Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired traces its roots back to 1852, when the Louisiana legislature established the Louisiana Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind." In 1870, the State School for the Blind was established on its own campus. In 1898, the school moved to a site on Government Street, and remained at this location until the summer of 2009.
In the 1920's, the state legislature established the Southern School for the Blind on the campus of Southern University. This was during the days of segregation, and this school was attended by African American students. In 1978, the Southern School for the Blind merged with the State School for the Blind, and the name was changed to Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired.
In the summer of 2009, LSVI moved to Brightside Lane, just south of the LSU campus. LSVI shares the large and beautiful campus at this location with Louisiana School for the Deaf (LSD).
Throughout its more than 150 years as a school and as a home for many of its students, LSVI has maintained an unchanging commitment to offer blind and visually impaired students the academic, career and social opportunities to help them achieve their full potential.