The Story of an Institute

A new book called The Ties that Bind: A Collection of Historical Remembrances of the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind tells the story of The Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind. It is written by Lynne Hanner, who is director of the institution’s foundation along with Rose Myers, a former reporter for The Birmingham News. The institution is celebrating its 150th anniversary and the book steps back in time to describe its 1858 beginnings. Joseph Henry Johnson, started the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind in Talleadega to help his brother, William Seaborn, who was born deaf and blind. Seaborn eventually became an educator himself, teaching for more than 40 years at the institution.