The Feeble Minded in New York, excerpts
A school for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities opened on Randall’s Island in the East River in the 1860s - alongside the city’s almshouse, hospitals, and prisons.
disability labels
New York City’s Schools and What They Cost
At the beginning of the 20th century, New York City required more and more students to attend school and prohibited them from working.
Elizabeth Farrell and Ungraded Classes
Special education classes for children with intellectual disabilities were pioneered in New York City by a social welfare reformer, Elizabeth Farrell.
Map of Randall’s, Hart, and Blackwell’s Islands
In the 1830s, the City purchased Randall’s Island to use as a remote burial ground for the poor and as an almshouse.
The Idiot School
Édouard Séguin learned how to teach children with intellectual disabilities when he lived in France.