Trailblazing Women in History Who Were Blind or Had Low Vision

As we observe International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, we recognize the many women who are blind or have low vision whose work helped expand opportunities for others.

When we think of blind women in history, many of us think first of Helen Keller, who became blind and deaf after an illness at 19 months old. Keller went on to become an internationally recognized advocate for people with vision loss and a powerful voice for those who were marginalized. Today, AFB’s fully accessible Helen Keller Archive provides a rich source of information about her life and work for scholars, students, and the public.

But Keller’s story is only one part of a much larger history. Across generations, women who were blind or had low vision have helped expand access to education, champion braille literacy, advocate for civil rights, and open doors for others in their communities.

Many of these women played pivotal roles in shaping opportunities for people who are blind or have low vision. Here are just a few whose work helped leave a lasting mark.

Laura Bridgman (1829–1889)

Laura Bridgman was the first deafblind student successfully educated at the Perkins School for the Blind, becoming one of the earliest documented examples of formal education for a deafblind person.

Bridgman arrived at the school in 1837 at just seven years old. After learning to communicate through finger-spelling, she went on to study a wide range of subjects including reading, writing, geography, arithmetic, history, grammar, algebra, geometry, physiology, and philosophy.

Her education attracted international attention and helped demonstrate that people who are deafblind can learn, communicate, and pursue academic study.

Helen Keller later recalled meeting Bridgman during a childhood visit to Boston. In a 1905 letter, Keller wrote, “I remember meeting Laura Bridgman when I first visited Boston. I was only a little girl, and I had four opportunities to talk with her.”

Bridgman’s life and writings remain an important part of the history of deafblind education and can still be explored through her journals preserved in the Perkins Archives.

Adelia M. Hoyt (1865–1966)

An American librarian, author, and advocate, Adelia M. Hoyt was an early champion of the idea that people who are blind should play a central role in shaping programs and policies that affect their lives.

Hoyt experienced significant vision loss in childhood due to recurring fevers. She attended the Iowa School for the Blind and later became a librarian in the Library of Congress Reading Room for the Blind. There, she helped lead efforts to expand access to braille reading materials for people who are blind or have low vision.

Hoyt coauthored Braille Transcribing: A Manual in 1925 with Gertrude T. Rider to guide volunteer transcribers producing braille books after World War I. The work later became part of the Library of Congress Braille Program, where Hoyt eventually served as director of braille transcribing.

Throughout her career, Hoyt trained and certified more than 2,000 volunteer braille transcribers. She also testified before Congress in support of the Pratt-Smoot Act, which created federal funding for braille books. In 1940, Hoyt received the Migel Medal for Outstanding Service to the Blind. Helen Keller presented the award to Hoyt at the offices of the American Foundation for the Blind, where she acknowledged Hoyt’s work in a speech.

Anne Sullivan (1866–1936)

Anne Sullivan is widely known as the beloved teacher of Helen Keller, but fewer people realize that Sullivan herself had low vision.

As a child, Sullivan developed trachoma, a bacterial eye infection that left her with very limited vision. After undergoing surgery at age 15, some of her sight was restored, but she continued to have low vision for the rest of her life.

Sullivan’s work with Helen Keller transformed approaches to teaching children who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision. Her patient and innovative teaching methods demonstrated that communication and education were possible for students who had previously been excluded from learning opportunities.

Her influence continues to shape educational practices and philosophies in the field of blindness education today.

Tilly Aston (1873–1947)

Tilly Aston was a pioneering Australian educator, writer, and advocate who dedicated her life to improving opportunities for people who are blind or have low vision.

After losing her vision as a child, Aston became Australia’s first teacher who was blind. Recognizing the importance of accessible reading materials, she founded the first library of braille books in Melbourne. She recruited sighted volunteers and trained them in braille so they could help convert printed works into braille for readers who are blind or have low vision.

Aston was also a passionate advocate for civil rights. Her efforts helped secure voting rights for people who are blind, pensions for those who were legally blind, and the world’s first free postal system for braille materials. She later championed the introduction of Talking Books as another way to expand access to literature and information.

Georgia Duckworth Trader (1876–1944)

Georgia Duckworth Trader dedicated her life to expanding educational opportunities for people who are blind or have low vision.

Born with congenital cataracts, Trader lost her vision completely at age eleven after an unsuccessful surgery. Determined that her daughter would still receive an education, Trader’s mother helped ensure she became the first student who was blind admitted to a Cincinnati public school.

Trader later worked with her sister, Florence, to teach braille classes at the Cincinnati Public Library. In 1901, they established the Cincinnati Library Society for the Blind. Two years later, they opened the first home for women who were blind in Ohio, which eventually grew into the Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Handicapped. Georgia and Florence Trader received the Migel Medal from AFB in 1944 for their work teaching students who were blind or visually impaired.

Trader was especially committed to teaching adults who lost their sight later in life, believing that education and literacy could restore confidence and independence.

Helen May Martin (1893–1947)

Helen May Martin was a deafblind concert pianist whose career challenged assumptions about what people with multiple disabilities could achieve. Helen Keller once described Martin as “the most accomplished deaf and blind person in the world.”

Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Martin was deaf and blind from childhood. Her mother taught her music using tactile methods, including illustrations made with dried beans. Martin later graduated from the Kansas State School for the Deaf—becoming the first student who was also blind to attend—and went on to study at music conservatories in Wichita and Cincinnati.

Martin began performing public concerts in 1922 and toured across the United States for more than twenty years. She memorized hundreds of musical compositions and collected sheet music in braille and other raised print systems. In addition to piano, she also played the harp and experienced music by feeling sound vibrations.

Her musical accomplishments and national concert career demonstrated the extraordinary possibilities of deafblind musicianship.

Martha Louise Morrow Foxx (1902–1985)

Martha Louise Morrow Foxx was an innovative educator who helped expand educational opportunities for Black students who were blind during the era of segregation.

Born in North Carolina, Foxx lost most of her vision in infancy. After earning a degree in education from Hampton Institute, she helped establish Mississippi’s first school for Black students who were blind at the Piney Woods Country Life School.

Foxx believed strongly in hands-on education and independence. Her teaching emphasized braille literacy, music and the arts, work experience, community engagement, and practical life skills. Many of these principles are reflected today in the Expanded Core Curriculum used in education for students who are blind or have low vision.

Honoring the Legacy of Blind Women Leaders

The women highlighted here represent just a small portion of the many leaders who are blind or have low vision who have shaped history. Their stories remind us that progress has often been driven by the leadership, determination, and vision of women who refused to accept limits placed on them.

This International Women’s Day and throughout Women’s History Month, we celebrate their achievements and the generations of women who continue to expand possibilities for people who are blind or have low vision.