Assessment of Performance of Blind Center Lathe Operators

Abstract

Although sight is generally considered to be necessary for the performance of most industrial jobs, this study found that blind persons can be trained to operate a center lathe and to perform various tasks on it accurately. The study assessed the blind subjects’ efficiency of performance of tasks when they utilized various adjustments to the lathe and to procedures that had been developed earlier specifically for blind people. It was found that the efficiency of the blind subjects, compared to that of sighted lathe operators, was 85 percent for moderately complex jobs. The factors of complexity, repetition, and mode of presentation of specifications had some bearing on the speed of work. The study demonstrated that even under adverse conditions, blind lathe operators can achieve satisfactory results.