Printing House for the Blind.
The resolution
was co-sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Sen. Jim
Bunning, R-Ky.
This morning, McConnell delivered some remarks on the Senate floor regarding the
APH, as it is known.
Here is what he said:
"I rise because yesterday marked the 150th anniversary of the American Printing
House for the Blind (APH). Located in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, the
American Printing House for the Blind is the
national source of reading materials and learning aids for over 10 million
blind and visually impaired Americans. Thanks to this Kentucky institution, they
can now fully participate in the American dream.
"Until the founding of APH, different schools for the blind across the country
each prepared their own materials, but soon educators realized the need for a
national printing house to fill this role. Louisville was
chosen for its central location in the country and because it is situated on the
Ohio River. On January 23, 1858, the Kentucky General Assembly passed an act to
charter APH. "In 1879 the federal government designated APH the official source
of learning materials for blind students across the nation, and the facility has
continued to receive federal support since then. Thanks to that support, sales
and donations, APH is able to create some remarkable products that have changed
the lives of many blind and visually impaired Americans.
"The facility published its first book, Fables and Tales for Children, in 1866
using the raised letters that were then the standard. In 1893 they published
their first books in Braille. Today, they have helped the
blind engage the 21st century with talking books, magazines and even a recorded
talking encyclopedia.
"They have developed computers to help the blind access the Internet, or read
recorded books. They have even created a sonar aid for the blind to use that can
detect how far away objects are by emitting tones that sound like chirping
birds.
"Before the American Printing House for the Blind existed to create all of these
wonderful products, it was widely assumed that the blind and visually impaired
just weren't capable of learning as much as everyone else. Today we of course
know that to be untrue, and I want to share with my colleague a letter APH
received that illustrates the point very well.
"A young fourth-grade girl in Nebraska named Ruthie was so grateful for a
computer software program called Math Flash, developed at APH, that she wrote
the facility to thank them. This is what she had to say: 'I used to hate math
because everyone else was smarter than me. Math Flash makes it easy and fun
because it has adding and subtracting games that help me remember. I can
practice whatever I want with no help from my teacher or my mom. I could even be
a math teacher maybe.'
"When you realize that most teachers or parents would be ecstatic to see such a
passion for learning in any student, whether sighted or visually impaired, you
begin to see the miracle that the American
Printing House for the Blind has made possible. They have opened up a world of
knowledge and information to millions of Americans.
"The city of Louisville and the Commonwealth of Kentucky are proud to be the
home of the American Printing House for the Blind, which adds much to our
community. The APH Museum attracts many visitors from around the globe every
year to see important historical artifacts, such as Helen Keller's Bible in
Braille.
"I want to thank the Senate for its unanimous approval yesterday of a resolution
I sponsored expressing this nation's gratitude to the American Printing House
for the Blind for its 150 years of service to
this nation. Their efforts have been essential to allowing the blind and
visually impaired to be fully included in education."
Source:
http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/politics/2008/01/senate-approves-resolution-honoring.html
End of Document