Braille: What is it like to read without sight? - BBC REEL

The 53-year-old Londoner Red Szell lost his sight several years ago due to the degenerative eye condition Retinitis pigmentosa - and has used audiobooks ever since.
But earlier this year, Szell decided to learn Braille, with unexpected results. In this video Red explores what effect learning to read Braille can have on your brain, and interviews a neuroscientist whose studies have revealed surprising findings.
Script & narration by Red Szell
Filmed & edited by Chris Griffiths
Animation by Archie Crofton
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Пікірлер: 23

  • @kieranwaugh9649
    @kieranwaugh9649 Жыл бұрын

    Imagine reading 'do not touch' 😭🤣

  • @ruthdepew7212
    @ruthdepew7212 Жыл бұрын

    I recently attended a memorial service for my sister-in-law. My brother read his eulogy off a standard typed piece of paper. His blind son read his eulogy off a piece of paper covered in braille. I think my nephew read his more fluidly than my bother. Fascinating...

  • @backtoschool1611
    @backtoschool16116 ай бұрын

    I had this cool thing happen in Braille music: I was looking at a minute (as I had just learned about the music code in college) and as I was putting the hands together as I was playing the pitches on the piano, I could see the Braille note shapes in my mind!! It was awesome!!

  • @lenonel3286

    @lenonel3286

    5 ай бұрын

    It always baffles me how the brain makes all these connections!

  • @backtoschool1611

    @backtoschool1611

    5 ай бұрын

    @@lenonel3286 It is a shame that we are not introduced to Braille as sighted children are introduced to print. I have been told due my memory I could play at churches, but because I do not have Braille to practice, I am reading off printed notes, which is getting more and more frustaiting.

  • @kaishawna3753

    @kaishawna3753

    5 ай бұрын

    @@backtoschool1611I actually taught myself braille music in high school. I’m learning to compose my own music. I still try to get my old clarinet music transcribed in braille.

  • @DAlilbigman
    @DAlilbigman2 ай бұрын

    Awesome explanation of this! Thanks for sharing!

  • @madduneelakantam780
    @madduneelakantam780 Жыл бұрын

    Plz use subtitles bbc👍👍

  • @b.a.erlebacher1139
    @b.a.erlebacher1139 Жыл бұрын

    It's fascinating that an area for reading symbols has evolved in the visual area of the brain, when reading is such a recent invention (a few thousand years) and until very recently, very few people learned to read. I wonder why this area was so valuable to pre-literate people who might only need to learn to identify a few symbols in their entire lives, and yet how easy it is for most people to read fluently, recognising characters, assembling them into words and phrases that translate into an inner voice speaking rapidly in the mind without being consciously aware of the process. I wonder if this area developed to interpret sign languages. There's a theory that sign languages developed before or in conjunction with spoken languages. It would be interesting to know if this area is active when people are conversing in sign.

  • @top-6075

    @top-6075

    4 ай бұрын

    😅🎉

  • @olorin4317
    @olorin4317 Жыл бұрын

    Fascinating and encouraging.

  • @AshutoshMishra-wx9jr
    @AshutoshMishra-wx9jr Жыл бұрын

    "they must have a great sense of touch", I thought that just after reading the title. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

  • @cry2love
    @cry2love3 ай бұрын

    Braille has advantage over regular letters - if you can read braille with touch you can also read it with eyes, so I imagine in the future we might have other different reading ideas come together and make up a better self letters that can be recognizable by the one who knows braille and don't. Just imagine having a book that you can read using eyesight or your touch without learning a new alphabet

  • Жыл бұрын

    Prof. Amedi is so cool.

  • @danielroy8232
    @danielroy823210 ай бұрын

    It's wild that there's a part of our brain specialized for a human invention.

  • @teehee4096

    @teehee4096

    Ай бұрын

    Same thing for writing. We all consider it natural, yet it's only 5000 years old. The brain is amazing, and it can repurpose regions for new tasks.

  • @RuiruWang
    @RuiruWang4 ай бұрын

    fantastic

  • @lostados2795
    @lostados2795 Жыл бұрын

    Most interesting

  • @stsart
    @stsart Жыл бұрын

    Really interesting subject! Can just somebody explain me why a doctor giving an interview in BBC is wearing a football jersey from Apollon Limassol FC? Is he a real doctor or a taxi driver from Cyprus? Ok, I am just joking Dr. Amedi, just next time you are giving an interview or a lecture let us send you jersey from AEK Athens FC, so we take you a bit more seriously! :) :)

  • @-sc6ut
    @-sc6ut11 ай бұрын

    Blud said :👨‍🦯

  • @komabu
    @komabu3 ай бұрын

    0:31 ⠗⠑⠁⠙⠊⠝⠛⠀⠊⠞⠓⠕⠥⠞⠀⠎⠊⠛⠓⠞ Why is the ⠺ (w) missing at the beginning of ⠊⠞⠓⠕⠥⠞ (ithout)? Is that because it's some kind of a short-form? Or did you leave it away as part of a stylistic device (because there will always be something missing if you're blind)?

  • @stuartduncan2772

    @stuartduncan2772

    Ай бұрын

    I'm brand new to Braille but I suspect that it might be a hint at the fact that W was not part of the original Braille alphabet. It was added as an afterthought.