Johann Wilhelm Klein, who founded the Imperial and Royal Institute for the Blind in Vienna in 1804, established the museum in the 1830s. Its various departments provide an overview of the development of teaching and learning aids for the blind, ranging from music and mathematics to geography and biology. Among other things, the following historical teaching aids are on display: musical notation devices, tactile clocks, drawing devices for geometry lessons, maps, globes, animal models, etc. One focus is the development of various writing systems for the blind, culminating in the actual “Braille” developed by Louis Braille in 1825. Before Braille became widely accepted, various methods and fonts were tried in an attempt to enable written communication between blind and sighted people. The various forms of raised writing ranged from letters to different relief scripts to individual cut-out letters that could be glued on and felt. The Viennese mechanic Carl Ludwig Müller developed a tactile “mass script” in 1806. This led to the “first” invention of the fountain pen. In addition to the development of writing for the blind, the museum also presents the development of typewriters for the blind and the letterpress printing of books for the blind. The museum's significant graphic collection comprises around 1,700 sheets on the subject of blindness. The first pictures were donations that Johann Wilhelm Klein received for his institute. Many of the pictures illustrate the social status of blind people. Depictions range from blind people in ancient times and in the Orient to professions for the blind in the 19th and 20th centuries. In the 19th century, blind people were mainly trained in skilled trades. A separate room is dedicated to these trades, which are still relevant today. The Museum of Blindness is one of the most comprehensive of its kind and enjoys an international reputation.
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