Bridgman, Laura, 1829–89, the first blind and deaf person to be successfully educated, b. Hanover, N.H. Under the guidance of Dr. S. G. Howe, of the Perkins School for the Blind, she learned to read and write and to sew, eventually becoming a sewing teacher at the school, where she remained until her death. As a girl and young woman, Bridgman was famous, her life and education described in newspapers and magazines worldwide. Her fame was later eclipsed by that of Helen Keller.
See biography by L. E. Richards (1928); E. Freeberg, The Education of Laura Bridgman (2001); E. Gitter, The Imprisoned Guest: Samuel Howe and Laura Bridgman (2001).
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