American Printing House for the Blind
[5] For over 150 years APH has created unique products and services to support all aspects of daily life without sight.[7] Legislatures in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee had appropriated funds for APH, and private donations had been collected in these states, but before the institution could begin its work of embossing books, the Civil War broke out.Federal funding created new demands for embossed books and the Printing House soon outgrew its rooms at the Kentucky School for the Blind.In the twentieth century APH continued its efforts to provide accessible materials to help blind people become independent.[9] Exhibits focus on tactile systems, writing devices, braille production, orientation and mobility, educational aids and early schools for the blind.The museum is designed to be accessible for people who are blind or low vision, with labels in Braille, audio, and large print formats.The exhibit focuses both on the specific history of APH and the various products it has produced including raised-print books, audiobooks, and stereotype machines.[9] This exhibit was praised for its use of photographs and artifacts but criticized for the minimal attention given to those who worked in the APH factory which the museum now inhabits.[9] The main Callahan Gallery focuses on development of reading systems and schools for blind people over time, across the United States as well as specifically in Kentucky.