Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles (''National Institute for Blind Children'' or ''Royal Institution for Blind Youth''), in Paris, was the first

special school Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

for blind students in the world, and served as a model for many subsequent schools for blind students.

History

It was not until the late 18th century that society began to take an interest in the education of the blind. Until that time they were considered mostly uneducable and untrainable. In 1784,

Valentin Haüy Valentin Haüy (pronounced ; 13 November 1745 – 19 March 1822) was the founder, in 1785, of the first school for the blind, the Institute for Blind Youth in Paris (now Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles, or the ''National Institute for th ...

undertook to teach François Lesueur to read, with the help of the '' Société philanthropique''. It enabled him to prove the efficiency of his method. In 1785, he founded, on his own funds, what was then called the Institute for Blind Youth (''Institution des jeunes aveugles''), in Coquillère street. In 1786, this school move to a building in Notre-Dame-des-Victoires street, rented by the ''Société philantropique'', a group of benefactors. On December 26, Haüy presents his methods and some of his pupils to

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

. He then receives royal funding for 120 pupils, and the school is renamed Institution Royale des Jeunes Aveugles. In 1791, during the French Revolution, it became the Institution nationale des jeunes aveugles (National Institute for the Young Blinds), and moved to the

Couvent des Célestins The Couvent des Célestins (In English: ''Convent of the Celestines''), was an ancient convent located near the Place de la Bastille in Paris, France, active between 1254 and 1790. It was the second most important burial site for royalty after th ...

. From 1800 to 1815, the school is merged with the Quinze-Vingts Hospital, and renamed Institut national des aveugles travailleurs (National Institute of the working blinds). In 1816, the school moved into a former prison that was used during the French Revolution. Sébastien Guillié, who had established the first

ophthalmological Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...

clinic in France and became its director, before being forced to leave in 1821 due to the brutality he exerted against his pupils. Although it was better than its previous location, the building was cold, poorly lit, and unsanitary: students bathed just once a month (there was only one bathroom) and the meals were of poor quality.

Louis Braille Louis Braille (; ; 4 January 1809 – 6 January 1852) was a French educator and the inventor of a reading and writing system, named braille after him, intended for use by visually impaired people. His system is used worldwide and remains virtua ...

, the inventor of the

braille Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are Blindness, blind, Deafblindness, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on Paper embossing, embossed paper ...

system, attended the school in 1819 and later taught there. But many different subjects, like grammar, music, history, and science, were taught there. In 1843, the institute moved into a new, bigger building on Boulevard des Invalides, where it still resides today.

Organ class

The first organ class for blind students was established at the institute in 1826, and, by 1833, fourteen blind students held organist positions in the churches of Paris. The institute continued to produce a number of successful organists, such as

André Marchal André Louis Marchal (6 February 1894 – 27 August 1980) was a French organist and organ teacher. He was one of the great initiators of the twentieth-century organ revival in France and one of the cofounders of the ''Association des amis de l'orgu ...

Jean Langlais Jean François-Hyacinthe Langlais III (15 February 1907 – 8 May 1991) was a French composer of modern classical music, organist, and improviser. He described himself as "" ("Breton, of Catholic faith"). Biography Langlais was born in L ...

, and

Gaston Litaize Gaston Gilbert Litaize (11 August 1909 - 5 August 1991) was a French organist and composer. Considered one of the 20th century masters of the French organ, he toured, recorded, worked at churches, and taught students in and around Paris. Blind ...

.Jean Langlais: The Man and his Music, Ann Labounsky 2000, pages 30–47

Effect on other schools

Perkins School for the Blind Perkins School for the Blind, in Watertown, Massachusetts, was founded in 1829 and is the oldest school for the blind in the United States. It has also been known as the Perkins Institution for the Blind. Perkins manufactures its own Perkins Br ...

, attended by the famed American deafblind woman Helen Keller, was founded after

Samuel Gridley Howe Samuel Gridley Howe (November 10, 1801 – January 9, 1876) was an American physician, abolitionist, and advocate of education for the blind. He organized and was the first director of the Perkins Institution. In 1824 he had gone to Greece to ...

visited the INJA.

References

External links

L'Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles
(in French)

(in French) {{Authority control 1785 establishments in France Educational institutions established in 1785 Schools for the blind in France Schools in France

History

Organ class

Effect on other schools

References

Further reading

External links