With only minor exceptions, the primary manufacturers of braille slates in the U.S. produce the same slates today that have been produced for more than forty years. With modern materials and modern manufacturing methods, it would seem that newer, better slates could be designed that would alleviate or eliminate some of the major drawbacks of present slates and make writing by hand as quick and efficient for blind persons as using a pencil is for sighted persons.
This exhibit examines many aspects of slate design and structure and presents examples of slates that have incorporated a feature that is illustrative of the point. Many of these slates are no longer produced and many were not produced under ideal manufacturing conditions so simply acquiring some of these items to improve the variety of available slates is not a viable option.
Goal for Materials: To select and combine materials to achieve economy, comfort, and stability.
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Slate 111 from France shows a solid brass front providing stability and
allowing for smooth, fast writing and a lightweight aluminum back reducing the
overall weight. This pocket slate was manufactured by Association
Valentin Hauy, Paris and has 8 lines of 18 cells. Other features include: two
pairs of Dymo slots on back, top-hinged, and offset pins to produce interpoint
braille.
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Slate 085 from Italy shows a light aluminum front and a plastic back. This
full-page slate was manufactured by M. Marsella, Brevetto N., 66529 Turino and
has 22 lines of 24 cells. Other features include: movable line guide, magnets,
and furrows (horizontal grooves) on back instead of an indentation for each
dot.
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Slate 031 from Germany shows a thin sheet of rubber on inside of back instead
of traditional indentations. This pocket slate was manufactured by Deutsche
Blindenstudienanstalt, Marburg and has 9 lines of 20 cells.
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Slate 189 from Japan shows a nonslip rubber manufactured into the underside of
the back. This slate was manufactured by the Japanese Blind Equipment
Association, Tokyo and has a has 9 lines of 20 cells. Other features include:
top hinge, top-fed roll of paper, hook for holding notes, and a stylus holder.
Most slates manufactured in the U.S. used a "curled" hinge while many slates manufactured in other countries have employed a variety of methods to reduce the cost and manufacturing complexity of the hinge.
Goal for Hinge: To design and implement hinges for economy and utility.
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Slate 037 from the Czech Republic shows a hinge rivetted to the outside of the
two plates. This pocket slate has 7 lines of 22 cells.
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Slate 043 from Spain shows the hinge rivetted to the inside of the two plates.
This pocket slate has 3 lines of 25 cells. Other features include: furrows
(horizontal grooves) on back instead of an indentation for each dot.
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Slate 027 from Germany shows a hinge made from a piece of sturdy tape with a
very thin dowel rod in the center for stability. This pocket slate has 6 lines
of 18 cells.
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Slate 139 from England shows a large-topped rivet that is tall enough to allow
the front of the slate to pivot away from the back. When closed, the slate is
held steady at the open end by a small, vertical peg in the back that fits
into a hole in the front. This board slate was manufactured by the Royal
National Institute for the Blind, London and has 2 lines of 35 cells for
interline writing.
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Slate 069 from the U.S. shows rivets that hold the slate closed at one end.
This slate was manufactured for Chemical Bank, New York. It was distributed by
Chemical Bank to its customers and sold to other banks.
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Slate 162 from England shows small pegs at each end of the back portion that
fit into retaining holes in the front portion. This board slate was
manufactured by the Royal National Institute for the Blind and has 4 lines of
40 cells. The cells are grouped into two columns. Each column has cells spaced
appropriately for bookkeeping entries.
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Slate 111 from France shows a curled hinge at the top of the slate. This
eliminates the need for a precise size of paper for interpoint braille. This
pocket slate was manufactured by Association Valentin Hauy, Paris and
has 8 lines of 18 cells. Other features include: two pairs of Dymo slots on
back, and offset pins to produce interpoint braille.
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Slate 189 from Japan shows a hinge at the top allowing a continuous roll of
paper to be fed through the slate and torn off at the bottom. This slate was
manufactured by the Japanese Blind Equipment Association, Tokyo and has 9 lines
of 20 cells. Other features include: foam back, hook for holding notes, and a
stylus holder.
Most slates manufactured in the U.S. hold the paper in place by means of small pins placed on the inside of the bottom portion of the slate.
Goal for Pins: To modify or remove pins for utility and tidiness.
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Slate 075 from France shows a slightly raised frame around the perimeter of the
bottom portion that holds the paper in a fixed position. This pocket slate was
manufactured by Serdimat, 169 Rue de la Roquette, 75011 Paris and has 8 lines
of 19 cells. it does not accommodate a standard-sized card.
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Slate 174 from the U.S. shows a permanently fused front and back with an
opening at one end into which a card can slide. This interline pocket slate was
manufactured by the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville and has
6 lines on one side and 5 lines on the other, all with 19 cells.
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Slate 085 from Italy shows hinged magnets mounted on the underside of the front
portion at the top and bottom of this full-page slate. The magnets on the front
allow the back portion to be swung away without disturbing the paper so
the braille can be read. This slate was manufactured by M. Marsella, Brevetto
N., 66529 Turino and has 22 lines of 24 cells. Other features include: a
movable line guide on the front, slots for Dymo tape, and furrows on the back
instead of an indentation for each dot.
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Slate 081 from the U.S. shows a design for the brailling of playing cards. A
slight hump in the middle of the back portion holds the card firmly in place.
Semicircular cutouts at several points along the edge facilitate easy removal
of the card. This slate was manufactured by Howe Press, Watertown and has 4
lines of 7 cells. This slate has no hinge and no pins.
Except for one jumbo slate, all slates manufactured in the U.S. produce a standard-sized braille character.
Goal for Character Size: To vary character sizes and configurations for flexibility.
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Slate 060 from Japan shows extremely small braille characters. 6 lines of 30
cells take up about two-thirds of a 3-by-5 card. This pocket slate was
manufactured by Nakamura.
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Slate 153 from Spain shows a full-page back with an open frame for the front. A
movable two-line guide provides the front of the cell openings. This
slate has straight lines called furrow on the back instead of an indentation
for each dot. There is a 6-dot guide and an 8-dot guide. This page-frame slate
was manufactured by the Organizacion Nacional pro Ciegos de Espania, Madrid and
has 2 lines of 24 cells. The 8-dot guide is intended for writing the Spanish
music braille code, Abreu.
Slates manufactured for special purposes can be extremely efficient and convenient.
Goal for Special-purpose Designs: To permit frequent writing tasks to be done more easily and efficiently.
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Slate 069 from the U.S. shows a cutout template in the front for filling out a
check with a pen and braille cells along the top and on the end for recording
check information in braille. This slate was manufactured for Chemical Bank,
New York. It was distributed by Chemical Bank to its customers and sold to
other banks.
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Slate 080 from the U.S. shows the addition of an oval piece in the center to
accommodate the cutout of a cassette label. This slate was manufactured by Howe
Press, Watertown. It has 4 lines. The top and bottom lines have 14 cells
and the two middle lines have 2 cells at each end.
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Slate 070 from England shows a tiny, 1-line, 4-cell slate that can slip over
the edge of a page. This slate is called the Tylor Margin Guide and was
manufactured by the Royal National Institute for the Blind, London. This slate
has no hinge and no pins.
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Slate 073 from Japan shows a movable bar on the front of the slate. This bar is
attached at the top left corner and can be oriented horizontally or
vertically allowing a card to be brailled with 9 lines of 25 cells or 13 lines
of 17 cells. This slate was manufactured by the Japan Braille Library, Tokyo.
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Slate 081 from the U.S. shows a design for the brailling of playing cards. This
slate has 2 lines of 7 cells at the top and two lines at the bottom with no
hinge and no pins. This slate was manufactured by the Howe Press,
Watertown.
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Slate 162 from England shows a very long slate with cells grouped into two
columns. Each column has cells spaced appropriately for bookkeeping entries.
This slate was manufactured by the Royal National Institute for the
Blind, London and has 4 lines of 40 cells.
Several slates have been designed that do not use paper. These slates have primarily been intended for teaching slate writing but such slates could represent an opportunity to make a quick note for immediate reference.
Goal for Paperless Slates: To write quickly and easily and erase in a one-step process.
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Slate 161 from Italy is called the Dattiloritmica. It shows a slate of 7 lines
with 14 cells. Each spring-loaded dot can be pressed and released causing it to
raise then pressed and released again causing it to lower. The action is
similar to that of a ballpoint pen. This slate was manufactured by Braille di
Rudari Vittorina & C. s.a.s., Casella Postale 102, 29100 Piacenza and was
developed for math computations.
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slate 166 from Russia is called the Write and Read. It consists of 10 lines of
16 cells. Writing is done on one half and pins appear on the other half
oriented for reading.
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slate 181 from the U.S. is called The Peg Slate. It has 1 line of 10 cells. It
consists of a line of large pegs which can be pressed as if writing on a slate.
When the slate is turned over, the pegs are raised in reading orientation.
A variety of additional features have been added to slates to enhance their functionality by making them easier and more efficient to use or to facilitate learning.
Goal for Additional Features: To increase functionality and to facilitate learning.
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Slate 130 from Germany shows braille line numbers molded into the slate down
the right side. This pocket slate was manufactured by the Deutsche
Blindenstudienanstalt, Marburg and has 27 lines of 30 cells. Additional
features include: holes for creating interpoint braille, Dymo slots on front,
and holes for anchoring slate in two sizes of loose-leaf notebook. It is
inscribed "made in collaboration with Christoffel Blindenmission".
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Slate 111 from France shows two pairs of slots on the back to accommodate two
different sizes of Dymo tape. This pocket slate is manufactured by Association
Valentin Hauy, Paris and has 8 lines of 18 cells. Other features include:
top-hinged and has offset pins for producing interpoint braille.
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Slate 112 from Germany shows ring-shaped protrusions to anchor slate on two
rings of a loose-leaf notebook. This pocket slate was manufactured by the
Deutsche Blindenstudienanstalt, Marburg and has 9 lines of 21 cells. Other
features include: holes for creating interpoint braille and braille line
numbers.
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Slate 130 from Germany shows several holes down the left side of the slate to
anchor slate in a German four-ring notebook or an American three-ring notebook.
This full-page slate was manufactured by the Deutsche Blindenstudienanstalt,
Marburg and has 27 lines of 30 cells. Additional features include: holes for
creating interpoint braille, Dymo slots on front, and braille line numbers.
This slate is inscribed "made in collaboration with Christoffel
Blindenmission".
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Slate 073 from Japan shows hole in corner of slate for tethering a stylus. This
slate was manufactured by the Japan Braille Library, Tokyo and has 13 lines
of 25 cells.
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Slate 085 from Italy shows a small bar across the front of the slate that is
attached at one side and has a knob for grasping. The bar can be positioned at
any line to keep track of the last line written. This full-page slate was
manufactured by M. Marsella, Brevetto N., 66529 Turino and has 22 lines of 24
cells. Other features include: metal front and plastic back, magnets to hold
paper, and furrows (horizontal grooves) on back instead of an indentation for
each dot.
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Slate 160 from Japan shows the inside of a folding board with slots for storing
two slates and a stylus. The folded board is held closed with a magnet.
This board slate was manufactured by the Japanese Blind Equipment Association,
Tokyo and has a 2-line interline slate and a 3-line interpoint slate, both with
32 cells. Additional features include braille cells on both sides of the paper
clamp, vinyl carrying pouch, and smaller than normal braille characters.
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Slate 167 from Thailand shows a print and braille alphabet on the underside of
the back of the slate. This pocket slate has 4 lines of 28 cells. This slate is
inscribed "produced by the Technical School".
