MCU Matt Murdock, expert Braille reader
Ok, let me preface this post by stating that I myself am not an expert in Braille reading in anyway. My entire knowledge about Braille and the techniques visually impaired people use to read Braille comes from Google.
The reason that prompted me to look this stuff up on Google was this: I sometimes come across comments from fans on Tumblr or other places on the internet that state that the Netflix Daredevil show does not portray Braille reading correctly. Even the imdb Daredevil page puts this under "Series goofs" by stating "when adult Matt is shown reading, he moves both index fingertips across the page at the same time. A blind person places the left index fingertip at the edge of the line and keeps it stationary, to hold the place. Otherwise, the right index fingertip (which is the one that moves across the line of Braille) might not return to the start of the next line properly (it might get "lost" and skip a line or start one that had already been read). Child Matt does this more correctly than Adult Matt does."
Now I've seen the very same thing. Particularly in Season 1 Episode 7 "Stick", we see Matt using both hands to read Braille in the scene right after the opening credits. He moves the fingers of both the hands in the same direction simultaneously. And he seems to do it really fast.
These fan observations seem to imply that all the research the showrunners did to portray Matt Murdock's blindness correctly on this show somehow fell short when it came to Braille reading. Which means all the time Charlie Cox spent with his blind consultant before and during the show's production to learn how to move in order to authentically portray a blind man, which was something very important to Charlie as he's stated in countless interviews, also somehow missed getting the reading Braille part right.
Now, all this could be possible. IF we were talking about a lesser actor. Not our Charlie, though. ;) He's way too meticulous about getting details right when he's preparing for any role. This is the guy who aced 3 different Irish dialects during his prep for the screentest for playing Owen Slater on Broadwalk Empire because the producers kept sending him sides implying the character was from different Irish cities. This guy does not miss stuff.
And he didn't miss the Braille stuff either. Even my superficial research on the internet confirms that there are different techniques to reading Braille. Just like different pianists would each have a different technique for playing the instrument, with a beginner who's just learning to play piano using a different technique vs a virtuoso or a master, a beginner Braille reader would employ a different technique compared to a more seasoned one.
This link was the first one that showed up when I searched "Reading Braille with two hands" - which was the issue raised by the imdb entry, as it implied that you can only read Braille one way. With one hand while the other kept the paper stationary. Well, not according to this site:
https://nfb.org/Images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm03/bm0305/bm030508.htm
It mentions different techniques of reading Braille, stating, "you can identify a Braille-reading pro by the way he or she uses two hands to move across the page. By using the index fingers of both the left and right hands simultaneously, a Braille reader can reduce the time it takes to read a passage of Braille text... The trick here is to have at least one of the fingers of each hand moving across the dots at all times. While one finger finishes a line, the other index finger begins reading the next line; this means no pause between lines.... The problem with the one-handed method of reading is that a pause takes place between lines because the reader has to slide the hand back across the page to the start of the next line. The two-handed method of reading eliminates this delay."
This youtube video also confirms the same: https://youtu.be/fbUmaUV02gg
Comics Matt Murdock can even read newsprint just by touch. The show has not gone in that direction but we do know that Matt has heightened senses, which includes the sense of touch. It is very logical to assume that his Braille reading would surely be at a level of a pro. And watching the scenes that show him reading Braille off a paper confirms that Matt employs the two-hand approach, just like the link above mentions. Child Matt used the traditional technique because he was new to Braille, he was just learning it. Adult Matt has had years of experience and especially with his heightened senses, he's at a far superior level. He's a very fast Braille reader. He's just that adept at it now.
This isn't a goof, imdb. No one missed anything. Charlie Cox did good prepping for this. Please stop saying otherwise.
Ok. Just had to get that off my chest. ;)
