American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.

Just attended the APH Annual Meeting in Louisville, KY., which was very well attended by many professionals in the field of visual impairments! Three in our group from Tennessee had missed the scheduled tours of APH, and then we met Bob Belknap! He took time out from his busy conference schedule, and conducted the tour to our delight! It was my first time to actually see where the many adaptive materials are not only designed, but created, boxed up, and delivered to other school systems all over the USA! Our students with visual impairments not only use many of these wonderful materials every day, they help to increase their chances of being successful, independent learners with these APH products! The tour was definitely one of the highlights of our APH Conference visit! I was also impressed with how "clean" the work areas were, and how "safety-conscious" the APH workers were in the various parts of the building! Many of the workers have chosen to stay and work at APH for several years, and definitely claim ownership of the amazing products they help design for the Vision population! I think this speaks very highly of not only the workers, but the APH management staff as well! I also enjoyed seeing many of my Hero's in the field of Vision in the APH Museum! What a testament to so many inspiring, humble teachers, who have worked tirelessly for our student's with visual impairments! It made me very proud to be in this field, and to know that they are many professionals continuing to improve the academic careers for individuals with vision loss! Thanks, again, for a wonderful, informative tour! I look forward to visiting with APH staff and professionals in the future!

APH is THE pinnacle resource for visually impaired and blind children and adults. They produce thousands of products from books in Braille to books on tape to textured photos and maps and equipment for visually impaired and blind people to use as a way to continue to be able to communicate, function, and live their life to the fullest.

I toured the American Printing House for the Blind and was very impressed with the facility, the wide array of products they develop and manufacture, the high standards to which they hold themselves in the creation of the products, and they professionalism of the staff. Highly recommend this to anyone!

I just wanted to let you know that i really appreciate how you've made Readers's Digets and Newsweek available in digital form to us. Now i can discuss them with my sighted friends. This was really brought home to me recently. i was in a grocery store with a sighted friend who picked up a cpoy of Reader's Digest and was reading the title of an article. i told her i'd read it and it was good. she was suprised and i was delighted. thank you for this wonderful gift you've given us.

I toured the American Printing House for the Blind with my son's third grade class and have to say what an amazing place it is!!! I have lived in Louisville most of my life and have passed by the location, but did not realize they gave tours. The Museum is excellent. Our tour guide was great and kept the kids engaged. I didn't realize how many items they make and the number of children they serve (over 59,000 across the United States).

The tour is free! Take my advice and take advantage of this Louisville Treasure.

Though APH serves many important functions in the VI community, it is very clear that it is beginning to lack cohesive in-house leadership and a proactive direction. The organization could utilize technological advances more effectively with more direct emphasis on modernization of outmoded items.

Traveling to APH is a step back in time. While this could be seen as a positive for some businesses, in one that should be current with cutting edge developments, it is not a compliment. Equipment appears worn and antique. Staff diversity is lacking and in positions of strategic import and authority, this is all but invisible.

I have donated to the American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. for 30 years in some capacity or another. I will continue to do so but will be more apt to make larger donations should the Board of Trustees take a closer look at moving the organization a few leaps into the future.