Activity Overview
Learn the history of the American Printing House for the Blind, an institution which began in a school basement and transformed itself over time into the world's largest manufacturer of educational devices for the visually challenged.
Experience the museum's 1883 gallery which encourages visitors to touch objects in an effort to better understand the life of a sightless individual. Use a mechanical braille writer and examine other tactile writing instruments that competed with braille, manually explore a tactile globe, play with educational toys, and work with talking software.
Through the museum's additional exhibits, learn about common causes of blindness and about famous people with visual challenges who made significant contributions to society.
Things to Do
- Take a tour which demonstrates the production of books printed in braille, the recording of talking books, and the special educational assistive devices used by visually challenged students.
- Participate in one of the Saturday workshops which contain such activities as creating a tactile holiday ornament or card.
- Take in a movie about the American Printing House for the Blind's factory operations presented in the museum's Video Theater.
The Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind Insider Tips
- Tours of the facility take place at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and last about an hour.
- Parking spaces can be found adjacent to the driveway and along nearby streets.
