Presented is a report on the 5-year project to develop the Optacon, an electronic device which allows the blind individual to read ordinary printed matter directly and independently. Chapter (1) provides and introduction and overview of the Optacon Project. Summarized in Chapter (2) is a chronological account of the Optacon Project which traces research progress from 1963 to 1972. Conclusions, observations, and recommendations are given in Chapter (3) and include that the Optacon makes the blind more employable, that the university is an attractive environment to attack blindness with electronic technology, and that the present Optacon should be used with the blind student. Among appended material are seven abstracts of dissertations and theses on blind reading aids research sponsored by the Office of Education and a listing of 83 published papers and reports on blind reading aids and related integrated circuits research. (SB)