Large Abacus

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Record 61/76
Copyright Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind
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Collection APH Collection
Artist American Printing House for the Blind
Credit line APH Collection, 2009.6.
Date 1974
Description Rectangular black plastic frame with two rectangular cutouts in center; both cutouts lined with red felt; thirteen steel rods run vertically through both cutouts; lower rods each hold four (4) round white plastic moveable beads; upper rods each hold one (1) bead; beads are 7/16" diameter; cast into top frame, "APH"; raised bars and dots on frame divide beads into groups of three.
Dimensions H-4.5 W-8.25 D-1 inches
Dimension notes overall
Made American Printing House for the Blind.
Material Pastic, steel, wool
Object ID 2009.6.16
Object Name Abacus
Place of Origin Louisville, KY
People Cranmer, Terrence V.
Gissoni, Fred
Provenance/History In 1962, Carson Nolan, APH president, and June Morris, APH vice president, led an APH project in which 150 abacuses were made at APH and tested for use by blind students at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA and in Cincinnati public schools. Fred Gissoni traveled to the schools to train instructors and students in use of the abacus, which was based on Terence (Tim) V. Cranmer's design and which would later be produced as the Cranmer Abacus at APH. After 12 weeks of testing, it was found that the students using the abacus had an increase of 4 grade levels in their mathematical skills. The Cranmer Abacus first appeared in the APH catalog in 1963. The larger version was introduced in 1974.
Search Terms American Printing House for the Blind
Subjects Mathematics.
Arithmetic.
Blind.
Education.
Aids for the blind and visually handicapped.
Instructional aids, tools, and supplies.
Abacus.
Title Large Abacus
Image Courtesy Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind. Note: use of some materials may be restricted, please call before publishing in any format.

For more information contact the museum at 502-899-2365    museum@aph.org
Last modified on: April 02, 2010