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Annual Report 2011: Introduction & Contents
October 1, 2010 – September 30, 2011
In fiscal 2011, APH brought to market 45 distinct new products, including Feel 'n Peel: Carousel of Colors.
See full Table of Contents.
Mission Statement
The American Printing House for the Blind promotes independence of blind and visually impaired persons by providing specialized materials, products, and services needed for education and life.
Service Since 1858
The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) has served our nation's blind and visually impaired citizens since before the Civil War. Founded in 1858, APH is the oldest company in the U.S. dedicated to creating products for blind people and is the largest organization of its kind in the world.
Extensive Range of Products
APH's product lines uphold our mission and include a wide variety of unique educational and daily living items. A few examples of our hundreds of products include: braille and large print textbooks and tests; talking educational software; accessible technology devices; tactile graphics tools; and science and mathematics teaching kits.
In partnership with the field of blindness, the APH Department of Research supports the creation of a wide range of products by maintaining ongoing product research and development.
APH's product offerings are detailed in our print catalog and our accessible online shopping site, which are organized into the core curriculum and the National Agenda's expanded core curriculum instructional areas.
Specialty products such as audio books and braille restaurant menus are created by APH for commercial customers. In addition, APH makes custom-ordered materials on demand, such as braille and large print textbooks.
Unique Services Offered
Examples of the many services offered by APH include:
- The APH News monthly newsletter, featuring the latest information on APH products and services.
- The Louis accessible materials database, including the APH File Repository.
- NIP Training Events: APH partners with Ex Officio Trustees and others to provide National Instructional Partnership events across the country. Contracted experts present expanded instruction on the use of APH products in educational settings and across educational curricula.
- Braille and Audio Magazines: APH offers free subscriptions to accessible editions of Reader's Digest® and Newsweek®. Donations are accepted to defray costs.
Mandate and Corporate Status
Much of APH's mandate is derived from the federal Act to Promote the Education of the Blind of 1879. This act designates APH as the official supplier of educational materials to all eligible blind students in the United States working at less than college level.
APH is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation. Responsibility for its administration rests with:
- Corporate Trustees chosen from the local business and professional community.
- Ex Officio Trustees from educational and rehabilitation entities that serve students who are visually impaired and blind across the United States and Outlying Areas.
APH voluntarily complies with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that sets the business standards for corporate governance and financial disclosure.
For additional information on APH and its full range of products and services that support products, please visit our informational website or our shopping site.
Table of Contents, Fiscal Year 2011
Welcome to the redesigned web edition of our Annual Report! Note: APH no longer publishes a print edition of this report.
Corporate Section
- Officers, Trustees, and Committees — Fiscal Year 2011
- Financial and Production Highlights
- Executive Report
Administration of the Federal Appropriation Section
- Secretary's Report
- Highlights from the 2011 APH Annual Meeting
- Reports from the Ex Officio Trustee Advisory Committees of APH
- Distribution of Eligible Students for Fiscal Year 2011, Based on the Federal Quota Census of January 4, 2010 (Fiscal Year 2011)
- Agencies for the Education of the Visually Impaired in the United States Receiving Federal Quota Funds Due Under an Act to Promote the Education of the Blind, Fiscal Year 2011
Fundraising & Magazine Services Section
- Helping Blind People Become More Independent
- Accessible Magazines
- How You Can Help
- Hall of Fame for Leaders and Legends of the Blindness Field