Education for Those who were Deaf and Blind

Born into a poor family living in Newington, Julia Brace (1807-1884)became the first deaf and blind person to receive an education in America. Her life paved the way for other blind-deaf children like Laura Bridgman and Helen Keller to have a better education.

By the time she was five years old she could read, write, sew, and helped take care of her younger siblings. Tragically, this same year, she contracted typhus fever that resulted in her becoming both blind and deaf. She slowly lost her ability to speak, but continued to sew, take care of her siblings, and learned to knit. She even used scraps from her father’s shoemaking work to craft fashionable bonnets for her cat.

When Brace turned 18 in 1825 she was admitted to the American School for the Deaf (ASD) where she lived for over 37 years. Upon entering the large Old Hartford campus she carefully visited every inch and even smelled the thresholds. Accounts said that, “union of a mysterious geometry with a powerful memory, never makes a false step upon a flight of stairs, or enters a wrong door, or mistakes her seat the table.” Lydia Huntley Sigourney chronicled Brace’s unique situation in the nationally published Juvenile Miscellany, over the next few years and newspapers across the country printed articles about Brace.

Her amazing abilities to navigate her world attracted attention from visitors to Hartford. They contributed donations in a box specifically designated for her care and waited in awe to see her use her tongue to swiftly thread her needle. Others challenged her ability to recognize personal effects and asked that she return pocket watches or fans to their respective owners. Even if guests switched places or tried to take an object that wasn’t theirs, she never failed.

In 1841, Dr. Samuel Howe brought her to the Perkins School for the Blind in the hopes of teaching her to read using an early form of braille. Brace showed Howe that she was intelligent and able to learn, but at 34 years old she could not retain this new way of communicating. Instead she kept switching back to sign language and this experience illustrated the importance of early education for deaf and blind children.

Brace left ASD in the 1860s to live with her sister Almira Maloney on Maple Avenue in Bloomfield. Much has changed in this area and this location is nearby where her home had been. The school did not forget about her when they planned an excursion through the area in June 1869. 45 male students took a detour just to see her and bring her some oranges. She recognized the superintendent and several pupils and delighted in their visit.

She died in 1884 and her body is buried next to her mother and brother-in-law in Bloomfield’s Mountain View Cemetery. Sadly her tombstone is gone, but the area is still seen on the left hand side just through the entrance of the cemetery.

Credits and Sources:

Photo courtesy of:

Perkins school for the Blind – Flickr Page, ASD also has copy.