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Our History

WCBVI’s Historic & Current Relevance to Wisconsin’s Educational Landscape

The Wisconsin Center for The Blind and Visually Impaired, located in Janesville Wisconsin, was founded in 1849, and is in fact the first public institution chartered by the state legislature. Today WCBVI still stands as one of Wisconsin’s enduring and vital educational institutions. A proud division of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, WCBVI has throughout the years steadfastly dedicated itself to providing high quality educational opportunities and outcomes for children who are blind or visually impaired who reside in the state of Wisconsin.

Just as in the year 1849, the primary focus of WCBVI is focused on K-12 programming. As always, this incredibly important educational institution continues to refine its focus on building the foundation for each individual student’s success academically, vocationally as well as socially. Given that each individual’s success in life and work is significantly influenced by the level of rigorous and focused educational background that they receive, WCBVI has developed a multitude of cutting edge programs that are currently at work successfully providing students who are blind or visually impaired with the high impact skills they will need to reach their highest level of success and independence in the future.

Great things are indeed happening at WCBVI in this second century of operation. And just as always our focus is on providing the best in educational excellence for the students we so proudly serve at our campus school in Janesville and across the state of Wisconsin.