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About MARYLAND SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND

Location:

3501 TAYLOR AVENUE, BALTIMORE, MD 21236, US

Mission Statement

Mission: To serve students with blindness or low vision of all abilities from birth to 21 throughout their unique educational journey.

Description

Brief History:

The Maryland School for the Blind was founded in 1853 as the Maryland Institution for the Instruction of the Blind and was initially located in downtown Baltimore. That location is now the BCPSS Headquarters on North Avenue. The school moved to its current location in Northeast Baltimore in 1907 and, over the next 115 years, has educated and trained thousands of blind and low vision students.

This historic campus has housed many industries, from leather tooling and belt-making mechanics shops, to sewing rooms and even a cider mill, all operated by blind and low vision students and their instructors. Today MSB continues the tradition of preparing our students for the workforce with a robust academic curriculum and career education and training. However, our primary goal is to engage students in learning life skills and academics that can prepare them for life outside of MSB, and we work towards returning students to the local school as soon as they are ready.

Times have changed, and our student population has changed very dramatically. As a result of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), MSB’s student population and mission have evolved, with the number of students with multiple disabilities increasing significantly from only a few before 1965 to 96 percent today. Our high population of blind and low vision students with multiple disabilities makes our life skills education even more critical than ever. Our students are learning how to be as independent as possible.