The Perkins Brailler, viewed by many as the premiere mechanical Braille writer in the world, was first produced in 1951 and was the brainchild of the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts. The design team was lead by David Abraham. The quality and reliability of the Perkins Brailler has kept it in demand and in production ever since.
Its success lies in two, nearly contradictory foundations – the remarkable precision of its design and production; and the bold financial commitment and idealism of its producers. The leadership and trustees of Howe Press and its parent organisation, the Perkins School for the Blind, understood the need for the new Brailler, and supported it unfalteringly through fifteen years of design, preparation, and expenditures that committed more than half of the capital of Howe Press.
On 18 January 2008, we celebrated the 10 year partnership between the South African National Council for the Blind and the Perkins School near Boston in the USA. This partnership was established to benefit visually impaired people in the developing world by increasing access to an affordable way of writing in Braille.

Council runs a factory in Cape Town where Perkins Braillers are assembled for South Africa, African and other developing countries. The factory has manufactured more than 27 000 Braillers in the past 13 years and by doing this, has empowered many blind people in the developing world, allowing them to write Braille and become literate.

Local manufacture has cut the cost of a Perkins Brailler by 45% as compared to the imported product. The Perkins Brailler project has been incorporated into Council and a management structure including the Chairperson, Treasurer and an NEC member has been set up. Representatives from Perkins also serve on this management committee. During the past financial year a total of 6610 Classic Perkins and 325 Electric Braillers were assembled at the Cape Town factory. Over a three year period, commencing in 2007, the production increased from 35 machines per week to 35 machines per day. The assembly line comprises 18 assemblers, nine of whom are disabled.
David Geyer, the 1st Perkins Brailler user in South Africa, talked at the 10 year celebrations in Cape Town about his experience, holding the notes he prepared on his Perkins. He told the audience about his first encounter with a Perkins Brailler and how much easier writing is on the new Brailler than what he had become accustomed to on the old Braillers. He bought himself a Perkins when he left school and paid a whopping R90 for a new machine! The Perkins has served him well over the years and despite not being serviced, he has never had problems with the Brailler.

In 2008, the factory started assembling the new Electric Brailler in anticipation of the Louis Braille Bicentenary celebrations in January 2009.
On 3 October 2008, Perkins School for the Blind and American Printing House for the Blind announced the New Next Generation™ Perkins Brailler®. This new mechanical Braille writer is a modern redesign of the classic Perkins Brailler. The design effort was led by David Morgan, General Manager of Perkins Products. After extensive user feedback and research in the United States, India, Mexico, Malawi, and South Africa, Perkins embarked on an effort to deliver less force, less weight, and less noise while maintaining the basic functions and durability of the original. The Next Generation Perkins features an integrated erase button, paper tray to ease proofreading, reading margin in the front, an integrated handle for carrying, and bright new colours including APH Blue, Raspberry, and Midnight Blue.