ABSTRACT

Local philanthropists established the Edinburgh and Glasgow Blind Asylums in 1793 and 1827 respectively. The directors, drawn from the medical profession, business and church communities, genuinely desired to have what they considered to be a positive influence on the lives and circumstances of blind people.

The aim we have in view is to rescue the blind from hopeless despondency and render them useful members of society.

(GBAAR 1883:5) These sentiments indicate a commitment to assisting blind people to acquire education and skills to facilitate their participation in mainstream society. The Edinburgh and Glasgow Blind Asylums admitted mainly young people, who generally had been blind from a young age. Entrance criteria favoured those who could be taught a trade and be employed within the asylum workshops; they did not admit individuals who would possibly become a burden upon the institution (Royal Commission on The Blind 1886(c):44). The asylums proactively created the impression that they accommodated the needs of the majority of blind people in the cities' populations, but, because they admitted only those who could be absorbed as employees into the workshops, they effectively served to assist only a minority of the blind population (Ritchie 1930). Moreover, it would appear that the directors' intentions to make blind people useful members of society were very much gender-orientated. These institutions were opened with the intention of offering blind males, first and foremost, opportunities to access general education, industrial training and employment within the asylum workshops. The asylums met the requirements of mainly blind males, mirroring the cultural expectations of that time, when men were assumed to have responsibilities as providers for their families. These blind males were enabled to fulfil their expected social roles and served a purpose to society, manufacturing the various goods produced in the asylum workshop, but the directorial intentions for females appear to have been very different. Prior to the 1820 opening of the female asylum in Edinburgh, 274the directors were particularly concerned with the guidance and development of the moral deportment of their female charges. It seems that the directors perceived blind women to be physically and morally vulnerable, and in need of guidance and care. Many of the women initially admitted were assumed to originate from the poorest classes, although they were considered to be among the most respectable characters who were very poor (EBAMB 1805–1825:208). It is apparent that the directors regarded blind females as helpless, and that this misguided perception undoubtedly influenced their adoption of a guardianship role in the women's lives.