American Printing House for the Blind

Verna Bell talks about working as a stereograph operator at the American Printing House for the Blind from 1957 until her retirement in the 1970s. She describes stereotyping and correcting braille printing plates for use on the presses. She also talks about making hand drawn illustrations for tooling, and about APH recreational activities.

Hilda Caton talks about her work in the Educational Research Departmetnt at the American Printing House for the Blind, beginning in 1970 through the 1980s. During this time, she supervised research for and development of several braille projects, including field testing and evaluation. She talks about the Patterns: Primary Braille Reading Progam, developed with her associate Eleanor Pester, another braille specialist in the department, and about the standardization of braille codes.

Marilyn Cheatham talks about her responsibilities as Health Nurse and Safety Coordinator in the Human Resources Department at the American Printing House for the Blind (APH), where she worked from 1979 until her retirement in 2006. She discusses OSHA standards, the company's increase in safety awareness, the establishment of safety committees, and employee safety training.

Dale Carter Cooper talks about her work as a Talking Book narrator at the American Printing House for the Blind, where she started recording in 1952. She describes the variety of books that she read and some of the challenges. She talks about the relocation of the studios to the basement after the new adminsitration building addition opened in 1955. Also mentioned are other APH studio staff including narrators, monitors, and directors.

Waunda Cox talks about her work as a tactile graphics tooler, braille transcriber and copyholder at the American Printing House for the Blind. She discusses new technology used in braille and tactile graphics production, including the use of computers and the PEARL (Plate Embossing Apparatus for Raised Lines), and use of the carousel table in colating. She also describes breaktime in the APH cafeteria, and the 1988 Teamsters Union strike.

Mary Crawford talks about her work as a press operator in braille and large type production at the American Printing House fror the Blind, the machinery and changes in processes, and her work in the company's ATIC (Accessible Textbooks) Department, where she operated Braillos and binding equipment for textbook production until her retirement in 2006. She also describes the use of the PEARL machine for production tactile graphics, and of the TED (Text Embossing Device) and PED (Plate Embossing Device). Crawford also recounts her experiences as a Teamsters Union member during the strike of 1988.

Margaret (Peggy) Cunningham, 2001 APH retiree, talks about working in the Accounts Payable office at the American Printing House for the Blind. She also sdescribes working at the switchboard and assisting with fundraising mailings.

Loretta Curry talks about working at the American Printing House for the Blind from 1970 until her retirement in 1999. She describes braille bookbinding, silk screening, braille typesetting, making page layouts for large type books, and using a Heidelberg press. She mentions assisting with the Patterns series in the Educational Research Department.

Jack Decker, Vice President of Production at the American Printing House for the Blind, talks about APH production management and processes and how they have changed since 1981, when he began working at the company. Production areas that are mentioned include Braille, ATIC (Accessible Textbooks), Large Type, Tape Duplication, Talking Book Studio, Maintenance, and Educational Aids. He talks about on-demand production, improved inventory tracking, implementation of the Toyota Production System, unionization and the 2005 Teamsters Union strike.

Loretta Devore, a 2007 retiree of the Americvan Printing House for the Blind, describes the various jobs that she held while working for the company. These include the production of braille books covers and labels, collating of printed materials in the Large Type Department, container production, and the manufacturing of various educational aids, including the Sense of Science series.

Will Evans, APH Products and Services Director, became an employee of the American Printing House for the Blind in 1995, following his retirement as superintendent of the Kentucky School for the Blind. He talks about product development and promotion at APH and describes the company's product review process and product-education services, including the responsibilities of EPAC (Educational Services Advisory Committee) and EPAC (Educational Products Advisory Committee). Evans also talks about his career at the Kentucky School for the Blind and his experiences as a visually impaired student.

Mary Lee Frye, retired APH copyholder, talks about working at the American Printing House for the Blind from 1968 to 2004. She describes working APH Braille Production with braille proofreaders and talks about running a proofing press when she first joined the company.

Ron Gadson, APH Maintenance Division Manager, talks about working at the American Printing House for the Blind, where he began as a machinist in the Machine Shop in 1965. He describes machinery that maintenance employees have worked on over the years. He specifically mentions the Banbury mill used in making vinyl biscuits for talking books, the stitching machine used in the Bindery, and the making of cabinet-model stereograph machines. He talks about modifications of equipment for producing accessible materials and about the development of a prototype tape machine by APH employee Macombus Lee for using computerized braille transcription (circa 1960). The introduction of OSHA standards for machine safety and the effect of the Teamsters Union at APH and the reasons leading up to unionization in 1981 are also mentioned.

Fred Gissoni talks about working at the American Printing House for the Blind as a customer service specialist. He joined the company in 1988 as the first technical support representative to APH customers and, in 1993 developed and organized Customer Service, which later became part of the Customer Relations Department, later called the Customer Service Department. He also describes "Fred's Head" -- an APH online database of blindness tips and techniques that is named for him -- and discusses the PortaBraille, which he helped develop at the Kentucky Department of the Blind prior to joining APH in 1988.

Betty Hardin, retired APH Tape Duplication Supervisor, talks about her work at the American Printing House for the Blind. She describes manufacturing processes for Talking Book production from 1967, when she started working at APH, until 2004, the year of her retirement. She describes hard record pressing, tape duplication of both open-reel and cassette tapes (2-track and 4-track), mastering, and cassette labeling. She also mentions the APH softball team and bowling league of the 1970s and briefly discusses the Teamsters Union.

Anne Harlan talks about working in the Talking Book Studio at the American Printing House for the Blind, where she has been working as a monitor since 1978. She describes the teamwork that goes on between monitors, narrators, and proofreaders. She also talks about equipment used before and after digital recording was introduced at APH and about some of the narrators and APH employees she has worked with in the Studio.

Beverly Hassan talks about working in various departments at the American Printing House for the Blind. She describes using hard record presses for Talking Book production when she began at APH in 1954 and other jobs that she held in the company until her retirement in 2000 -- including stereograph operator and braille transcriber, working with mailings for fundraising campaigns in Magazine Circulation, filming accounting files in Micrographics, conducting tours of the factory, and being the switchboard operator.

Theodore (Ted) Herps talks about working in the Machine Shop at the American Printing House for the Blind from 1952 until his retirement in 1993. The Machine Shop maintained plant machinery and also made braille saltes. Herps talks about working on parts for the Lavender Braillewriter and describes the use of a Banbury mixer in the production of talking books.

Jim Hill talks about the American Printing House for the Blind, where he began working in 1962. He describes the Housekeeping, Security, and Slate Departments, which he supervises, and describes in detail the making of braille slates. Also mentioned are the cafeteria and breakroom facilities and the Teamsters Union.

Scbeulah Hoppes, a 1993 retiree of the American Printing House for the Blind, talks about braille transcription and working in the Stereograph Department, under the supervision of Nelle Edwards, where she stereotyped braille plates for the production of braille pages. Hoppes later supervised key punch operators who, in the 1960s, started producing braille proofreading copy at the company through the use of an IBM computer. She also talks about conducting tours of APH and about a 1978 fire that occurred in the company's buildling, affecting a braille project on which she was working.

Albert Jarboe, retired APH employee, talks about his work experiences at the American Printing House for the Blind. Hired in 1958, Jarboe worked primarily in Talking Book production, where he set up and ran record presses. Mention is made of a Banbury mixer. He also set up other machinery for Maintenance and worked in the company's Machine Shop. In 1981, APH negotiated its first Teamsters Union contract. Jarboe talks briefly about the effect of the union at the company.

Carole Jones talks about her work as a braille proofreader at the American Printing House for the Blind. She was hired at APH in 1977 and retired in 1993. She proofread materials in Nemeth Code, as well as other braille materials. She describes teamwork with copyholders; using a VersaBraille in proofreading; the advent of computers in APH braille production; breaktimes and the APH cafeteria, which was managed by Sam and Adam Begley; the effect of the Teamsters Union at APH, and participation in the union strike in January 1988.

Gary Jones, who retired from the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) in 2004, talks about working as a proofreader in the company's Talking Book Studio and as a worker in the Quality Control Department, where he checked recorded materials, as well as braille writers that had been repaired. He also talks about the APH cafeteria and its first managers, Sam and Adam Begley; about the changes that occurred at the company with unionization in 1981; and about changes in technology that affected his job. He also discusses integration at the Kentucky School for the Blind (KSB) when he was a student there during the 1950s and mentions Otis Eads, an African American band teacher at the school.

Louis Kraus talks about his work at the American Printing House for the Blind from 1937 until his retirement as Machine Shop Supervisor in 1981. The Machine Shop primarily maintained plant equipment and provided other maintenance services, including production of braille slates. He decribes machinery and production processes for talking books, braille, and educational aids, specifically mentioning cylinder (rotary) and hand (clamshell) presses, record presses, stereograph machines, the Beetz Notation Graph, and the [New] Hall and Lavender braille writers. He also talks briefly about the 1978 recall of educational aids and the effect of the 1972 OSHA Act.

Flora Long talks about working in the Shipping Department at the American Printing House for the Blind. She describes the packing, receiving, and shipping processes. She also talks about earlier work at APH as a braille press operator (1973) using clam shell presses, and about braille collating, thermoforming, and making Script Letter Boards in Educational Aids. The effect of the Teamsters Union at APH is also mentioned.

Milton Metz talks about his experiences as a narrator for the American Printing House for the Blind, where he began reading Talking Books in 1946. He describes early wax recordings and the teamwork between narrator and the monitor. He also recalls other APH narrators and Katharine Graham's visit to APH for the 30th anniversary of Newsweek Talking Magazine.

Mary Lou Monroe talks about her work at the American Printing House for the Blind from 1959 until her retirement in 2002. She describes collating and binding in braille production and working as a copyholder in proofreading. She also discusses production changes resulting from Toyota's helping APH to adapt some of the Toyota Production System approaches to manufacturing. Also mentioned are union negotiations and the 1988 Teamsters Union strike.

June Morris, retired APH Executive Vice President, talks about her work at the American Printing House for the Blind. She describes the Educational Research Department, which she directed, its organization and some of the department's research and product development projects, including "learning through listening" materials (which led to the development of specially designed cassettte player recorders), adaptations of scholastic achievement tests, development of low vision evaluation and training materials, voice indexing for World Book Encyclopedia and other recorded reference materials as part of the Aural Study System project, the Sensory Stimulation Kit for multi-handicapped children, and software development for computer use -- including Studio Recorder. Morris also discusses the creation of the Central Catalog database (later known as APH CARL and then, LOUIS) and of the APH Model Shop. Also mentioned are Teamsters Union negotiations and introduction of the every-other-Friday off schedule for APH union members.

Carson Y. Nolan, retired APH Presient, talks about his work at the American Printing House for the Blind, which began in 1957 when he became director of the Educational Research Department. He mentions research projects (braille reading, map symbols, speech compression, and reference materials), development of the Instructional Materials Resource Center (IMRC), computerized braille translation, and automation used in talking book production. Other topics include the APH cafeteria, negotiation of the Teamsters Union contract, and development of the Lavender Braillewriter, as well as development of the Personnel Department and a company budget during his presidency.

Charlie Norman talks about his work in the Large Type Department of the American Printing House for the Blind, where he worked as a supervisor in the printing press room from 1970 until his retirement in 1990. He describes plate set-up, use of the presses, offset printing, long and short runs, and one of the department's largest projects -- the printing of Webster's Dictionary. The Davidson offset press is specifcially mentioned.

Naomi Page, retired APH Housekeeping Supervisor, talks about working at the American Printing House for the Blind from the 1940s until her retirement in 1973.

Bob Phelps talks about his work at the American Printing House for the Blind, from 1963 until his retirement as manager of Technical Research in 2002. He describes electronic projects that he worked on, including installing and maintaining equipment in the studios for Talking Book production, working on record presses, designing equipment devices for indexing and variable speed playing of talking books, and producing Educational Research products, specifically APH PocketBraille, Handi-Cassette, and Speech Expressor. He also describes maintenance responsibilities from when he worked as division manager for building maintenance.

Raymond Randles talks about working in the Talking Book Studio at the American Printing House for the Blind, where he retired as Studio Supervisor in 1999. He describes proofreading of Talking Books, his first job when he came to APH in 1973, under the direction of Tina Lou Wallace, and the technological and presonnel changes that took place in recording during his years at the company. He also discusses the effect of the Teamsters Union at APH.

Terry Hayes Sales talks about her experiences as a Talking Book narrator at the American Printing House for the Blind. In 1938, when she began her narrating career, recordings were made on wax masters. She describes working in the APH studios and the narration process.

John Siems talks about his work at the American Printing House for the Blind, primarily in the Data Processing Department. He describes the introduction of computers at APH in the 1960s for braille transcription and production and explains the role of IBM in helping to bring this technology to APH. He also discusses Data Processing projects that supported computerized programs and files used by other APH departments in areas such as accounting, fundraising, and educational research.

Robert Steffen talks about working in the Educational Aids Department at the American Printing House for the Blind since 1970. He describes changes in production proceses, including the making and painting of globes and maps and the silk screening of science illustrations. Also mentioned briefly are the introduction of the Teamsters Union to the APH and the APH 1970s bowling league.

Carol Tobe, the first director of the Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind, retired in 2005. She talks about the establishment of the museum, whch opened in 1994; the renaming of the museum in 1999 to the Marie and Eugene Callahan Museum, in honor of generous benefactor Eugene Callahan and his wife (the name changed in 2008 to the Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind, with the original gallery becoming the Marie and Eugene Callahan Gallery); the development of the museum's traveling exhibits; and the 2003 renovation of the collections storage room.

Fred Tumbrink talks about working as a machinist in the Maintenance Department of the American Printing House for the Blind from 1941 until his retirement in 1986. He mentions welding frames for braille writers, repairing stitching machines for the Bindery, and working on stereograph machines at an offsite location at Ninth and Broadway Streets. He also talks about the Teamster Union's effect at APH and recounts his experiences as union steward.

Janet Williams talks about her work at the American Printing House for the Blind, where she retired as a braille proofreader in 2006. She describes the proofreading process, types of materials being proofread, and mentions supervisors, copyholders, and other proofreaders. She attended the Kentucky School for the Blind and describes the building and staff of the School's Colored Department, in which she was enrolled, and talks about the department's integration with the White Department in 1955.

Bonnie Williamson, retired APH Braille Production Supervisor, talks about working at the American Printing House for the Blind during the 1960s until her retirement in 2005. She describes stereograph operator and braille transcriber training and the changes that computerization brought to braille production. She discusses supervising in Proofreading, the introduction of ATIC (Accessible Textbook Initiative and Collaboration Project), and also mentions the use of scanners.

Betty Wommack talks about working as Assistant Braille Editor at the American Printing House for the Blind from 1955 to 1960.