On September 18th, 1961, the South Dakota School for the Blind begins classes at its new campus in Aberdeen. The school had operated since 1900 in the town of Gary, South Dakota, but the legislature authorized a new facility and the move to Aberdeen.
Today, the school is known as the South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
The school has documented its history noting that the residents of Gary lobbied to be the location for a state "Blind Asylum" and even offered their former courthouse building for use. The Board of Charities and Corrections chose the community and decided to build a new facility that opened on March 1, 1900.
Stewardship of the School for the Blind moved to the South Dakota Board of Regents in 1945. The Legislature voted to move the school, and a new facility opened in Aberdeen in 1961. 10 years later there was a name change to the South Dakota School for the Visually Handicapped.
Through the years, more and more visually handicapped students have been integrated into traditional public schools, the SDSBVI facility has been modernized in Aberdeen in partnership with Northern State University. They continue their service to the visually handicapped with the motto "Visions of a Brighter Tomorrow through Education".
Production help is provided by Brad Tennant, Dakota Wesleyan University.