Show 0 Way iN ayne ni i 1 Records lessons Lessens I IFor For der Use by b Blind Ali DETRIOT In In a cramped little room Donald Jenks a Wayne uni uni- university university uni- uni university freshman sits down before Defore a recording machine and begins to read from a textbook At first he is hesitant but soon following instructions from assist assist- assistant assistant assistant ant librarian Ted Manheim he is reading with confidence His voice is grooved into a seven inch plastic disk revolving before him Jenks is one of about 80 volun volun- volunteers volunteers helping out in Waynes Wayne's pro pro- program program program gram of recording textbooks for blind students A few days later his record is spinning on a turntable in the room of Alfred Platz a blind senior studying history Platz listens and occasionally takes notes on a Braille slate The strange voice of an unknown fellow student is read read- reading reading ing his next days day's assignment to him Besides Platz are other records with other unknown voices Each one contains 14 minutes of reading on each side No longer does the blind student have to adjust his studies to times when he can make an appointment with a reader Everything is on the records be be- beside beside beside side him to use as he sees fit Procedure Outlined This in brief is how Waynes Wayne's textbook recording program works The records have suddenly given six blind students at the university a whole new approach to their studies To make all this possible the I f volunteer readers work tirelessly in the university's only available space a virtual closet adjoining the library reading room Every day several students give their time so that their voices will bring knowl knowl- knowledge knowledge knowledge edge to the few who cannot see So far more than 2200 pages s have been grooved on 17 disks Blind students all have portable talking book record players loaned by the government and they need no extra equipment to take advantage of the project I We uWe are able to record almost I everything that's asked for by the blind students says Dr G. G Flint Purdy chief librarian I Dr Purdy envisions a whole li li- li library of recorded textbooks te li-I li I Were trying to look way ahead J he says Were hoping to build up upa a collection of elementary texts that I can be used over and over 1 I Students Enthusiastic I Platz expresses the blind students' students enthusiasm when he says I I Its much easier to study this way I dont don't have to take so many notes when I can play the records over and over The university has three record record- recording recording ing machines two on loan from the county library Records cost 11 cents apiece and the university foots all the costs Manheim who spends almost all his time supervising the program plans to have Braille inscriptions marked in the center of disks to enable listeners to identify ident y them easily J I Librarian Purdy is interested in seeing whether the project will en 1 en- en encourage courage more blind students to un-i un un- un undertake college work He says he knows k lows of no other school carrying on a similar project Students come back glowing with delight after using the there re re- records records re-I re cords he says If the program program helps one ne intelligent blind student who would not otherwise make the grade get through school then th n it its will be worth while I |