The book chronicles a program that trained disabled men to work in motion picture projection, turning a path from charity into self‑support.
It highlights a pioneering Red Cross Institute program in New York City that built a complete, non‑commercial training school for the physically handicapped.
Through detailed description, you’ll learn how students trained in electricity, optics, projection equipment, film handling, and safety, and how they prepared for licensing exams. The material explains why projection work was chosen and what outcomes the program achieved for its first students and graduates, including job placement and earnings. It also introduces specialized equipment and a notable invention used to illustrate technique and theory in lectures.
What you will experience or learn
- The scope and purpose of the program within the Red Cross Institute for Crippled and Disabled Men.
- The core subjects taught in the motion picture operating class, from elementary electricity to projecting machine operation.
- Real-world outcomes, such as licensing readiness, employment, and early salaries for graduates.
- The role of equipment and demonstrations, including a historically important projection machine and the Vivatarg apparatus for controlled demonstrations.
- A window into the community impact and the broader goal of helping disabled soldiers and civilians rejoin the workforce through a growing trade.
Ideal for readers of nonfiction accounts of vocational training, disability reintegration, and early 20th‑century technical education.