In 1879 the Territory of Dakota recognized a need to provide educational opportunities for students who were blind. They entered into contracts with the Iowa College for the Blind in Vinton, Iowa. In 1893, the legislature made a $1,000 appropriation to cover the tuition and in1895 passed legislation to provide for the education of "all such as may be too blind to acquire an education in the common schools of suitable capacity, between the ages of 10 and 30 years."

In 1895 the citizens of Gary, South Dakota lost their status as county seat and offered the Duel County Court House building to the state to be used as a school for the blind. Because the original building was unsuitable for a school, the citizens of Gary raised the money to build a two-story brick structure (1899-1900), which was connected to the old building. As local merchant "Grandma Wells" commented, "I thought it over and prayed over it, and it seemed to me that the blind children of South Dakota needed school more than I needed spending money."

The school opened in 1900 making it the 42^nd school for the blind in the nation. Mayor Fonger, the entire Board of Charities and Corrections and Governor Lee, attended the gala opening ceremonies in March. In 1901 the state legislature appropriated money for a permanent institution.

The 1917 legislature made provision for the "care, maintenance, and instruction of blind babies and children under school age." In 1925 the upper age limit of 21 was established, and up to 12 years of schooling was to be provided at the state's expense. The name was changed from asylum to the South Dakota School for the Blind. As Dora Donald explained to the Board of charities and Corrections "It is a school in every sense of the word." In 1945 it was removed from the list of charitable institutions and placed under the jurisdiction of the South Dakota Board of Regents.

From the beginning, the course of instruction offered at the school followed closely what was taught in the common schools of the state. In addition, to the regular curriculum Braille was taught as was gymnasium, industrial work and domestic science. Piano tuning, broom making, chair caning and upholstery were taught in preparation for employment. Realizing that a residential school had a special responsibility to aid children away from home, the Legislative Act of 1931 specifically mentioned insuring genuine "kindness and sympathy" toward all pupils.

In 1957-58 the idea of relocating the school surfaced. The major contentions were the need for additional facilities at Gary, the lack of travel experiences for students, and proximity to a college. The state legislature passed a bill moving the school to Aberdeen in 1959. Eight hundred thousand dollars ($800,000) was appropriated to build on land donated by the city of Aberdeen. Classes began in the new facility on September 18, 1961. In 1968 an activities building was added at a cost of $165,000.

In 1970, the name of the school was changed to South Dakota School for the Visually Handicapped to reflect the fact that students who were visually impaired, as well as those who were blind, were eligible for services.  A federally funded program to serve deaf-blind students was begun in 1972 as a part of a nationwide response to the rubella epidemic of the mid-sixties. In 1979, the legislature added deaf-blind students to those served by the South Dakota School for the Visually Handicapped.

In 1981, in a response to growing requests from parents and local school districts, a teacher was assigned to travel and work with visually impaired students in their local schools. In 1985, another teaching position was reassigned to provide outreach to the western part of the state. The 1988 legislature funded a third outreach position to serve the southeast part of the state, and in 1993, transition services to local schools was added through a cooperative partnership with Services to the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Increased use of technology and inquiries from local school districts lead to the employment of as Assistive Technology Specialist in 1997. In 1998, the school's name was officially changed to the SD School for the Blind and Visually Impaired by the South Dakota Legislature.