Blind Atlanta Man Finds Connection To Sight In Typewriters

An audio version of this story.

There are plenty of collectors out there ─ people who fixate on or fall in love with an object of some kind.  For kids, it could be a rock collection. Adults might be more into vinyl records or maybe stamps.

But Marietta resident Jay Williams is different. OK, he is a collector, but his fascination is with typewriters.  

It’s a fascination that started when he took his first typing class.  That’s when Williams, who has been blind since birth, says he learned that typewriters could be his way to communicate with the sighted world. 

Since then, he’s collected more than 80 typewriters; many of which he had to repair himself. And he says he’ll keep adding to his collection as long as he’s healthy.

A 30-second version of this story.