In the nineteenth century, in an era known as the Second Great Awakening, philanthropic and charitable efforts grew across the United States. Part of this humanitarian effort focused on educating disabled people. Construction of boarding schools and institutions for deaf and blind students slowly spread across the country and children once considered uneducable now received formal instruction. Nevertheless, the education of deaf and blind people was controversial. Many questioned the influences of public and private funding on the schools as well as the practice of committing children to an institution at a young age, when meant removing them from their families. Varying teaching strategies for deaf and blind children were also debated.
