Braillekey
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Hi Susan, I am so sorry for missing this follow-up question. I didn't receive a second notification regarding this thread.
The TN listed in your follow-up question is great. As a matter of fact, all the transcriber's notes you have shared with this forum fall within the responsibility of a braille transcriber. This is due to the fact that the material was not transcribed exactly as it is shown in print and the suggested use of 3D models provide a clear understanding of the material. Both of these reasons merit the use of TNs.
Thank you for sharing your pic with us. Those models really reinforce the learning of hidden lines within these net patterns.
Great work Susan!
Hi Anita, thank for writing in to the Ask an Expert Forum. Number lines should be constructed following the Guidelines and Standards for Tactile Graphics (whether in UEB or in Nemeth Within UEB) and whether or not they are done as a tactile graphic or (as in higher grades) constructed using braille cells within the braille software for embossing. See §6.5 which pertains to all aspects of creating number lines. No, you do not use a continuation indicator at the point of division at the end of a line. The runover always begins with a tick mark (coordinate) rather than part of the axis line and is run over 2 cells to the right. So, no, the tick marks will not align with the previous braille line in the runover line. See also §6.5.1.10 for a hierarchy for accommodating a long number line without runovers, and §6.5.1.11 for dividing the number line. Further information is provided in §6.5.1.12 and §6.5.1.13 regarding rules according to the grade level for which you are transcribing the number line.
Hi Cheryl, thank you for writing in to the NBA Ask an Expert Forum. Although I don't use TactileView Graphic software, the provided images appear to have been traced using quick auto tracing within the TactileView Graphic software.
The image should be traced using a line creation tool rather than tracing tools. If you do opt to trace, you must convert the lines into a proper line weight as shown in Appendix F of Guidelines and Standards. Verify that all lines reflect what is shown in print. For instance, if two lines on opposite ends (right and left) of the graphic run parallel to each other in print, make sure that these are straight and truly parallel in the tactile graphic version. Also, verify that your 90 degree angles are properly done as well.
Hi Susan, thank you for writing in to the Ask an Expert Forum. The TG Committee is in agreement with how you are handling this situation. Betty mentioned placing the TN at the first occurrence rather than on the TN page, unless these graphics are repeated throughout the chapter. Also, I've added Donald Winiecki's, a TG Committee member, had this to say about your question: "The first image in each of the sequences she shows in her picture also seems to present a very difficult problem if directly transcribed into a TG. The first of the three she shows might be interpretable by an experienced tactile reader who also has experience with similar physical models. However, the second and third show hidden lines and hidden surfaces that might be a big problem for most tactile readers.
The usual sixth grader is about 11 years old and that is about the time when students are able to begin the formal operations stage, which includes the ability to understand this sort of drawing representation. In fact, my experience is that some sighted students have difficulty with hidden lines and surfaces unless also provided with a physical model!
Perhaps the best solution -- even though it goes past Susan's work as a maths transcriber (she works at the Idaho School for Deaf & Blind -- IESDB -- not too far from my location in Boise) would be to fabricate actual paper models that a student could unfold and then reassemble into those shapes. (Parenthetically, as a kid I absolutely loved this kind of activity and it was something that fed my interest in engineering drawing, illustration, and industrial arts.)"
Susan, if you work directly with the student, Don's suggestion will further clarify the concepts to be learned. However, if this is strictly a textbook transcription, the manner in which you handled it is suffice.
Hope this helps!
Hi LaVerne, thank you for writing to the Ask an Expert Forum. I'm sorry to inform you that I do not have a reference to provide. What I can supply is my own personal opinion. If this map was produced as shown in this print example and was not divided for a specific reason, “reference points” are not necessary. Adding labels to areas that do not exist in print can be misleading or inaccurate. At the same time, as a TG artist, you wouldn't surround this continent in water, for example where Canada exists, which can lead the reader to interpret this area to be an island rather than a continent. However, if the image or the context leading up to it does not introduce this map as "North America or The U.S." you can add this information within a transcriber's note for orientation.
Hope this helps.
Hi, thank you for writing in to the National Braille Association. Braille Formats revoked the use of repeated headings after the release of G&S in 2010. In the new revision of G&S, it will state that headings are not repeated. That said, follow BF Section 4.3 for heading provisions.
Hope this helps. Thank for supporting the National Braille Association.
Thank you for writing and sending in your examples to the NBA Ask an Expert Forum. The Tactile Graphics Committee recommends the use of raised lines to represent structures and arrows versus the combination of braille dots and raised lines as these tactile graphics display, with the exception of electron dots as highlighted in Section 4.3 of the Chemistry Code. Also, this graphic lacks a Nemeth Code Terminator. Please see Provisional Guidance for Chemistry Notation using Nemeth in UEB Contexts at http://www.brailleauthority.org/mathscience/chemistry_guidance2017/Provisional%20Guidance%20for%20Chemistry%20Notation.pdf. Other than the things mentioned above, this reproduction is accurate.
Hi Rebecca, I am so sorry for missing this post, I just seen it today. Please see the attachment. Hope this helps.
Thanks!
Hi Susan, thank you for writing in and providing examples with your question.
In regard to the circles used within the number line, we have suggest you either omit or retain. These points are explained below.
If the circles were to be omitted, a transcriber’s note should be inserted at the first occurrence. Since the text indicates that segments need to be circled, you can also add language to your TN that mentions the substitution of circles with a bracket or a measuring line.
If you wanted to retain the circles, Betty suggested, “The instructions with the number line tell the reader to circle three 1/4 sections and then indicates that there are 8 in total. Again, I don't advise using circles unless it was enlarged and perhaps only a segment of the number line shown (with 2 circles--dashed, not solid lines) to illustrate the method. This is the "How To" explanation probably before actual questions, so they need to understand the method, but not necessarily the entire illustration. A TN could explain that only a small portion is shown, and give the remainder of the information in words.
Perhaps this same approach could be used with the fraction strip, but it would be very cluttered and difficult to know what was added by the transcriber and what was in the original.”
Hope this helps.
Hi Susan, thank for writing in and sending in this example. The TG Committee has come to an agreement that this image would be best represented as a tooled (spurred) tactile graphic instead of with braille cells. Furthermore, we would also advise using numeric indicators above and below the number line. Hope this helps.
Hi BrailleDude, the TG Committee and Lindy Walton, braille transcriber and BANA Chemistry Braille Committee advisor, have finished reviewing the images you provided. As a result, the TG committee found some these images to be too complex to be represented in either collage or Tiger embossed tactile graphics. Furthermore, Lyndy is quoted as saying, “These figures are so detailed and complex with colors and gradations of shading, I have doubts that tactile graphics would be effective. The tables, line graphs, and histogram are easily reproduced using standard methods but the strep tags and protein patterns seem too complex to render as a tactile graphic. I don't know if this can be recommended at the college level, but I would think a verbal description from a classmate or TA or prof would be much more useful to the student than a tg.”
Once again, thank you for contacting NBA in regards to your tactile graphic needs.
Hi there, thank you for writing NBA. Your question is currently under review, so we will provide feedback shortly. Thanks!
Hi Julia, records at NBA headquarters show that this publication was never available for purchase, because the workshop was structured as a two-pronged tool. This includes, the skills and expertise of the presenter and the text of the publication. As a result, without the presenter, the text alone is not effective.
Again, thank you for your patience and let me know if there is anything else we could help you with.
Hi Raymond, thank you for writing and supplying an example for viewing.
To answer your question regarding margins for number lines, we can state the following under these conditions. If the transcription involves Nemeth within UEB context and allows the use of braille cells to represent number lines, 4th grade or higher, BANA guidance advises following Nemeth format decisions within [BANA 2016] Guidance for Transcription Using the Nemeth Code within UEB Contexts. p. 19, step 7.
Graphics are spatial arrangements that are arrayed on more than one line in print. With this said, material is placed between blank lines within margin parameters that accommodate Nemeth displayed material. Therefore, displayed material would follow, narrative, exercise without subitems, and exercise with subitems Nemeth Code rules. This means the graphic can be placed two cells to the right of the material above with runovers two cells to the right of that.
For the sample you’ve submitted, the graphic can be placed in 5-7 if all the number lines can be accommodated on one line. We recommend you spot-check the material in its entirety before making any formatting decisions. The main objective to consider is that number lines are similar to Cartesian graphs, in that, it is imperative to maintain the proportional spacing between units to be measured. If it is found that some number lines require division between lines, we suggest you employ [G&S 6.5.1.11] for all number lines and place indentions in cell 3. A transcriber’s note can be placed at the beginning of the volume explaining the format used for number lines and the reason for it.
