Fanny Crosby, though blind from a very young age, became a prolific hymn writer. Fanny Crosby was 15 when she was enrolled at the newly founded New York Institute for the Blind—her home for 23 years; first as a student and for 12 years as an influential teacher and political activist. As her hymn writing grew more popular, so did her influence. By some accounts, she was “one of the best-known women in North America,” and became the first woman to address Congress. In her 95-year life span, Fanny