Callahan Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind
Encyclopedia
The Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind opened in 1994 and is located in Louisville, Kentucky
. The museum
tells the story of the international history of the education of people who are blind
, and how the American Printing House for the Blind
has contributed to that history. Exhibits focus on tactile systems, writing devices, braille
production, orientation and mobility
, educational aids and early schools for the blind
. It is located on the second floor of the company's original 1883 factory building.
recording and playback equipment, long canes
and dog guide harness, original stereotype
printing plates and equipment, a comprehensive collection of historic braillewriters, and many historic books printed in various tactile writing systems. These include An Essay on the Education of the Blind printed 1786 in the first raised letters for blind people; The Gospel According to St. Mark
printed 1834 in raised Roman letters; John Bunyan
's Pilgrim's Progress printed 1860 in Lucas Type; John Gay
's Fables printed 1869 in Boston line letter
; the 145-volume 1959 World Book Encyclopedia
printed in braille, and Helen Keller
's Bible
. Visitors can write their names in braille, play accessible
computer games, experiment with goggles simulating different visual impairments, and explore many other hands-on displays.
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...
. The museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
tells the story of the international history of the education of people who are blind
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...
, and how the American Printing House for the Blind
American Printing House for the Blind
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...
has contributed to that history. Exhibits focus on tactile systems, writing devices, braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
production, orientation and mobility
Orientation and mobility
Orientation and Mobility or O&M is a profession which focuses on instructing individuals who are blind or visually impaired with safe and effective travel through their environment. Individual O&M instructors can work for schools, government agencies or do private contracting for their services....
, educational aids and early schools for the 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...
. It is located on the second floor of the company's original 1883 factory building.
Exhibits
Contrary to usual etiquette, nearly all exhibits are meant to be touched. A reader rail follows the entire museum with braille labels, audio devices, and tactile illustrations in front of each exhibit. Visitors will see original Talking BookTalking Books
Talking Books was a Canadian radio program, which airs Saturday afternoons at 4:30 on CBC Radio One. Hosted by Ian Brown, the program was a panel discussion on books and literature. The program was cancelled in 2008 and replaced with the expanded series The Next Chapter, hosted by Shelagh Rogers....
recording and playback equipment, long canes
White cane
A white cane is used by many people who are blind or visually impaired, both as a mobility tool and as a courtesy to others. Not all modern white canes are designed to fulfill the same primary function, however: There are at least five varieties of this tool, each serving a slightly different...
and dog guide harness, original stereotype
Stereotype (printing)
In printing, a stereotype, also known as a cliché, stereoplate or simply a stereo, was originally a "solid plate or type-metal, cast from a papier-mâché or plaster mould taken from the surface of a forme of type" used for printing instead of the original...
printing plates and equipment, a comprehensive collection of historic braillewriters, and many historic books printed in various tactile writing systems. These include An Essay on the Education of the Blind printed 1786 in the first raised letters for blind people; The Gospel According to St. Mark
Gospel of Mark
The Gospel According to Mark , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Mark or simply Mark, is the second book of the New Testament. This canonical account of the life of Jesus of Nazareth is one of the three synoptic gospels. It was thought to be an epitome, which accounts for its place as the second...
printed 1834 in raised Roman letters; John Bunyan
John Bunyan
John Bunyan was an English Christian writer and preacher, famous for writing The Pilgrim's Progress. Though he was a Reformed Baptist, in the Church of England he is remembered with a Lesser Festival on 30 August, and on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church on 29 August.-Life:In 1628,...
's Pilgrim's Progress printed 1860 in Lucas Type; John Gay
John Gay
John Gay was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for The Beggar's Opera , set to music by Johann Christoph Pepusch...
's Fables printed 1869 in 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 :...
; the 145-volume 1959 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...
printed in braille, and Helen Keller
Helen Keller
Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree....
's Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. Visitors can write their names in braille, play accessible
Computer accessibility
In human-computer interaction, computer accessibility refers to the accessibility of a computer system to all people, regardless of disability or severity of impairment...
computer games, experiment with goggles simulating different visual impairments, and explore many other hands-on displays.