[1] Johanna Berglind became an orphan early in life and was adopted by a widow: from about the age of ten, she was the ward of a relative of her late mother, Per Aron Borg, who was the pioneer of the education of deaf and mute in Sweden and the founder and principal of Manillaskolan (originally Allmänna institutet för Blinda och Döfstumma, 'Public Institute of the Blind and Deaf') in Stockholm.

Berglind had the ambition to found a school pension for the deaf and saved her salary to finance it.

In April 1860, she started the Tysta Skolan with the few students and one additional teacher that she could afford.

This brought the project recognition around the country and attracted a lot of attention from private benefactors: a school board was made and the school was given the protection of King Charles XV and Queen Louise and given governmental support.

The same year, she was made honorary chairperson in the Stockholm Deaf and Mute Society.