Jacobus tenBroek Library

...A research and resource center on blindness

The Jacobus tenBroek Library supports NFB members and other researchers interested in any non-medical aspect of blindness, including (but not limited to):

education of blind children
disability law and policy
the history of attitudes toward the blind
literary works by blind authors

We provide facilities for using our collections, regardless of format, by both sighted and blind readers.

What We’re Doing Now

THE BLIND CAT

THE BLIND CAT, our fully accessible catalog is now publicly available.

When you visit THE BLIND CAT, be sure to read the information on its home page, and take a look at the "link to FAQs" for answers to some frequently asked questions. If you have any other questions or comments, please click on "questions about this catalog" for a form you can use to let tenBroek Library staff know of your concerns. We promise prompt replies to all questions, comments, or criticisms.

Statistical Facts about Blindness in the United States
The Jernigan Institute Oral History Program

The Jernigan Institute looks after the history of blind people in many ways, including collecting NFB literature, maintaining the Federation's archives, and building the tenBroek Library. We also recognize that much of the history of the blind resides in the lived experience of the blind, and we are committed to recording that history.

From time to time Federationists have tapped the memories of their friends and colleagues by conducting interviews. The tenBroek Library is now formalizing this activity through the Jernigan Institute Oral History Program. We are organizing the existing recordings of oral history interviews, and we are encouraging Federationists to create more such recordings. To help get you started we have prepared a Guide to Oral History Interviewing, a release form, and a sample oral history transcript.

Please take a look at these documents, try your hand at oral history, and let us know of your results, including any problems and, of course, any gems you may unearth!

Now available: The first publication of the Braille code

In 1829 the twenty-year-old Louis Braille first published his idea of using dots as the basis of a tactile alphabet. Braille, who had been blind from the age of three, had recently finished his schooling at the Institute for Blind Youth in Paris and was earning his living as a part-time teacher and church organist.

The Jernigan Institute was fortunate in being able to borrow a rare copy of Procédé pour Écrire les Paroles, la Musique et le Plain-Chant au Moyen de Points à l’Usage des Aveugles et Disposé pour Eux in time for the celebration of Braille’s 200th birthday in 2009. Our staff took photos of the each page of this embossed book, transcribed the French original, and translated the text into English.

Now, for the first time on the web, we are pleased to present the book that first made true literacy possible for the blind.

Full-text digital files

Ultimately our plan is to have our entire collection digitized, with links to relevant digitized material that we do not own. The entire digitized collection will be available through the Web and thus accessible around the world to anyone interested in blindness studies. With appropriate software, blind readers will have exactly the same ability to access the world’s literature on blindness as anyone else.

Many NFB publications are already available in full-text.

The tenBroek papers and other archival material

Request an appointment, or read our reading room policies for researchers.

The tenBroek Library holds the personal papers of Jacobus tenBroek and is responsible for the institutional archives of the National Federation of the Blind. In a climate-controlled storage area, the library houses audio and video footage of model rehabilitation programs, NFB national conventions, and advocacy actions taken over the seventy year history of the Federation. We are soliciting the personal and professional papers of other blind leaders, of blind and sighted inventors who have contributed to the blind, and of blind people in any walk of life. These are key sources on the history of blind people and the organized blind movement in the United States.

Thanks to a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (a division of the U.S. National Archives), we have completed basic processing of the tenBroek Papers and the NFB Archives (inkprint and Braille). We invite you to take a look at these series-level finding aids:

To learn more about Jacobus tenBroek and the tenBroek papers, consider the following articles:

The Right to Live in the World: The Disabled in the Law of Torts, by Jacobus tenBroek (California Law Review, May 1966)
The Story of the tenBroek Papers, by Lou Ann Blake (Braille Monitor, October 2006)
Who Was Jacobus tenBroek? by Lou Ann Blake (Braille Monitor, May 2006)
Within the Grace of God, by Jacobus tenBroek (NFB National Convention 1956)

Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium

To carry forward the work of Dr. tenBroek in assuring that all citizens may have the opportunity for full participation in the society in which we live, the National Federation of the Blind hosts the Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium. During the symposium participants examine the current status of both American and international disability law and discuss future change in the disability law of the United States.

Now Available: Walking Alone and Marching Together in streaming audio format.

Listen to the book Walking Alone and Marching Together in MP3 format. The entire book is available in thirty parts.

Exhibits

The Library offers exhibits highlighting technological and personal achievements by the blind. Currently on display:

Everest Expedition - Explore the tactile exhibit dedicated to the NFB-sponsored Everest Expedition featuring Erik Weihenmayer's 2001 ascent of Mount Everest.
Rocket Launch - Find out about the first ever NASA rocket launched by blind students.
Youth Slam Tiles - Inspect the tiles inspired by the experiences of the participants of the Youth Slam.

As our library continues to expand, more links to additional information will be coming. We thank you for your patience and encourage you to check back frequently.

Plans for the Future of the tenBroek Library

Collection Development Policy Statement

Jacobus tenBroek Library Strategic Plan

For More Information

Jacobus tenBroek Library
Jernigan Institute
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
200 East Wells Street
at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, MD 21230
Phone: 410-659-9314 extension 2225
Fax: 410-685-2340
E-mail: JtBLibrary@nfb.org