History
n 1918 Watertown businessman M.E. Avery became interested in assisting local blind residents. Mr. Avery may have been influenced by by a speech given by Ann Conally, a representative from the New York State Commission for the Blind, to the Watertown Rotary Club, of which he was a member. Ann, who was legally blind herself, was a dynamic speaker who spoke of the need for the community to provide employment opportunities for the blind, so they could become productive self-sufficient members of the community.