[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 120 (Monday, July 24, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H7470]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Ward] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WARD. Mr. Speaker, this weekend--yesterday--I did a tour of the 
American Printing House for the Blind. Let me restate that name: the 
American Printing House for the Blind. It is in the center of the 
United States of America, and it happens to be in Louisville, KY, in my 
district. This is where services for the blind are generated in terms 
of printing.
  The American Printing House for the Blind produces such works as this 
geography of the United States printed in Braille. What we see here is 
the only page that is printed in ink, in fact, because this is a 
supplement for a geography book.
  What you will see from here on in, and I do not believe the camera 
will be able to pick this up, because it is Braille, there might be a 
little, there might be an ability on the camera to see some of these 
bumps. This is Braille. This is printed in very short runs, very 
limited editions for those people in our country who cannot study 
because of their eyesight.
                              {time}  1220

  That is people who are totally blind or in some other way are legally 
blind.
  The reason I bring this up, Mr. Speaker, is that in the budget that 
is being marked up in the Committee on Appropriations right now; there 
is a 40-percent cut in the Federal expenditure at the American Printing 
House for the Blind in Louisville. That 40 percent is only $2 million, 
$2 million, which will not have the effect of balancing our Federal 
budget. It does not even represent one-thousandth of 1 percent of the 
tax cut that is being included in this next Federal budget, not even 
one-thousandth of 1 percent.
  However, what it does to the American Printing House for the Blind in 
Louisville and the impact it has all over this country can be 
devastating. That is because there is no other supply for these kinds 
of materials. This is an American history book. As Members can see, it 
seems awfully big. In fact, it is just one of four volumes that are 
needed because of the large print. These are reprinted directly off of 
a standard American history textbook, but done in huge print for those 
who have some sight to be able to study. They are done in very limited 
runs.
  There is no commercial alternative for either of these kinds of 
volumes. What we will see is a reduction by 40 percent if this budget 
cut goes through in the actual services, these actual kinds of 
materials, that are to be used by our blind children in this country.
  We are talking about $107 a year that is set aside for each legally 
blind child in America, up to college age, not including college age, 
high school or less, $107 that is currently available to be spent by 
their school all over the country at the American Printing House for 
the Blind.
  A 40-percent reduction, Mr. Speaker, would be unthinkable. A 40-
percent reduction would do exactly what we are talking about up here 
not doing, because what we have been hearing for the last 6 months, and 
what we are all committed to, is helping people to help themselves, 
putting people in a position to get along a little better, to be able 
to do a little better for themselves and provide for themselves a 
little better. However, if we reduce by 40 percent the amount of school 
materials that young blind people in this country can have to enhance 
their studies and continue their studies, we will be making it harder 
for them to take care of themselves as time goes by.
  I ask the Members of the Congress to join me in restoring this 40 
percent to the American Printing House for the Blind and make sure that 
all of our blind children in America have the opportunity to learn and 
then later to earn.


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