View source for Perkins School for the Blind

{{Use American English|date=August 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox school
| name        = Perkins School for the Blind
| image       = Perkins School for the Blind logo.png
| imagesize   = 255px
| type        =
| founded     = {{start date and age|1829}}
| address     = 175 North Beacon Street
| city        = [[Watertown, Massachusetts|Watertown]]
| state       = [[Massachusetts]]
| zipcode     = 02472
| coordinates = {{Coord|42.3620|N|71.1755|W|type:landmark_region:US-MA_source:placeopedia|display=title,inline}}
| campus size = {{convert|38|acre|ha}}
| president   = David Barth
| website     = {{URL|perkins.org}}
}}

'''Perkins School for the Blind''', or simply '''Perkins''', is the oldest school for the [[blind people|blind]] in the United States. It is located in [[Watertown, Massachusetts]] and was established in 1829. It was historically known as the '''Perkins Institution for the Blind'''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perkins.org/about |title=About Perkins School for the Blind |publisher=Perkins School for the Blind |access-date=October 23, 2015}}</ref>

Perkins manufactures its own [[Perkins Brailler]], which is used to print embossed, tactile books for the blind;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.perkinsmuseum.org/section.php?id=202 |title=Perkins School for the Blind History Museum |publisher=Perkinsmuseum.org |access-date=April 15, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204055115/http://www.perkinsmuseum.org/section.php?id=202 |archive-date=December 4, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> and the Perkins SMART Brailler, a [[braille]] teaching tool, at the Perkins Solutions division<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perkinsproducts.org |title=Assistive Technology for the Blind |publisher=Perkins Solutions |access-date=October 23, 2015}}</ref> housed within the Watertown campus's former Howe Press. The campus is also home to the [[Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library]] and the Howe Innovation Center for accessible technology.

==History==
[[File:The Howe Building Tower on Perkins School for the Blind's campus in Watertown, Mass..jpg|thumb|right|260px|The Howe Building Tower from afar on the campus of the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts]]

Founded in 1829, Perkins was the first school for the blind established in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perkins.org/about-us/history/ |title=History |publisher=Perkins |access-date=April 15, 2014}}</ref> The school was originally named the '''New England Asylum for the Blind''' and was incorporated on March 2, 1829. The name was eventually changed to Perkins School for the Blind. [[John Dix Fisher]] first considered the idea of a school for blind children based upon his visits to Paris at the [[Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles|National Institute for the Blind]] and was inspired to create such a school in Boston,<ref>French, Kimberly. ''Perkins School for the Blind''. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2004. Print.  Page 7.</ref> but it was founded by [[Samuel Gridley Howe]], who had also studied education for the blind in Europe.

The school is named in honor of [[Thomas Handasyd Perkins]], one of the organization's incorporators. He was a [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]] shipping merchant and slave trader who began losing his sight about the time the school was established. In 1833, the school outgrew its first location, the Pleasant Street house of the father of founder Howe. That year Perkins donated his Pearl Street mansion as the school's second home. In 1839, Perkins sold the mansion and donated the proceeds.

This gift allowed the purchase of a more spacious building in [[South Boston, Boston, Massachusetts|South Boston]]. In 1885, {{convert|6|acre|ha}} were purchased in the Hyde Square section of [[Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts|Jamaica Plain]], a residential district of Boston, to build a kindergarten, with [[Isabel Greeley]] as its first matron.<ref>{{Cite news |last=MH |date=1887-04-16 |title=Where Boston Leads; Kindergarten for the Blind |pages=10 |work=Boston Evening Transcript |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112270194/where-boston-leads-kindergarten-for/ |access-date=2022-10-30 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> This property was home to both [[Laura Bridgman]] and [[Helen Keller]]. The school moved to its present campus, in [[Watertown, Massachusetts]], in the autumn of 1912.

[[Charles Dickens]] visited Perkins in 1842 during a lecture tour of America and was amazed at the work Howe was doing with Laura Bridgman, a deaf-blind girl who had come to the school in 1837 from New Hampshire. He wrote about his visit in his book, ''[[American Notes]]''.

In 1887, Perkins director [[Michael Anagnos]] sent graduate [[Anne Sullivan]] to teach [[Helen Keller]] at her family's home in Alabama. After working with her pupil at the Keller home, Sullivan returned to Perkins with Keller in 1888, and resided there intermittently until 1893.

In 1931, Perkins created the [[Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library]] (BTBL).

In 1951, David Abraham successfully manufactured the first Perkins Brailler. By 1977, about 100,000 Perkins Braillers had been produced and distributed worldwide.

===Perkins today===
In the 21st century, Perkins has expanded its mission online to include resources for families with blind and visually impaired children,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wonderbaby.org |title=Resources for Parents of Blind & Disabled Babies & Children |website=WonderBaby.org |access-date=April 15, 2014}}</ref> and teachers of the visually impaired (TVIs).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perkinselearning.org |title=Welcome to |website=Perkins eLearning |access-date=April 15, 2014}}</ref> Perkins has also worked with local partners in Asian countries to host an online community for educators, caregivers and families.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.transitionplanningasia.org/about |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716072125/http://www.transitionplanningasia.org/about |url-status=usurped |archive-date=July 16, 2012 |title=About |publisher=Transition Planning Asia |access-date=April 15, 2014}}</ref>

In 2011, Perkins completed construction of the Grousbeck Center for Students and Technology on its 38-acre campus in Watertown. This facility houses accessible technology for people who are blind or visually impaired.<ref>{{cite web |author=Robert Campbell |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2012/03/17/perkins-school-building-navigate-with-multiple-senses/not2YUs1NB5zIArXXVwQOP/story.html |title=A Perkins School building to navigate with multiple senses |department=Arts |publisher=The Boston Globe |date=March 18, 2012 |access-date=April 15, 2014}}</ref>

In February 2016, Perkins launched Perkins Access, a team of expert accessibility consultants who partner with organizations across all industries to improve customer experience, employee experience, and brand engagement for all humans, regardless of age, ability, or means of access.<ref>{{Cite press release |last=Blind |first=Perkins School for the |title=Perkins School for the Blind Launches 'Perkins Access' |url=https://www.prweb.com/releases/perkins_school_for_the_blind_launches_perkins_access_/prweb13228902.htm |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=[[PRWeb]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>[https://www.perkinsaccess.org Perkins Access]</ref>

In July 2016, Perkins' "[[Braille trail|Braille Trail]]" was completed. It is located along the [[Charles River]] across the street from the rest of campus, and is part of the larger Watertown Riverfront Park.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/conservation/planning-and-resource-protection/projects/watertown-riverfront-park-and-braille-trail-project.html|title=Watertown Riverfront Park and Braille Trail Project|date=August 1, 2014 |publisher=DCR Energy and Environmental Affairs}}</ref>

In 2022, Perkins launched the Howe Innovation Center, dedicated to catalyzing and convening the "DisabilityTech" industry, including bringing together [[Startup company|startups]], [[Venture capital|investors]], people with disabilities, and [[Market research|market experts]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Howe Innovation Center |url=https://www.perkins.org/innovation/ |access-date=2023-05-01 |publisher=Perkins School for the Blind |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Perkins International==
Perkins partners with local groups in 67 countries: schools, universities, NGOs, nonprofits, government agencies, and parent networks—to educate and empower people who are blind, deaf/blind or visually impaired, and who may have additional disabilities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perkins.org/international/about |title=About Perkins International |publisher=Perkins International |access-date=October 23, 2015}}</ref> The organization disseminates resources, such as Perkins Braillers, funding, and expertise on the ground in these countries. One such example of this work in the African countries of Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya is Perkins' role in the Kilimanjaro Blind Trust, Inc. (KBT).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kilimanjaro-blindtrust.org/impact/partners/ |title=Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Partners |publisher=Kilimanjaro Blind Trust |access-date=October 23, 2015 |archive-date=October 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022193739/http://kilimanjaro-blindtrust.org/impact/partners/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><!-- And what is that role? Explain -->

Special educators from other countries are also invited to the Watertown campus every year, for an intensive study of blindness and multiple-disability education. They can take back current information to their respective regions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perkins.org/international/elp |title=Educational Leadership Program |publisher=Perkins International |access-date=October 23, 2015}}</ref>

==Perkins Solutions==
Perkins Solutions concentrates on a broad array of assistive technology and accessibility assessment, training, and consulting. The range of Perkins Braillers ships to 175 countries and includes the Classic Brailler, the Next Generation Brailler and the Smart Brailler launched in 2012 with text-to-speech output, visual display, and applications for teaching braille. This subsidiary of Perkins also partners with associations for the blind and partially sighted, education ministers and resellers around the globe in an effort to provide accessible equipment—including Perkins Braillers, brailler repair and [[assistive technology]]—to all who need it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perkinsproducts.org/ |title=Assistive Technology for the Blind |publisher=Perkins Solutions |access-date=October 23, 2015}}</ref>

==#BlindNewWorld==
On May 5, 2016, Perkins launched BlindNewWorld,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/names/2016/05/05/perkins-school-launches-new-initiative-parties/spfjzjRXOLxd8C4PcoC0ZJ/story.html |title=Perkins School launches new initiative |publisher=Boston Globe |access-date=May 6, 2016}}</ref> a social change campaign aimed at helping the sighted population to be more inclusive of people who are blind and to make the world more accessible to them.

==National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program==
On June 8, 2012, in conjunction with the [[Helen Keller National Center]] (HKNC) and the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC), Perkins School for the Blind was selected to conduct nationwide outreach for the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/national-deaf-blind-equipment-distribution-program |title=National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program |date=March 26, 2012 |publisher=FCC.gov |access-date=April 15, 2014}}</ref>

Mandated by the [[Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010|21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act]] (CVAA) and established by the FCC, the NDBEDP will aid individuals with combined vision and hearing loss connect with family, friends and their community by distributing accessible communications technology. Perkins' and partners' outreach campaign to educate people on this program is called iCanConnect.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icanconnect.org/ |title=The National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program |publisher=iCanConnect.org |access-date=April 15, 2014}}</ref> It aims to inform the nearly one million people in the United States with some sort of combined hearing and vision loss on the types of equipment—e.g. screen-enlargement software, video phones and electronic refreshable braille displays<ref>{{cite web |url=http://assistivetechnology.about.com/od/DHHSC1/p/Free-Communications-Technology-For-Deaf-Blind-Persons.htm |title=iCanConnect Campaign |publisher=Assistivetechnology.about.com |date=March 5, 2014 |access-date=April 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416175504/http://assistivetechnology.about.com/od/DHHSC1/p/Free-Communications-Technology-For-Deaf-Blind-Persons.htm |archive-date=April 16, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>—available to them free of charge.

==Affiliations==
[[Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library]] works in conjunction with the [[National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped]] (NLS) at its Watertown chapter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2009/09-124.html |title=NLS Announces Awards – News Releases (Library of Congress) |publisher=Loc.gov |date=June 19, 2009 |access-date=April 15, 2014}}</ref>

Perkins has collaborated with the [[Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired]] on a Web resource called PathsToLiteracy.org, an online hub for information related to literacy for students who are blind or visually impaired, including those with additional disabilities or deafblindness.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pathstoliteracy.org/history |title=History |publisher=Paths to Literacy |access-date=April 15, 2014}}</ref>

Perkins has collaborated with [[Amy Bower]], a blind oceanographer and senior scientist at the [[Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution]], to show students what it's like to be a blind scientist.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whoi.edu/press-room/news-release/whois-amy-bower-wins-unsung-heroine-award/|title=WHOI's Amy Bower Wins Unsung Heroine Award|website=WHOI|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-17}}</ref>

The international nonprofit has also worked with the [[American Foundation for the Blind]] to ensure that Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) be taught in mainstream schools.<ref>{{cite web|title=About Us|url=http://eccadvocacy.org/section.aspx?FolderID=12|publisher=eccadvocacy.org|access-date=April 15, 2014|archive-date=September 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913124559/http://www.eccadvocacy.org/section.aspx?FolderID=12|url-status=dead}}</ref><!-- And this is? -->

Perkins is a member of the [[Council of Schools for the Blind]].

== Notable alumni ==
* [[Laura Bridgman]], the first known deafblind person to be formally educated<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-10-01 |title=Figures in Perkins history |url=https://www.perkins.org/figures-in-perkins-history/ |access-date=2022-06-27 |website=Perkins School for the Blind |language=en-US}}</ref>
* Cailin Currie, [[Paralympic Games|paralympian]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-09-06 |title=Ready to make her splash |url=https://www.perkins.org/ready-to-make-her-splash/ |access-date=2022-06-28 |website=Perkins School for the Blind |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Tony DeBlois]], musician and [[Savant syndrome|autistic savant]]
* Don Deignan, historian and disability advocate<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-10-28 |title=Embracing the past, changing the future |url=https://www.perkins.org/embracing-the-past-changing-the-future/ |access-date=2022-06-28 |website=Perkins School for the Blind |language=en-US}}</ref>
* Albert K. Gayzagian, the first former student and the first visually impaired person to be appointed to the Perkins Board of Trustees<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-01 |title=Albert K. Gayzagian oral history |url=https://www.perkins.org/albert-gayzagian-oral-history/ |access-date=2022-06-28 |website=Perkins School for the Blind |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Helen Keller]], notable deafblind activist and public figure<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-09-12 |title=Helen Keller FAQ |url=https://www.perkins.org/helen-keller-faq/ |access-date=2022-06-27 |website=Perkins School for the Blind |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Paul Pena]], American singer, songwriter, and guitarist
* [[Joseph Brown Smith]], musician and the first blind graduate of [[Harvard University|Harvard]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Figures in Perkins History|url=https://www.perkins.org/history/people/figures-in-perkins-history|access-date=2021-02-15|website=Perkins School for the Blind|language=en}}</ref>
* [[Robert Smithdas]], the first [[deafblind]] person to earn a master's degree<ref name=":0" />
* Jean Sorel, polyglot educator, lawyer, [[Radio Haiti-Inter|Radio Haiti]] host, and the first blind graduate of the [[State University of Haiti]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-02-09 |title=Jean Sorel |url=https://www.perkins.org/jean-sorel/ |access-date=2022-06-28 |website=Perkins School for the Blind |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Anne Sullivan]], teacher of Helen Keller<ref name=":0" />
* [[Tom Sullivan (singer)|Tom Sullivan]], singer and writer
* [[Emilie Poulsson]], poet, children's author, and campaigner for early education and the Froebel method in the United States.

==Notable teachers==
* [[Sarah M. Dawson Merrill]] (1843-1899), educator

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite web|url=https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED391349.pdf|title=Services for Deaf-Blind Children and Youth inConnecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, & New Hampshire. Final Report. Period of Performance: October 1, 1994 – September 30, 1995|publisher=Perkins School for the Blind|date=January 1996}} – Submitted to the [[U.S. Department of Education]], posted on [[Education Resources Information Center]] (ERIC)
*French, Kimberly. ''Perkins School for the Blind: The Campus History Series''. Perkins School for the Blind, 2004.
*''The Education of Laura Bridgman: First Deaf and Blind Person to Learn Language''
*''The Imprisoned Guest: Samuel Howe and Laura Bridgman, The Original Deaf-Blind Girl'' 
*''Mirror, Mirror on the Wall. The Diary of Bess Brennan''
*''My Home Away from Home: Life at the Perkins School'' by Robert Branco

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|http://www.perkins.org/ }}
* [http://www.blindnewworld.org/ BlindNewWorld]
* [http://www.umass.edu/umpress/title/manliest-man The Manliest Man]
* [http://www.perkinsarchives.org/ Perkins Archives]

{{Watertown, Massachusetts}}
{{Helen Keller}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins School For The Blind}}
[[Category:1829 establishments in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:19th century in Boston]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Watertown, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in 1829]]
[[Category:Schools for the blind in the United States]]
[[Category:Special schools in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Schools in Middlesex County, Massachusetts]]