In the latest heart-touching episode of The Repair Shop, Dominic Chinea was nearly at a loss for words. The BBC programme on Wednesday evening introduced viewers to Lynda Brook and her daughter Jemma, who brought in a cherished item in need of repair. Jemma shared with Dominic the significance of their Braille typewriter which her mum utilized during her school days, highlighting it as one of the first mass-produced Braille typewriters.
This revolutionary device empowered thousands of visually impaired children to achieve literacy on par with their sighted peers. Jemma expressed how crucial this invention was, saying: "That was something really new for at the time. For me, I feel like it's a really important piece of our cultural history.
" Clearly moved, Dominic remarked: "This machine really changed thousands of people's lives. I've never seen one of these before. I can only really relate it to a typewriter.
" As Jemma demonstrated the workings of the Braille typewriter, her mother illustrated to the BBC expert the need for various combinations of six keys to form different letters. Reflecting on the complexity, Dominic said: "It sounds like, I mean, even more complicated than learning another language." During the show, it emerged that the mother-daughter duo were keen to have the typewriter mended because Jemma was progressively losing her sight.
Having been partially sighted since birth, she learned at 21 that she would eventually lose her vision completely. Jemma revealed.
