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KLEIDOGRAPH Braille Writer
The New York Insitution for the Blind 1894
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To quote Paul Lippman, Former Editor of “The Type Writer” Journal and one
of the pioneers in early typewriter collecting, “One of the best-documented
yet least familiar writing machines for the blind is the Kleidograph.
 The Kleidograph was invented by William Bell Wait (1829-1916), when he was
the Director of the New York Institution for the Blind.
The Kleidograph was designed to type with the “New York Point System”, a
system of eight dots, four on top of each other. Mr. Wait had developed this
eight-dot alphabet and presented it to the public in 1868, a number of years
before the Kleidograph was manufactured.
The Garvin Machine Company of New York first manufactured the Kleidograph in
1894. The order was for 100 machines at a cost of $1250 plus $1575 for tools
and dies. Very few of these machines survive today. Gavin also made the
Crary typewriter and other index machines such as the Peoples.
 An important design advantage of the Kleidograph, over other contemporary
typewriters for the blind, was the ability to operate the keyboard with one
hand, allowing the other hand to read the raised dots as the paper passed
over the wooden platform behind the roller. This was achieved by having the
four lower keys each activating the two keys above, enabling one to emboss
all eight dots while pushing the four-bottom keys at once. The two left keys
are for punctuation.
The New York Point System was widely used by American schools for the blind
and was the standard for typing and reading during the last quarter of the
1800’s. Eventually though, Louis Braille’s 6 dot system became the
international standard and the New York Point System became obsolete but not
before a much-publicized battle by Mr. Waite, his supporters and the
advocates of the more globally accepted Louis Braille system, or as it
became to be known, somewhat ironically, American Braille.
Please visit this interesting Biographical Sketch of William Bell Wait.
©
, Martin Howard
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