American Printing House for the Blind
Encyclopedia
The American Printing House for the Blind is an American
non-for-profit corporation in Louisville, Kentucky
promoting independent living for people who are blind
and visually impaired. For over 150 years APH has created unique products and services to support all aspects of daily life without sight.
. The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) was established in 1858 in response to the growing need for books and educational aids for blind students
.
Dempsey Sherrod, a blind man from Mississippi
, promoted the idea of a central printing house for books for blind people. He raised funds for the enterprise, which he named the American Printing House for the Blind. In 1857, Sherrod obtained a charter in Mississippi to establish a publishing house to print books in raised letters, and because of its central location, named Louisville as the proposed location. In 1858, the General Assembly of Kentucky passed An Act To Establish The American Printing House For The Blind.
Two years later, in 1860, APH received its first operating funds from private citizens in Mississippi and Kentucky. A press was purchased and APH was set up in the basement of the Kentucky School for the Blind
.
Legislatures in Mississippi, Louisiana
, and Tennessee
had appropriated funds for APH, and private donations had been collected in these states, but before the institution could begin its work of embossing books, the Civil War
broke out. This wiped out any possibility of the southern states
making good on their promises of funding. It was not until 1865 that a state allocation from Kentucky, along with donations from individuals in Ohio
, Indiana
, Kentucky, and Illinois
, allowed APH to begin the work for which it was founded.
The first book produced by APH was Fables and Tales for Children. It was embossed in 1866 in a raised Roman letter type called Boston line letter
. It would be many years before Braille was the standard reading system for blind people.
Federal funding created new demands for embossed books and the Printing House soon outgrew its rooms at the Kentucky School for the Blind. APH Trustees purchased land adjacent to the school where, in 1883, a building was erected to house the growing operations of APH. The current APH facility is still located on the same site and occupies nearly a city block. APH employs over 300 people.
In the remaining years of the 19th century, the APH production of embossed books increased dramatically, growing from a 15-page publications catalog in 1894 to a 100-page listing ten years later. The first books had been produced in several different kinds of embossed codes and alphabets. Gradually, these systems were phased out in favor of Braille. APH printed its first Braille books — several readers and children's books — in 1893.
Improvements were continually sought for a better stereograph, a faster press — anything that would lower the cost of embossed book production. Catalog offerings were basic Braille slates, writing guides, maps, spelling frames, etc.
In the twentieth century APH continued its efforts to provide accessible materials to help blind people become independent. Publication of the Braille edition of Reader's Digest
in 1928 provided blind readers with the first popular magazine available in Braille. The magazine is currently sent to over 1,200 blind readers nationwide.
s began. The first recorded weekly magazine, the Talking Book edition of Newsweek, was introduced in 1959 and the first recorded encyclopedia, the Talking World Book, in 1981. Flexible records were first produced in 1970 and cassette tapes in 1973. Today, APH produces over two million cassette tapes annually.
In addition to Braille, large type (1948), and recorded books, APH produced educational aids. To facilitate development of these products, an educational research department was established in 1953. Notable products were the New Hall Braille Writer (1940), the Lavender Braille Writer (1962) and the Cranmer Abacus (1963). In 1960, APH completed the largest Braille project ever undertaken, the 145-volume Braille edition of the World Book Encyclopedia
.
Efforts to improve Braille production resulted in the first computerized Braille translation in 1964. IBM
, the company that led in developing the program, donated a $2 million dollar 709 computer. By 1987, all but a fraction of Braille production was completely computerized.
A computerized database for accessible textbooks was introduced in 1988 and was expanded to include materials in all accessible media. In 1997, the database was named Louis and made available on the Internet.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
non-for-profit corporation in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
promoting independent living for people who are blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
and visually impaired. For over 150 years APH has created unique products and services to support all aspects of daily life without sight.
History
The first United States schools for blind children opened in the 1830s. There were very few books and educational materials for the students. Teachers made their own tactile teaching aids and acquired embossed books from EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) was established in 1858 in response to the growing need for books and educational aids for blind students
Blindness and education
The subject of blindness and education has included evolving approaches and public perceptions of how best to address the special needs of blind students...
.
Dempsey Sherrod, a blind man from Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, promoted the idea of a central printing house for books for blind people. He raised funds for the enterprise, which he named the American Printing House for the Blind. In 1857, Sherrod obtained a charter in Mississippi to establish a publishing house to print books in raised letters, and because of its central location, named Louisville as the proposed location. In 1858, the General Assembly of Kentucky passed An Act To Establish The American Printing House For The Blind.
Two years later, in 1860, APH received its first operating funds from private citizens in Mississippi and Kentucky. A press was purchased and APH was set up in the basement of the Kentucky School for the Blind
Kentucky School for the Blind
The Kentucky School for the Blind is an educational facility for blind and visually impaired students from Kentucky up to age 21.Bryce McLellan Patten founded the Kentucky Institution for the Education of the Blind in 1839 in Louisville, Kentucky...
.
Legislatures in Mississippi, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, and Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
had appropriated funds for APH, and private donations had been collected in these states, but before the institution could begin its work of embossing books, the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
broke out. This wiped out any possibility of the southern states
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
making good on their promises of funding. It was not until 1865 that a state allocation from Kentucky, along with donations from individuals in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, Kentucky, and Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, allowed APH to begin the work for which it was founded.
The first book produced by APH was Fables and Tales for Children. It was embossed in 1866 in a raised Roman letter type called Boston line letter
Boston line letter
Boston line letter was a tactile writing system created by Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe in 1835, a popular precursor to the now-standardized Braille.- History :...
. It would be many years before Braille was the standard reading system for blind people.
Federal Funding
Because printing books in raised letters could never be commercially successful, federal support was sought to assure a permanent printing fund. A bill was drawn up and presented to the 45th Congress. An Act to Promote the Education of the Blind became a law on March 3, 1879. The American Printing House for the Blind was designated as the official source of educational texts and aids for legally blind students throughout the country—a mandate that continues to the present.Federal funding created new demands for embossed books and the Printing House soon outgrew its rooms at the Kentucky School for the Blind. APH Trustees purchased land adjacent to the school where, in 1883, a building was erected to house the growing operations of APH. The current APH facility is still located on the same site and occupies nearly a city block. APH employs over 300 people.
In the remaining years of the 19th century, the APH production of embossed books increased dramatically, growing from a 15-page publications catalog in 1894 to a 100-page listing ten years later. The first books had been produced in several different kinds of embossed codes and alphabets. Gradually, these systems were phased out in favor of Braille. APH printed its first Braille books — several readers and children's books — in 1893.
Improvements were continually sought for a better stereograph, a faster press — anything that would lower the cost of embossed book production. Catalog offerings were basic Braille slates, writing guides, maps, spelling frames, etc.
In the twentieth century APH continued its efforts to provide accessible materials to help blind people become independent. Publication of the Braille edition of Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
in 1928 provided blind readers with the first popular magazine available in Braille. The magazine is currently sent to over 1,200 blind readers nationwide.
Talking Books
In 1936, the APH recording studio and record production department were established and production of Talking BookTalking Book
Talking Book is the fifteenth album by Stevie Wonder, released on October 28, 1972. A signal recording of his "classic period", in this one he "hit his stride"...
s began. The first recorded weekly magazine, the Talking Book edition of Newsweek, was introduced in 1959 and the first recorded encyclopedia, the Talking World Book, in 1981. Flexible records were first produced in 1970 and cassette tapes in 1973. Today, APH produces over two million cassette tapes annually.
In addition to Braille, large type (1948), and recorded books, APH produced educational aids. To facilitate development of these products, an educational research department was established in 1953. Notable products were the New Hall Braille Writer (1940), the Lavender Braille Writer (1962) and the Cranmer Abacus (1963). In 1960, APH completed the largest Braille project ever undertaken, the 145-volume Braille edition of the World Book Encyclopedia
World Book Encyclopedia
The World Book Encyclopedia is an encyclopedia published in the United States. It is self-described as "the number-one selling print encyclopedia in the world." The encyclopedia is designed to cover major areas of knowledge uniformly, but it shows particular strength in scientific, technical, and...
.
Campus
To house the growing production, the building was expanded many times. A new administration building, built in front of the 1883 façade, opened in 1955. In 1980, an addition to the manufacturing area brought the building to its present size (282,000 sq. ft.).Efforts to improve Braille production resulted in the first computerized Braille translation in 1964. IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, the company that led in developing the program, donated a $2 million dollar 709 computer. By 1987, all but a fraction of Braille production was completely computerized.
A computerized database for accessible textbooks was introduced in 1988 and was expanded to include materials in all accessible media. In 1997, the database was named Louis and made available on the Internet.