Department of Education

AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND

Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Request

CONTENTS

Page

Appropriations Language .........................................................................................................1

Appropriation, Adjustments, and Transfers ..............................................................................2

Summary of Changes...............................................................................................................3

Authorizing Legislation .............................................................................................................4

Appropriations History ..............................................................................................................5

American Printing House for the Blind .................................................................................6

AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND

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Appropriations Language

For carrying out the Act to Promote the Education of the Blind of March 3, 1879, 

$37,431,000. (Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2021.)
AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND

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Appropriation, Adjustments, and Transfers

(dollars in thousands)

Appropriation/Adjustments/Transfers 2020 2021 2022

Discretionary:

Discretionary Appropriation ................................................. $32,431 $34,431 $37,431

Discretionary budget authority: Total, discretionary appropriation .............. 32,431 34,431 37,431
ACCOUNT

3

Summary of Changes

(dollars in thousands)

2021.................................................................................................... $34,431

2022.................................................................................................. 37,431

Net change .................................................................. +3,000

Increases: 2021 base

Change 

from base

Program:

Increase funding for the American Printing House for the Blind to 

produce and distribute educational materials adapted for 

students who are legally blind and enrolled in formal educational 

programs below the college level. $34,431 +$3,000

Subtotal, increases +3,000

Net change +3,000
AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND

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4

Authorizing Legislation

(dollars in thousands)

Activity

2021 

Authorized

2021 

Estimate

2022

Authorized

2022 

Request

The Act to Promote the Education of the Blind

(20 U.S. C. 101 et. seq.)................................. Indefinite $34,431 Indefinite $37,431

Total annual appropriation..................... 34,431 37,431
AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND

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Appropriations History

(dollars in thousands)

Year

Budget 

Estimate 

to Congress

House 

Allowance Footnote

Senate 

Allowance Footnote AppropriationFootnote

2013 $24,505 $24,5051 $24,5081 $23,223

2014 24,505 N/A2 24,4563 24,456

2015 24,456 N/A2 25,0003 24,931

2016 24,931 25,4314 24,9314 25,431

2017 25,431 25,4315 25,4315 25,431

2018 25,383 26,4316 25,4316 27,4316

2019 25,431 28,4317 30,4317 30,4317

2020 25,431 39,000 31,9318 32,4318

2021 32,431 32,931 34,4319 34,4319

2022 37,431

1 The levels for the House and Senate allowances reflect action on the regular annual 2013 appropriations bill, which 

proceeded in the 112th Congress only through the House Subcommittee and the Senate Committee.

2 The House allowance is shown as N/A because there was no Subcommittee action.

3 The level for the Senate allowance reflects Senate Subcommittee action only.

4 The levels for House and Senate allowances reflect action on the regular annual 2016 appropriations bill, which 

proceeded in the 114th Congress only through the House Committee and Senate Committee. 5 The levels for the House and Senate allowances reflect Committee action on the regular annual 2017 appropriations 

bill.

6 The level for the House allowance reflects floor action on the Omnibus appropriations bill; the Senate allowance 

reflects Committee action on the regular annual 2018 appropriations bill; the Appropriation reflects the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L. 115-141). 7 The levels for the House and Senate allowances reflect Committee action on the regular annual 2019 appropriations 

bill; the Appropriation reflects enactment of the Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and 

Education Appropriations Act, 2019 (P.L. 115-245). 8 The Senate allowance reflects the Chairman’s mark; the Appropriation reflects the Further Consolidated 

Appropriation Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-94). 9 The level for the Senate Allowance reflects the Chairman’s mark; the Appropriation reflects Division H of the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260).
AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND

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American Printing House for the Blind

(Act to Promote the Education of the Blind (20 U.S.C. 101 et seq.))

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2022 Authorization: Indefinite

Budget Authority: 

2021

Appropriation

2022

Request

Change from

2021 to 2022

$34,431 $37,431 +$3,000

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Act to Promote the Education of the Blind authorizes an annual appropriation for the 

American Printing House (APH) for the Blind to produce and distribute educational materials 

adapted for students who are legally blind and enrolled in formal educational programs below 

the college level. The APH, located in Louisville, Kentucky, has received Federal support under 

this Act since 1879. Materials produced by APH include textbooks in braille and large type, 

educational tools such as braille typewriters and computer software and hardware, teaching 

aides, including tests and performance assessments, and other specialized supplies. State 

educational agencies and programs serving persons who are blind may order materials free of 

charge up to the amount of funds allocated to each State for educational materials. 

Approximately 70 percent of the appropriation is used to cover the cost of producing these 

educational materials. The APH uses the remainder of the appropriated funds to conduct 

research and to provide outreach services to professional and consumer organizations.

The APH conducts research necessary to develop and improve educational materials in core 

curriculum areas such as science, mathematics, English language arts, and social studies and 

adapts testing materials related to these subject areas. APH also conducts research in product 

areas related to the unique needs of the visually impaired population, such as braille reading, 

orientation and mobility, and assistive technology. In addition, APH produces special materials 

in areas such as early intervention and early childhood education, prevocational training, and 

the functional use of residual vision.

Outreach services provided by the APH include: administration of the Student Registration 

System, the Louis Database of Accessible Materials, and the Electronic File Repository and 

Expert Database; National Instructional Partnership activities; and the production of catalogs, 

brochures, videos, and a wide variety of web-based information. APH also convenes expert 

advisory committees and focus groups to address specific issues, as necessary.

APH materials are reviewed by a six-member Educational Products Advisory Committee 

charged with ensuring that all educational materials produced and research undertaken by APH 

effectively focus on meeting the needs of students who are blind. In addition, a five-member 

Educational Services Advisory Committee provides oversight and accountability regarding 
AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND

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APH’s outreach and support services. Both committees are composed of ex officio trustees who 

are the State officials responsible for administering APH accounts.

APH materials are distributed to programs serving blind students through allotments of funds to 

the States. These allotments are based on an annual census (conducted by APH) of the 

number of legally blind students located in each State and are provided in the form of credits, 

which trustees use to order materials from APH. These materials are also available for purchase 

by the trustees and the general public at http://shop.aph.org.

Materials provided through the APH appropriation supplement the various other resources 

available to the States. For example, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 

requires States to provide a free appropriate public education, including appropriate related 

materials and supplies, to all students with disabilities. In order to meet their responsibilities 

under the IDEA, many States make additional purchases from APH and other suppliers of 

materials for students who are visually impaired.

In fiscal year 2020, Federal funding provided through the APH appropriation represented 76 

percent of APH’s total actual revenue of approximately $42.4 million. Federal grants and 

contracts from agencies such as the National Library Service for the Blind and Veterans 

Administration represented another 6 percent. The remaining 18 percent of APH’s revenue 

came from nongovernmental contracts and revenue generated from the sale of unsubsidized 

products to State and local agencies, direct sales to individuals who are blind, private sector 

contract sales, corporate and individual donations from the private sector, and interest income 

from endowments and other investments.

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2017 .......................................................... ..........................$25,431

2018 .......................................................... ............................ 27,431

2019 .......................................................... ............................ 30,431

2020 .......................................................... ............................ 32,431

2021 .......................................................... ............................ 34,431

FY 2022 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2022, the Administration requests $37.4 million for the American Printing House 

(APH) for the Blind, $3 million more than the fiscal year 2021 appropriation. The request would 

provide substantial resources to support services in each of the three program areas—

educational materials, outreach services, and research. The largest proportion of the increase 

will be used to support the Federal quota, increasing direct support for students by 

approximately 10 percent over fiscal year 2020, which is the most current year for which APH 

has final numbers.

Educational Materials: The request includes $26 million for educational materials, or an 

estimated $448 per eligible student, leading to an increase in direct support for eligible students. 

APH provides adapted and specially designed educational materials including textbooks in 

braille and large type, tangible teaching devices, educational tests, and special instructional 

aids, tools, and other materials essential for the education of students who are blind. APH 
AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND

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manufactures these instructional materials for a broad range of academic subjects and grade 

levels. In fiscal year 2020, approximately 800 educational products were available for purchase 

with Federal Quota funds. The Federal Quota consists of funds from the APH appropriation 

(about 70 percent of available funds) in the form of credits that are allocated to States on the 

basis of the annual census of blind students in each State. APH intends to continue focusing its 

product catalog on products that are consistently in high demand, unique, and supported with 

strong educational programming. This ensures the most efficient use of available support.

The timely delivery of textbooks in accessible media formats for braille-reading students is 

crucial to ensuring that children who are visually impaired have the same access to a free 

appropriate public education as children without disabilities. In order to address this need, each 

year APH produces thousands of braille and large print textbooks on demand, including 

instructional materials featuring tactile graphics, which are essential for teaching subjects such 

as geography and geometry. APH issues industry standards for tactile graphics, manufactures 

and distributes graphics to students across the country, and maintains a Tactile Graphic Image

Library in order to increase the variety and lower the cost of pictures and graphics included in 

accessible educational materials. The funds requested for educational materials support APH’s 

production of teaching modules and associated instructional materials in these subjects.

Outreach Services: The request includes $2.3 million for a variety of activities that support the 

administration of the educational materials program, including the annual census of students 

who are blind and visually impaired; the annual meeting of the ex officio trustees; advisory 

group panels; printing and distribution of catalogs of available materials; and field services such 

as consultation, in-service training, webinars, and workshops. Other funded activities include the 

provision of ongoing consumer information and technical support to customers, as well as 

support and information to staff and teachers at schools around the country.

The APH website (www.aph.org) offers many features that support the Act, including: 

information on ordering accessible textbooks and tests; demonstration copies of APH software; 

downloadable catalogs and newsletters; information on training events; archived webcasts on 

products and services; product videos; online surveys; and educational content web pages. The 

informational website serves as a gateway to online services such as the Louis Database, the 

APH File Repository, and the Accessible Media Producers Database. The informational site 

content continues to grow each month as more information and features are added.

Research and Product Development: The request includes $6.1 million for research and product 

development focused on innovative educational products for students who are visually impaired. 

APH engages in developmental and applied research in the following areas: adult life, braille, 

early childhood, educational games and toys, low vision, mathematics, microcomputer 

applications, multiple disabilities, science, social skills and emotional growth, tactile graphics, 

accessible tests, orientation and mobility, cortical vision impairment, literacy, and transition.

Product development activities planned for fiscal year 2022 are categorized into 14 content 

areas: Adult Life, Braille, Core Curriculum, Cortical Visual Impairment, Early Childhood, 

Emergent Literacy, Low Vision, Multiple Disabilities, Physical Education, Art, STEM (Science, 

Technology, Engineering and Math), Tactile Graphics, Technology, and Tests and 

Assessments.
AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND

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The request will provide funds for APH to conduct over 350 research projects, including the 

development of new products for use with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers who are visually 

impaired. Projects are also expected to produce materials for students who are visually impaired 

with secondary disabilities, equipment to assist students with low vision, materials for braille 

literacy, classroom learning aids, tactile graphics, and tools to aid in the transition from school to 

postsecondary educational or job settings.

The request also includes funding for APH’s Accessible Tests Department initiative. The overall 

goal of the Accessible Tests Department is to provide timely delivery of: test materials in high 

quality accessible media; reviews of test items; text-based alt-tags and scripts of graphical 

information and mathematical/scientific equations, formulas, and symbols; and guidelines and 

recommendations of the most promising practices for accessible test production and 

assessment.

Regional Partnerships: The request includes $3 million to continue and expand the regional 

partnership with the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB) Center for Assistive 

Technology Training (CATT) established in early 2019 at $1 million. The CATT is a regional 

partnership focused on providing students with vision loss, as well as those that work with 

students with vision loss, training on how to use current and evolving technology. AIDB employs 

trainers to work in nine Southeastern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, 

Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee). These trainers, appropriately 

certified in the use of the technology, work with and travel to educational programs and 

agencies throughout the region to model for and provide training on assistive technology to the 

following audiences: students with vision loss; educators working with students with vision loss; 

local system assistive technology specialists/IT specialists; and families and caregivers of 

students with hearing loss.
AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND

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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures

2020 2021 2022

 Distribution of funding:

stribution of funding: Educational materials $23,193 $23,731 $26,000

stribution of funding: Outreach services $1,654 $2,100 $2,300

stribution of funding: Educational and technical research $5,584 $5,600 $6,131

stribution of funding: Regional Partnerships $2,000 $3,000 $3,000

Distribution of funding: Total $32,431 $34,431 $37,431

 Number of eligible students 56,866 57,434 58,008

 Average per student allotment (whole dollars) $408 $413 $448

 Number of services and products provided:

 and products provided: Products available with Federal funds 800 700 600

 and products provided: Advisory committee meetings 8 5 9

 and products provided: State educational agencies visited 0 12 13

 and products provided: Residential programs visited 3 10 11

 and products provided: Rehabilitation programs visited 0 12 13

 and products provided: In-service training programs and webcasts 40 50 65

 and products provided: Product training presentations and exhibits 130 130 145

 and products provided: Visits to Ex Officio Trustees 75 75 85

 and products provided: Total employees (full-time equiv.) 315 315 315

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

This section presents selected program performance information, including, for example, GPRA 

goals, objectives, measures, and performance targets and data. Achievement of program 

results is based on the cumulative effect of the resources provided in previous years, and those 

requested in fiscal year 2022 and future years, as well as the resources and efforts invested by 

those served by this program. The Department will be reviewing GPRA program performance 

goals, objectives, and measures for APH for possible revision in future years to ensure 

alignment with Administration policy.

Goal: Pre-college level blind students will receive appropriate educational materials that 

result in improved educational outcomes.

Objective: Appropriate, timely, high-quality educational materials are provided to pre-college 

level blind students to allow them to benefit more fully from their educational programs.

Measure: From an unrepresentative sample of American Printing House for the Blind trustees, 

advisory committee members, consumers, and teachers, the percentage who agree that the 

educational materials provided through the Act are appropriate, timely, and high-quality.
AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND

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Trustees - Percentage who agree:

Year Target

Actual:

Extremely,

Mostly, or

Somewhat

Extremely 

Satisfied

Mostly 

Satisfied

Somewhat 

Satisfied

Not too 

Satisfied

Not at all 

Satisfied

2017 98% 100% 67% 32% 1% 0 0

2018 98 97 57 33 7 3% 0

2019 98 97 44 42 11 1 1%

2020 98 98 56 35 7 2 0

2021 98

2022 98

Advisory Committee Members - Percentage who agree:

Year Target

Actual:

Extremely,

Mostly, or

Somewhat

Extremely 

Satisfied

Mostly 

Satisfied

Somewhat 

Satisfied

Not too 

Satisfied

Not at all 

Satisfied

2017 100% 100% 71% 29% 0 0 0

2018 100 95 52 29 14% 5% 0

2019 100 100 42 33 25 0 0

2020 100 96 54 34 7 4 0

2021 100

2022 100

Consumers - Percentage who agree:

Year Target

Actual:

Extremely,

Mostly, or 

Somewhat

Extremely 

Satisfied

Mostly 

Satisfied

Somewhat 

Satisfied

Not too 

Satisfied

Not at all 

Satisfied

2017 96% 98% 59% 34% 5% 2% 1%

2018 96 98 58 35 5 2 1

2019 96 98 54 36 8 2 0

2020 96 96 54 37 5 3 0

2021 96

2022 96

Note: Detail may not add to totals due to rounding.
AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND

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Teachers - Percentage who agree:

Year Target

Actual:

Extremely,

Mostly, or

Somewhat

Extremely 

Satisfied

Mostly 

Satisfied

Somewhat 

Satisfied

Not too 

Satisfied

Not at all 

Satisfied

2017 97% 99% 59% 34% 5% 1% 0

2018 97 96 48 41 8 3 1%

2019 97 96 47 39 11 3 1

2020 97 98 57 36 4 2 0

2021 97

2022 97

Note: Detail may not add to totals due to rounding.

Additional Information: In 2020, data was collected using a survey instrument designed to 

measure the levels of consumer satisfaction specified in the objective. The actual data reflect 

the percentage of respondents who were extremely satisfied, mostly satisfied, or somewhat 

satisfied that the educational materials provided through the Act are appropriate, timely, and 

high-quality. There were 410 valid respondents to the 2020 survey, a similar number of 

respondents to the 2019 survey (421). For 2020, the subsets of total respondents are: (1) 66 Ex

Officio Trustees, (2) 10 advisory committee members; (3) 98 other consumers; and (4) 

236 teachers. The response rate for Ex Officio Trustees was 50 percent.

Objective: To improve the quality of APH research and product usefulness.

Measure: The percentage of APH product sales revenue that is from new products.

Year Target Actual

2017 22% 17%

2018 22 29

2019 22 32

2020 22 29

2021 22

2022 22

Additional Information: This measure was developed to help determine the efficacy of new 

products developed by APH. The intent of this measure is to maintain a minimum percentage of 

sales of new products, as an indication that consumers are responding to and buying new 

products developed by APH. For fiscal year 2020, a total of $6.8 million of new products 

(defined as products introduced in fiscal years 2018 and 2019) were sold. Total product sales 

for fiscal year 2020 was $23.6 million.
AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND

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Measure: The average rating, according to approved criteria on relevance, for a sample of new

American Printing House for the Blind products evaluated by an independent panel of qualified 

experts or individuals with appropriate expertise related to the target audience.

Year Target Actual

2017 4.0 6.1

2018 4.0 6.2

2019 4.0 6.2

2020 4.0 6.3

2021 4.0

2022 4.0

Additional Information: To determine the average relevance rating, a panel of experts, who 

are proposed by APH and approved by the Department, reviews a sample of new products 

developed by APH to assess whether the products: (1) address the needs of individuals who 

meet the definition of blind or visually impaired; (2) address the needs of blind or visually 

impaired individuals of any age included in an education or rehabilitation program; and (3) are 

fully accessible for the intended population. The products are rated using a 7-point rating scale, 

where 1 equals “no evidence is given to demonstrate that the criteria are being addressed,” 4 

equals “evidence is sufficient to demonstrate that the criteria are met,” and 7 equals “evidence 

from multiple sources is of extremely high quality and demonstrates that the criteria are being 

met.”

Measure: The average rating, according to approved criteria on quality of research, for a

sample of new American Printing House for the Blind products evaluated by an independent 

panel of qualified experts or individuals with appropriate expertise related to the target audience.

Year Target Actual

2017 4.0 6.1

2018 4.0 6.1

2019 4.0 5.9

2020 4.0 6.0

2021 4.0

2022 4.0

Additional Information: The panel of experts annually reviews the underlying research related 

to a sample of new products developed each year by APH to assess whether data were 

gathered: (1) through an appropriate method; (2) from a geographically diverse U.S. population; 

(3) from appropriately qualified individuals (e.g., individuals who possess appropriate 

qualifications or appropriate learner characteristics); and (4) from an adequate number of 

sources. The products are rated using a 7-point rating scale, where 1 equals “no evidence is 

given to demonstrate that the criteria are being addressed,” 4 equals “evidence is sufficient to 

demonstrate that the criteria are met,” and 7 equals “evidence from multiple sources is of 

extremely high quality and demonstrates that the criteria are being met.”
AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND

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Measure: The average rating, according to approved criteria on utility, for a sample of new

American Printing House for the Blind products evaluated by an independent panel of qualified 

experts or individuals with appropriate expertise related to the target audience.

Year Target Actual

2017 4.0 6.2

2018 4.0 6.1

2019 4.0 6.1

2020 4.0 6.3

2021 4.0

2022 4.0

Additional Information: For this measure, the panel of experts annually reviews a 

purposefully selected sample of new products developed each year by APH to assess whether: 

(1) sales of the new products indicate demand; (2) new product indicators, such as field 

evaluations and other feedback, substantiate that the new product is meeting a need; and (3) 

the products are considered highly useful for individuals with visual impairments. The ten 

products are rated using a 7-point rating scale, where 1 equals “no evidence is given to 

demonstrate that the criteria are being addressed,” 4 equals “evidence is sufficient to 

demonstrate that the criteria are met,” and 7 equals “evidence from multiple sources is of 

extremely high quality and demonstrates that the criteria are being met.”

Efficiency Measures

Measure: The cost per page to produce color large type textbooks.

Year Target Actual

2017 $0.10 $0.09

2018 0.10 0.09

2019 0.10 0.08

2020 0.10 0.11

2021 0.10

2022 0.10

Additional Information: In fiscal year 2020, the total cost to produce color large type 

textbooks increased by 3.1 cents from 8.1 cents to 11.2 cents per page, which was unfavorable 

to the target of 10 cents per page. This increase in cost is directly tied to a 34 percent decrease 

in demand. Despite this most recent annual decrease in demand, APH believes it can continue 

to manage production costs, holding costs close to 10 cents per page in future years.
AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND

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Measure: The cost per page to produce braille textbooks.

Year Target Actual

2017 $0.15 $0.22

2018 0.15 0.27

2019 0.15 0.27

2020 0.15 0.35

2021 0.26

2022 0.26

Additional Information: In fiscal year 2020, the total cost to produce braille textbooks 

increased to 35 cents per page, which was unfavorable to the current target of 15 cents per 

page. While COVID-19 led to a substantial decrease in the volume of orders, APH has not met 

the established target four of the last five years. Due to a consistent decrease in demand since 

2017, the Department will reset the target for this measure to 26 cents per page, reflecting the 

three year running average for fiscal years 2017 to 2019.