Perkins Archives Blog

Touch This Page! Making Sense of the Ways We Read
A woman with visual impairment explores the Touch this Page exhibition.
April 17, 2019
Almost three years ago the Perkins Archives was approached with an idea of using 3-D printing technology to create an exhibit.

The Third Musketeer
Helen Keller and Polly Thomson engaged in conversation via tactile fingerspelling while seated in Adirondack chairs on the grass
March 14, 2019
Polly Thomson spent 46 years as Helen Keller's companion and interpreter but is relatively unknown. Who was she? And how did she get the job?

Knitting For A Cause
Group of female students work on knitting. There are three girls seated and two of them are knitting. Six girls are standing.
February 25, 2019
A guest blog post about how Perkins students contributed to the World War II relief efforts.

Presenting Perkins
Robert M. Campbell seated behind the camera next to a young deafblind student "assist"
February 7, 2019
Filmmaker Robert M. Campbell's award-winning films shared the stories of Perkins students, staff, and alumni as part of a 1960s public education effort.

Building a Fallout Shelter
Six black binders lined up on a shelf, each labeled with a white piece of paper
January 8, 2019
When Perkins built a Fallout Shelter on campus in 1961, planning involved more than just the structure itself.

"Willie" Elizabeth Robin: A Newsworthy Christmas
portrait of “Willie” Elizabeth Robin, circa 1895
December 12, 2018
An 1885 newspaper article about how “Willie” Elizabeth Robin, celebrated Christmas in 1885 helped educate the public about deafblindness.

"A place of attraction to all..."
Perkins tower in the background with pear trees and horse drawn carriages in the foreground.
November 6, 2018
Perkins director Edward E. Allen was a firm believer in the benefits of "simple beauty" for schools for the blind and made sure that the new campus in Watertown fulfilled this belief.

In the Hissing of the Witches and Other Ghostly Sounds
Primary Boys wearing Halloween masks which they themselves, 1925
October 16, 2018
Accounts of Halloween celebrations and activities in 1925.

The Man Behind the Globe
Entrance hall with oval rotunda and large globe at the Perkins Institution and Massachusetts School for the Blind in South Bosto
September 10, 2018
Who designed and created the famous Perkins globe?

The Amazing Jennie Colby
Portrait Photograph of Miss Jennie M. Colby
August 6, 2018
A profile of Jennie Colby, student, volunteer, founding member of the Alumni Association, and pioneer in therapeutic gymnastics and massage treatment.

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