Scotland in the nineteenth century

5. Education

Section 5.1: The disabled

"to investigate and report upon the condition of the blind in our United Kingdom, the various systems of education of the blind, elementary, technical, and professional, at home and abroad, and the existing institutions for that purpose, the employment open to and suitable for the blind, and the means by which education may be extended so as to increase the number of blind persons qualified for such employment."

On 20th January 1886, the terms of reference were enlarged: "that the Commissioners to be nominated for the purposes aforesaid should he authorised and appointed to investigate and report similarly upon the condition and education of the deaf and dumb, as well as such other cases as from special circumstances would seem to require exceptional methods of education."

According to the Census of 1881, there were 3,158 blind people in Scotland. John Macdonald, superintendent of the mission to out-door blind for Glasgow and the West of Scotland (pp. 511-520) thought that the real total was nearer 3,650. About 240 of these were of school age, 108 of whom were receiving no education beyond the occasional visits of missionaries and teachers of the Out-door Blind Association.

There were five institutions for the blind in Scotland, situated at Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. Many witnesses were in favour of educating blind children in board schools along with the seeing, believing that this would engender in them "habits of self-reliance and energy".

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Section 69 of the Education (Scotland) Act, 1872 gave parochial boards the power to pay the fees of poor children. Blind children were included in this clause but the deaf and dumb were omitted. However, many blind children still remained uneducated. The Commissioners thought it should be the duty of every school board to ensure that all blind children attended school. Institutions should enlarge their workshops to provide industrial training for all blind people, and where no institutions existed, the school boards should set up technical schools of their own under the Technical Schools (Scotland) Act, 1887.

Pensions were given to the adult blind in England and Wales, but these were practically non-existent in Scotland. The Mission to the Outdoor Blind had been established in Scotland in 1857 to teach the blind to read raised type and encourage them in finding employment. There were now 10 separate societies, employing 21 missionaries.

There were 2,142 deaf and dumb people in Scotland according to the Census. From the returns it was apparent that agriculture, bookbinding, tailoring, shoemaking and dressmaking were their main occupations. There were six institutions for the deaf and dumb in Scotland, and there were six societies for the adult deaf and dumb. The combined system, oral system, sign and manual system were all used in Scotland.

Imbeciles were supported by the poor rate. Relief was given to adults and children alike. Institutions for imbecile children were established at Larbert near Stirling and Baldovan near Dundee. These were licensed by the General Board of Lunacy.