The Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1920-1982, 1920-08-11
GIVE SICHTLESS
Equal CHANCE
Placed on Same Footing as See.
ing as Result Of Doctor
WheeIer's Observations.
NO LONGER AN EXPERIMENT
Blind Are Taught to Wind Electric
Coils-Effect Of Being SeIf-Sup-
porting Keeps Them Healthy
4. and in Good Spirits.

porting Keeps Them Healthy
and in Good Spirits.
blinded have found work in the cleo.
trical manufacturing plant a means of
supporting themselves, rendering them
Independent of any charity or philan-
thropic assistance, that special atten-
ton is being directed to the work of
DR.. Schuyler Skaats Wheeler, who
made possible this new field of gain.
full occupation for the sightless.
There is nothing new in the en-
deavor to enable the blind to work or
even In the effort made to find a ready
market for their product, but in the
Wheeler company's factory
the unseeing work on an exact par
with the seeing, their goods" there
Doctor Wheeler's interest in the
problem of the Blind, starting some
years ago. became intensified when the
war brought their numbers, both here
and abroad, to n highly Increased
total. In going through the various
departments of the company's electric
al manufacturing plant at Ampere, N.
j., of which he is president, he noted
the fact that girls skilled in winding
wire coils performed their work with
out watching the movements Of their
hands, as a touch typist or a piano
player ignores her fingers. The coil
winding girls chatted and laughed
among themselves as they worked, and
their work was satisfactory. Doctor
Wheeler then blindfolded himself and
attempted to wind a coil. He proved
to his own satisfaction that here was
work which, with little practice, the
sightless could do on a par with nor
NAL workers.
Proves a Success.
The Double Duty Finger Guild was
the direct result. That Is the name
given to the department, employing
only men and women without sight.
This department has been in success
full operation for three years in the
Crocker-Wheeler factory, and 1t has
ceased, to be considered an experiment
or even an innovation.
At first special instructors were en-
gagged and q small group of blind were
set to work at winding the wire coils.
The members Of this first group were
paid during their apprenticeship Is
cents an hour, and, after four weeks
instruction, were given places in the
shops. Later the hourly rate Of pay
for trained workers was changed to a
%piecework plan and this proved more
interesting and stimulating to the
worker. At the factory it was said
that a skilled blind worker earned
from SO to 81 a day at piecework.
More startling than the work in the
coil-winding rooms is the handling of
various kinds Of machinery by the
sightless. At the notching machines
they put in metal plates and stamp
them with the desired notches. Blind
men also stack these plates, or punch
ings," and weigh them.
Sightless typists and s~tenographers
also are employed by the company. In
the jobroom a special system Of indi-
vidual records keeps track Of more
than 1000 jobs in process. Here a
blind stenographer handles the phone
calls coming in at spaced plugs down
the length of the room, using a sim
pie chair and typewriter stand on
-zfY>-c L. ,rh3oA el,o $uo wills I'M md
down the line.
ABIind Secretary.
Miss Jessie Lewis, secretary to Mrs
Ida H. Clifford, director Of the Double
Duty Finger Guild, handles the steno.
graphic work and filing in the guilds
office. She is a graduate Of the Per
kins Institute for the Blind. Miss
Lewis is the creator of the American
Braille shorthand system. All hel
cards and records are marked II
Braille, and she turns to a desired pa
per with the ase and promptness o.
a skilled sighted worker.
Most of the successful blind appli
cants' for positions in the factor!
come from independent sources rathe
than institutions. The age limit I
supposed to be forty-fve, although
older men from the state of New Jer
sey have been accepted. Two person
must guarantee one months board an
return carfare, in a the applican
does. not make good"
The worker stands absolutely on hi
own merit and soon learns to TAX
pride in bringing his work up to tn
standard required by the factory In
spectors.
Marked independence is shown b
the sightless employees in handlin
their work and In moving about tn
factory and grounds. The effect upo
them Of being self-supporting and er
gaged in work which is the an q
that done by normal persons an
which must pass the same tests Of II
spection, works wonders in keepin
them up to a healthy standard {
good spirits and courage.
Marnrnoth sunfsh. !,