Trailblazing Teachers: Susan B Merwin’s Story from The Dot Experience Collection

At The Dot Experience, guests explore the lives of changemakers; trailblazers who helped reimagine what access and inclusion could look like. One of those individuals is Louisville native Susan B. Merwin. Her story is one of leadership, progress, and expanding opportunity — not only in Louisville, but beyond!  

Merwin was born on November 21, 1874, in Louisville, Kentucky. Raised as one of five children in post–Civil War Louisville, Merwin grew up in a city experiencing rapid industrial and cultural growth. Witnessing community needs in education and welfare drove her lifelong dedication to teaching.  She graduated with honors from Louisville Girls’ High School, one of the city’s leading schools for young women at the time. The rigorous curriculum in literature, history, and pedagogy prepared young women for teaching careers. After high school, Merwin trained at Louisville Normal School, gaining honors in teaching methods and child development. She also studied under Professor B. B. Huntoon, learning specialized techniques for educating students who were blind. This early training laid the foundation for her lifelong dedication to expanding opportunities for students who were blind or low vision.  

In 1895, Merwin began her teaching career at the Kentucky School for the Blind (KSB) on Frankfort Avenue. She transformed student life and school leadership alike, introducing Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, performing arts, sports, and honing her administrative skills for stressed efficiency. Her work continued as she became superintendent of KSB in 1912, the second woman in U.S. history to lead a school for the blind.  

Off campus, Merwin led a committee dedicated to testing and developing educational aids that could be distributed through federal quota funds. In 1920, she took on the role of superintendent and secretary at the neighboring American Printing House for the Blind (APH), where she helped increase federal support for APH products and oversaw an expansion of the facility to produce the braille and other materials that students needed.  

In 1919, the APH board sent Merwin to Washington, D.C., to advocate for a bill increasing the organization’s federal appropriation — a bill that successfully passed in July. She also secured a $25,000 appropriation from the Kentucky legislature to build an annex, doubling the size of the press room and bindery and creating the space needed for employees to produce vital educational materials.  

Although her time in leadership was brief, Merwin’s impact was lasting. She passed away in 1923 at the age of 48 from influenza, just months before the new addition was completed. The expansion and the opportunities it created for producing braille and educational materials stood as a powerful reflection of her dedication to expanding access for students who were blind or low vision.  

This October, visitors will be able to explore stories like Merwin’s at The Dot Experience, where the work and legacy of changemakers like her take center stage. Until then, you can learn more about the people featured in the museum by visiting our online collections at https://thedotexperience.pastperfectonline.com/.