American Printing House for the Blind “Child in a Strange Country” Traveling Exhibit Section 2: Reading & Writing Revised Graphic Proofs Submittal 08.31.12 11-261 American Printing House for the Blind – Traveling Exhibit Graphic Elevation Not to Scale American Printing House for the Blind “Child in a Strange Country” Traveling Exhibit Concept Schultz 11-261 08-31-12 — Revised Reading & Writing Graphic Proof Package 02 Final Size: Size: Final Writing Description:SectionGraphic 2:Reading& Exhibit Traveling theBlind – Housefor Printing 11-261 American 35.4375” x78” 35.4375” Reading & Writing Anne Sullivan and the Perkins School Helen Keller had a gift for language — even though real-world objects and actions. In about she lost her sight and hearing at an early age. a month, Helen suddenly made the connection: In 1886, when Helen was six, her father wrote W-A-T-E-R meant water!! Objects had names! to Michael Anagnos, head of the Perkins School From that point onward, with Anne Sullivan’s for the Blind in Boston, seeking a teacher. Some continued help, Helen Keller became a determined, eager learner who used her months later, Anagnos sent one of his recent newfound tools to explore literature, math, graduates, Anne Sullivan, south to Alabama science, geography, and much more. to tutor Helen. Using manual sign language developed for the deaf-blind, combined with As Helen grew up, she mastered all the raised-letter printing used for blind students, popular reading systems for the blind, from the young teacher drew on her progressive raised (embossed) letters to various dot codes. She also used a manual print typewriter. education at Perkins to introduce her student to the fundamentals of communication. Her favorite system, however, was the raised dots fi rst introduced by Louis Braille At fi rst, the task seemed insurmountable — in France in 1829. The braille system is still teaching Helen that the words and letters used worldwide to serve people who are Teacher spelled into her hand represented blind or visually impaired. “As soon as I could spell a few words my teacher gave me slips of cardboard on which were printed words in raised letters. From the printed slip it was but a step to the printed book.” — Helen Keller, 1905 Photo courtesy American Foundation for the Blind Revised Reading & Writing Graphic Proof Package 02 Graphic Proof Revised Reading &Writing — 08-31-12 11-261 Schultz ExhibitConcept “Child inaStrange Country” Traveling American PrintingHousefortheBlind RW.01 – Intro Final Size: Size: Final Writing Description:SectionGraphic 2:Reading& Exhibit Traveling theBlind – Housefor Printing 11-261 American 35.4375” x78” 35.4375” The First Tactile Books Essai sur l’education des aveugles (An Essay on the Education of the Blind) Paris, France, 1786 In 1786 Valentin Haüy, founder of the fi rst school for children who were blind in Paris, France, created the fi rst accessible book. Its pages were embossed in raised Roman letters. Haüy’s students produced the book on a printing press using specially made moveable type to emboss the pages with raised letters. Valentin Haüy (1745-1822) “Father and Apostle of the Blind” There is no more diffi culty in teaching a blind person “the principles of reading, than in teaching one whose visual powers are in their highest perfection…” — Valentin Haüy, 1786 The Constitution ofof the United StatesStates PrintedPrinted in raisedraised lettersletters byby thethe American Printing House fforor the Blind, 1875 RW_A08 (French Essay) RW_A02 Tactile Reproduction of French book This reproduction presents a page from the 1786 book, Essai sur l’education des aveugles — the fi rst book ever printed in raised letters for people who were blind. The rounded forms of the letters are similar to handwriting. The letters were also inked in, for the benefi t of sighted readers. The Constitution of the United States Printed in raised letters by the American Printing House Tactile Reproduction of French book for the Blind, 1875 This reproduction presents a page from the 1786 book, Essai sur l’education des aveugles — the first book ever printed in raised letters for people who were blind. The rounded forms of the letters are similar to handwriting. The letters were also inked in, for the benefit of sighted readers. Revised Reading & Writing Graphic Proof Package 02 Graphic Proof Revised Reading &Writing — 08-31-12 11-261 Schultz ExhibitConcept “Child inaStrange Country” Traveling American PrintingHousefortheBlind RW.02 – Inter Final Size: Size: Final Writing Description:SectionGraphic 2:Reading& Exhibit Traveling theBlind – Housefor Printing 11-261 American 35.4375” x78” 35.4375” Boston Line Type Samuel Gridley Howe (1801-1876) Howe founded the New England Asylum for the Blind (later Perkins Institution) and In the U.S., Samuel Gridley Howe used pioneered blindness education. angular Roman letters without capitals to develop “Boston line type,” printing his fi rst book, Acts of the Apostles, in 1834. Howe’s method became the main embossed type taught to children and over the next 50 years. When the American Printing House for the Blind began in 1858, its fi rst books were printed in Boston line type. RW_A07 (Fables) Page Reproduction from Fables by John Gay Printed in raised letters by the American Printing House for the Blind, 1869 Page Reproduction from Fables by John Gay Printed in raised letters by the American Printing House for the Blind, 1869 Revised Reading & Writing Graphic Proof Package 02 Graphic Proof Revised Reading &Writing — 08-31-12 11-261 Schultz ExhibitConcept “Child inaStrange Country” Traveling American PrintingHousefortheBlind RW.03 Final Size: Size: Final Writing Description:SectionGraphic 2:Reading& Exhibit Traveling theBlind – Housefor Printing 11-261 American 35.4375” x78” 35.4375” Reading with Codes Many early 19th-century inventors and teachers diplomacy, ancient writing such as hieroglyphics, explored ways to make tactile (touchable) and shorthand writing. reading systems for people who were blind. While people who were blind could learn Many rejected the Roman alphabet, fi nding it to read the various raised letters and codes, too diffi cult to read by touch. Instead, they all these systems shared one major problem: invented tactile codes using raised shapes or users could not “write” or create them by lines for alphabet letters. Ideas for tactile codes hand. These early tactile systems could be came from music, codes and ciphers used in produced only on a printing press. Ruggles Press Lucas Type L Englishman Thomas M. Lucas designed one of curved lines, and dots. A teacher of shorthand the earliest tactile codes. His system, introduced writing for dictation, he based his alphabet on in 1833, used a raised system of straight lines, a popular shorthand system of the day. Tactile Reproduction Tactile Reproduction Key to Lucas Type A page from The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, embossed in T.M. Lucas’ Embossed Stenographic Characters, London, 1860 Tactile Reproduction Tactile Reproduction A page from The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, em- Key to Lucas Type bossed in T.M. Lucas’ Embossed Stenographic Characters, London, 1860 RW_A10 RW_A09 (Pilgrims Progress) (Lucas Key) Revised Reading & Writing Graphic Proof Package 02 Graphic Proof Revised Reading &Writing — 08-31-12 11-261 Schultz ExhibitConcept “Child inaStrange Country” Traveling American PrintingHousefortheBlind RW.04 – Flip/Inter Final Size: Size: Final Writing Description:SectionGraphic 2:Reading& Exhibit Traveling theBlind – Housefor Printing 11-261 American 35.4375” x78” 35.4375” Dr. William Moon (1818-1894) The Moon Alphabet William Moon, an inventor who was blind himself, created a code system based on the Roman alphabet with letters reduced to their simplest forms. The Moon system reads from left to right on one line, and then from right to left on the next. This once popular system is still used by a few in Great Britain today. RW_A12 RW_A11 (Moon Type) (Moon Key) Tactile Key to the Moon System of embossed reading Tactile Reproduction of a page of Moon type Tactile Key to the Moon System of embossed reading Tactile Reproduction of a page of Moon type Revised Reading & Writing Graphic Proof Package 02 Graphic Proof Revised Reading &Writing — 08-31-12 11-261 Schultz ExhibitConcept “Child inaStrange Country” Traveling American PrintingHousefortheBlind RW.05 Final Size: Size: Final Writing Description:SectionGraphic 2:Reading& Exhibit Traveling theBlind – Housefor Printing 11-261 American 35.4375” x78” 35.4375” The Braille System Louis Braille (1809–1852) Although raised Roman letter systems were popular and numerals. Braille codes have been created at fi rst, a raised dot code – the braille system — for mathematics, chemical notation, and music. ultimately became the standard reading system All languages can be translated into braille. for people who are blind. Named for its inventor, Louis Braille Louis Braille, braille code could not only be read; it could be written by hand by individuals using French-born Louis Braille (1809 - 1852) became a slate and stylus. The braille system gradually blind at age four and entered the school for blind replaced all other tactile codes. Today braille is children in Paris at age ten. As a teacher, he used all over the world. continued to experiment with better ways to read and write. He fi rst published his code in 1829. Braille’s system was revolutionary because of its simplicity. The braille cell has six dots arranged Modern reading and writing in two, three-dot columns. These six dots can be Many students still use braille slates for short arranged in 63 different patterns, allowing for notes and braillewriters for longer assignments. punctuation marks, conjunctions, and common Others prefer an electronic note-taker with a letter combinations, as well as the alphabet refreshable display such as the Braille Plus. Frank Haven Hall (1841-1911) (1841 1911) Girl Using a braillewriter, braillewriter 1902 Photo courtesy Illinois School for the Visually Impaired Photo courtesy Illinois School for the Visually Impaired RW_A03 RW_A01 (Holy Communion) (Washboard Slate) “Washboard” Slate, ca.