Activities of the Imperial Institute for the Blind (1807–1868) – the first specialized educational institution for the blind in the Russian Empire

The purpose of the article is to examine the activities of the Imperial Institute of the Blind as part of the Ministry of Public Education and the Imperial Humane Society. In addition, an analysis of the features of its functioning during the reign of Emperors Alexander I and Nicholas I is carried out – the period of the emergence of specialized education for the blind in the Russian Empire. Published and unpublished sources were used in conducting the research. The unpublished sources include the funds of the Russian State Archive (RGIA). The published sources of the study were reports on the activities of the Imperial Humane Society of different years. It is worth noting that the period of the reign of Alexander I in the life of the Institute is associated with the formation and flourishing of this educational institution. With the support of the talented typhlopedagogue Valentin Haüy, the Institute of the Blind has initially set itself the task of socializing people with special needs (the blind) into society. Therefore, the Institute taught not only the basic general educational subjects of that time, singing and music, but also tried to teach crafts that were feasible for the blind (basket making and brush making). However, the situation changed after the accession to the throne of Nicho-las I, when there was a gradual reduction in funding, a cut in the educational program and a gradual transfer of the Insti-tute to the actual category of almshouses. Thus, in the course of the study, the author comes to the conclusion that, depending on the public mood and government policy, the Institute was assigned various functions: an educational insti-tution for the blind, then an almshouse, and again a school for the blind. Only the social upsurge against the backdrop of the liberal reforms of Alexander II finally resolved the debate related to the meaning and purpose of the Institute for the Blind in society.