- APH’s 150th Anniversary Logo - American Printing House for the Blind
The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) is the oldest organization in the United State devoted to the manufacture of educational products for the blind. Many visually impaired students benefit from APH, and use the braille and Talking Books it creates for the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, without learning much about the institution.
Understanding APH’s range of products and services can broaden make learning more efficient and broaden one’s world of reading.
APH Created As National Publisher of Embossed Books
APH was established in 1858 in Louisville, Kentucky with charter funds from the state of Mississippi and private donations. Passage of the “Act to Promote the Education of the Blind” (1879) provided federal funds to produce embossed books and writing materials. Today, APH is a private nonprofit that receives government funding through the Federal Quote Program. APH employs 320 people, many of whom are blind.
How Visually Impaired Readers Benefit from APH
The American Printing House for the Blind sells and offers information on many products, services, and organizations that can augment one’s personal reading, including:
- The Louis Database, a free online tool to locate and order accessible books available from over 200 organizations
- Thousands of textbooks in braille, large print, audio, and electronic formats
- On-demand product of large print and braille textbooks
- Hundreds of literacy aids including handheld and electronic magnifiers, screen readers, braillewriters, braille note-takers, and audio playback devices
- Educational aids such as software training programs, tactile maps and globes, braille supplies, teaching kits, and testing materials
- Free catalogs and brochures on a wide variety of blindness-related topics, from student assessment to daily living aids
- APH News—a monthly e-newsletter featuring the latest APH products, services, workshops, and events.
How to Access APH Materials
APH is not a membership organization; anyone can purchase its products except subscriptions to accessible versions of Newsweek and Reader’s Digest, for which only blind persons are eligible. Order products directly through APH’s website or the Louis database.
APH primarily serves the blind and visually impaired, though many products are useful to Learning Disabled students and those with multiple disabilities. The organization serves people of all ages, from infants to adults, with a primary focus on elementary and high school students.
Contacting APH
American Printing House for the Blind
1839 Frankfort Avenue, PO Box 6085
Louisville, KY 40206-0085
Phone: 502.895.2405
Toll Free: 800.223.1839 (US & Canada)
Key Contacts:
- Dr. Tuck Tinsley III, President;
- Rosanne Broome, Customer Service Manager;
- Maria E. Delgado, Louis Database Field Representative (502.899.2340).
APH Statistics
- Location: Louisville, KY
- Size: 250,000 square feet
- Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (EST), Monday-Friday
- Annual sales: $22 million
- Special Features: Houses the Callahan Museum and Hall of Fame for Leaders and Legends of the Blindness Field; tours available
Though visually impaired students often have APH materials procured for them in special education programs, knowing the source of these products and what else is available can open up new avenues of learning and pleasure reading.
Andrew Leibs - Andrew Leibs is Suite101’s Feature Writer for Accessible Recreation. He is a longtime chronicler of the disability movement with ...
