The Perkins Archives are part of the Samuel P. Hayes Research Library at the Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown, MA. The Archives house collections related to the history of the education of the blind and deafblind, institutional archives, and correspondence of significant figures in the school's history, such as Helen Keller, Annie Sullivan, Laura Bridgman and Samuel Gridley Howe.

Our Institutional Legacy

In 1829 Perkins became the first school established for the blind in the United States. From the beginning Perkins’ founders were committed to opening the doors to education, literacy and independence for people who are blind and deafblind.The school pioneered the work of education for students who are blind and deafblind, and has remained a leader in the field for more than 180 years. In 1837 Perkins’ student Laura Bridgman became the first deafblind student to be formally educated. Fifty years later, alumna Annie Sullivan used the same methods to teach Helen Keller.

Perkins Collections

The Perkins Archives document the evolution of the fields of knowledge associated with blindness and deafblindness as well as the gradual inclusion of people with visual impairments into the mainstream of American life. Many of the discoveries and achievements that fueled those changes occurred at Perkins–the first deafblind child to be formally educated, the first kindergarten for blind children, one of the first mechanical braille writing devices, and the first lending library of tactile books. Digitized collections from the archives include journals, publications, clippings, correspondence, and films.

More information about Perkins School for the Blind Archives can be found at https://www.perkins.org/archives. Information about the Hayes Research Library, including research visits, can be found at https://www.perkins.org/history/visit/research-library.