Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell delivered the following speech on the Senate floor on Thursday honoring the 150th anniversary of the American Printing House for the Blind (APH):



“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 aides 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 colleagues 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.”



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