The History of the Braille Typewriter
The braille typewriter dates to the late 19th century. Prior to the invention of the device, individuals who hoped to write in braille typically used print-cell writing frames or tablets, which helped the user produce the formation of dots that represent letters in the braille system. Louis Braille, the creator of braille, was among those who created frames and tablets for writing with the system.
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Frank Hall
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Frank Hall, who was the superintendent of the Illinois Institution for the Education of the Blind, invented the first braille typewriter, which was introduced to the public in Jacksonville, Illinois, in 1892, according to the American Printing House for the Blind. His device featured keys for each hand that allowed the user to push down keys individually or in a chord to imprint the braille arrangement of letters.
Perkins
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The Perkins School for the Blind is the most prominent of the groups that advanced Hall's design and began to build more braille typewriters for the blind. The typewriters, which were tooled by hand, struggled to overcome perpetual maintenance problems, according to the website of the Perkins School for the Blind Museum. In particular, replacing parts on the machines was difficult and time-consuming, and the typewriters were generally unreliable.
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The Foundation Writer
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The American Foundation for the Blind eventually improved on the design used by Perkins, working with typewriter company L.C. Smith in the early 1930s to create a braille typewriter that was more productive. It was called the Foundation Writer. The improvement was so evident that the Perkins School for the Blind agreed to stop making its braille typewriter, according to the school's museum, though the Foundation Writer's durability and weight were less than ideal.
David Abraham
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In 1941, a teacher at Perkins named David Abraham finished a prototype of a new braille typewriter. The new model was more reliable and durable than previous models, and its keys did not make as loud of a noise when struck as the other models had. The typewriter was first released to the public in the early 1950s. Howe Press produced the typewriter, which is known as the Perkins Brailler, with financial help from the American Foundation for the Blind, which decided to discontinue its Foundation Writer to remove any competition with the Perkins version. The Abraham version remains the basic design of the braille typewriter still used.
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References
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