Kate M. Foley

Born in 1873, Kate M. Foley was an American librarian, writer, and advocate for blind literacy based in San Francisco. She became blind as an infant and later studied at the California School for the Blind, where she stood out as a strong student and public speaker.

Foley is especially remembered for her work with the California State Library’s service for blind readers. As a home teacher of the blind, she traveled, taught raised-print reading, and supported people who were adjusting to blindness in everyday life. Her writing grew out of that work, including Five Lectures on Blindness (1919), which reflects both practical knowledge and a clear belief in independence and education.

Today, she is remembered not just as an author, but as an early disability advocate who helped make reading more available to blind adults at a time when that access was still very limited. Her career joined books, teaching, and public service in a way that still feels remarkably modern.