New York Institute for the Education of the Blind, 1931.

Originally located in Manhattan, the Institute first opened in 1832 with only six students. In 1924, it moved from its previous location in Chelsea to a much larger space in the Bronx, with greater facilities, and room for many more students. Later, in 1986, the school changed its mission statement in order to welcome children of a greater range of ages, and other disabilities. The name was changed to the New York Institute for Special Education (NYISE).

The school was founded by three philanthropists: Samuel Wood, Samuel Akerly, and John Dennison Russ. Wood was a schoolbook publisher, Akerly was a doctor at the New York Institution for the Deaf, and Russ had already been educating blind orphaned children for some time, without financial support or resources. The three men banded together to propose a formal institution supporting the blind to the New York State Legislature. Their plan was approved, and the institute expanded quickly.

Russ was also one of the first to begin developing technologies to help blind people to read. He proposed an alphabet made up of dots and lines, representing phonetic sounds instead of letters. Another teacher at the school, William Bell Wait, developed a system called New York Point. Both styles were early precursors to Braille.