name of it. I know the recipients get the items for free. Maybe we could reach out as the zine community to those people and they could request certain zine titles based upon their interests to be transcribed by the agency, as I assume it's easier for them to do so.