Art education was an integral part of many of the earliest institutions for the blind, with the motivation for their curriculum being largely religious.
[1] For instance, industrial art education was introduced into the earliest English and Scottish asylums by their Protestant Christian founders from 1791.
What can be referred to as fine art education for students who were blind or visually impaired was first recorded in Vienna by the educationalist Johann Wilhelm Klein.
Klein trained people who were blind to carve crucifixes which, he believed, would prevent his students falling prey to what he felt was sexual deviance.
Subsequently, there were many instances of the exclusion of students who were blind or visually impaired in the early years of the 21st century,.
Kennedy discusses the fact that the blind can perceive a drawing made of raised lines, as well as 3D objects that have shape and form.
This dimension can, "act as a bridge between the awareness of art works through perception, and an understanding of their contents beyond perceptual knowledge.
This bridge between awareness and non-verbal knowledge is described as an ambience that is provided by the environment and context of knowing art works.
"[16] Blind or visually impaired artists work in a variety of different media, and are by no means limited to only one type of art.
Experienced Needle Artists who have recently lost vision can continue to pursue their textile art/craft using a few adaptive blind techniques.