The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-11-03
BLIND TELEPHONE OPERATORS


They Are said to Answer GalIs rs quickly
as the Average operator Miss IsaaCs
AZ Lebanon Hospital the First Nor
sIghtIess ''Centraps" but OT Town
There are in New York City to-day seven
blind telephone operators. Six Of them
have been az work for less than a year.
The seventh. the first blind person in New
York city TO become a telephone operator.
is Miss Isaacs, who has been managing the
switchboard at the Lebanon Hospital for
about two years.
Her success was the inspiration for teach
ing the others. h was taught by Dr..
William Dauh of Lebanon Hospital. She
makes connections and answers calls with
the rapidity Of the average operator and
without mistakes.
In the afternoon especially the calls are
frequent over the fourteen wires connecting
the Office with the different parts OF the
hospital and over the four trunk lines which
connect the hospital with the outside world.
Il requires quick fingers and a steady head
in the busy half Of the day to receive and
answer or onnect the calls.
When the New York Association for the
Blind learned Of Miss Isaacs's progress as
SWlIClDOdTu OlCI HNbi " Hd" aiONuOt buh
ness opening for the blind. Miss Winifred
Holt. the secretary. went TO a telephone
company's Office and talked over the pos
sibility OF teaching blind men and women
10 become telephone operators. h tele-
phone people had their oubts about il. a
nice plan. put impossible. they said.
I'LL come back to you in three months
and show you that it isn't impossible" said
Miss Holt. And she did.
The principle on which the blind mans
ability 10 run a switchboard rests is the
same az that Of the touch system Of using
the typewriter. familiarity with locations.
The blind operator knows where the jack
or opening il for the main trunk line and
where each jack in into which he must push
the plug 10 make connection.
The sighted operator sees the drop fall
which announces a certain wire has called
him. The blind operator hears the click
as il drops and feels for it,. Then he fits
the plug in the right jack and the desired
connection is made.
George Perritt. who il between 80 and
10 and has been blind for twelve years.
is entering now on his eleventh month Of
work for the Long Island Hospital in Brook
lyn as operator of the switchboard. His
Onlv complaint is that he has not work
enough TO keep him busy and yet he is
looking after two boards, one a small board
Of sixteen trunk inc for the hospitals
wards and the standard switchboard with
seven trunk lines connecting with parts
Of the hospital and two main trunk lines
to central. Of the other blind switch
board operators in New York city three are
connected with commercial houses. two
running the regular standard board used
in business houses and the third having
charge Of a monitor a switchboard connect
ing an Office with the telephones in build
ing. One girl is in a publication Office and
another ~ employed by the Association
for the Blind itself.
As there are few calls coming into tho
association compared with those OF a large
business firm. this blind young woman
has spare time in which she does the type
writing and stenography for the Office.
On a little English machine that looks like
a fedgling typewriter she takes down her
stenographic notes.
The machine punches raised dots on a
ribbon ~ paper to signify the stenographic
symbols. When tho young woman has
completed her notes. and she takes them