Description

ID: A grey metal Braille typewriter with six keys and a grey cover that reads "Perkins Brailler" in gold text.

This Perkins Brailler was used once used at the Royal School for the Blind, Wavertree. It is a form of braille typewriter, which makes it much easier for blind and partially sighted people to write and learn braille. It is similar to a standard vintage typewriter, but has only six keys, to represent the six different Braille characters.

The Perkins Brailler was founded in 1951 and started being manufactured in England in the 1990s. The one in this collection is American made. Before using the Perkins Brailler, the Royal School for the Blind had used the Stainsby Brailler, an early form of Braille writer invented in the 1880s, with the Braille system itself being introduced in 1821.

A more modern take on writing Braille, the Perkins Brailler was modified to be much quieter and its keys more lightweight than older models. It is still the most widely used mechanical Braille writing machine in the world today.