Craftech’s Durable Plastic Fasteners Empower APH’s Educational Tools for the Blind

A long-time Craftech customer, the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) in Louisville, KY has been producing tactile materials since 1858. The organization began with a single printing press that produced tactile books. In 1879, the federal Act to Promote the Education of the Blind designated APH as the official source of educational texts and aids for legally blind students nationwide—a mandate that continues to this day.

Today, APH employs over 300 people and occupies a 280,000‑sq. ft. facility. It is the world’s largest 501(c)(3) non‑profit that creates educational, workplace, recreational, and independent‑living products for people who are visually impaired. APH serves one million blind and four million severely visually impaired Americans. In addition to braille, large‑print, and digital audio books, APH manufactures software, board games, accessible tests, talking calculators, and more.

APH currently uses Craftech’s plastic fasteners in two flagship products: a wooden Junior Constructo set and a braille‑large‑print protractor. The protractor, which features both braille and large print, allows students with varying levels of visual impairment to read the angles. Craftech’s nylon knurled nuts secure the pivoting wand to the base, and the open‑hole design lets a student insert a pencil or push‑pin at the angle’s vertex.

The Junior Constructo set is assembled with Craftech bolts and nuts made from nylon, enabling the fasteners to be dyed in distinct colors. For this set, the nuts are yellow and the bolts red, providing clear color coding that aids children with limited vision. Check out the video below of a visually impaired child using the Junior Constructo set—looks like a lot of fun!

APH switched to Craftech in 2008 after their former supplier became unreliable. The partnership has endured because Craftech delivers reliable service, on‑time delivery, and the flexibility to handle smaller orders—an invaluable advantage for APH’s production schedules.

Beyond its core business, APH’s custom production service converts regular print into accessible media for government agencies, corporations, libraries, restaurants, and many other groups that want their materials available to visually impaired customers, employees, and stakeholders.

Interested in learning more about Craftech’s plastic fasteners? Request a free copy of our catalog!