Disabled Talk

(Image descriptions:

Image #1: A map of Maine, with dotted lines showing the border with Canada and New Hampshire, and raised symbols illustrating the topography.  The map is labelled in raised roman letters, not Braille. 

Image #2: The title page and publication information of the book, again in raised roman letters.  It reads as follows:

atlas of the united states

pinted for the use of the blind,at the expense of john c. cray; under the direction of s. c. howe.  at the n. e. institution for the education of the blind.

boston

1837.

Image #3: The book’s introduction, again in raised roman letters.  It reads as follows:

introduction. 

it is known that the contrivances hitherto used in europe for the instruction of the blind in geography, are very expensive, rude & imperfect, hardly deserving the name of maps.  they were made by hand, either by puncturing through a common map the boundaries of. or by first posting a map upon a board, & then glueing upon it, strings or bits of pasteboard, to represent boundaries, rivers, etc.  there was no lettering, & no printed explanations, so that the blind could not tell by themselves, whether the portion they placed the finger upon was to represent one part of the globe or another; they required to be taught upon each map, by a seeing person.

the first attempt at embossing maps, was made at this institutional.  after many expensive experiments a method of printing them was devised; & an atlas, the first of the kind, was published.  it has been found a source of great pleasure & useful knowledge to the blind, who can study it unassisted by a seeing person.
the present atlas will be found to be superior to the first, in the clearness & strength of the impression. & in the advantage of representation a smaller extent of country on the square inch.

it will give the blind the means of knowing the general outline, space, & boundaries of each state; the rivers, principal towns, population & general statistics of the whole.

Image #4: A second map of Maine.

Image #5: A map of Michigan.

From the spectacular David Rumsey Map Collection, the 1837 “Atlas of the United States Printed for the Use of the Blind“, embossed heavy paper featuring lines, letters and geographical symbols, destined to help blind children to visualise geography.

Here’s the whole book with zoomable pages.

Source @ Socks-Studio