In the 1870s, the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) in Louisville, Kentucky, received federal funding to supply braille books and apparatus for blind students nationwide. Its role as a leading supplier of educational and assistive materials to people who are blind and visually impaired continues today.

In 1936, APH obtained permission to publish books for children in the Talking Book format. AFB helped APH set up a manufacturing plant and both organizations shared technical information. The Library of Congress gave both organizations lists of titles to be recorded and AFB and APH divided those titles between them. The relationship between AFB and APH was productive and friendly, so much so that during World War II, when raw materials were scarce, the two organizations pooled their resources and jointly worked to obtain supplies of Vinylite and other much needed materials.