Dorothea Dix, born in Maine in 1802, was a champion of the rights of the mentally ill before most people even considered the idea that the mentally ill should have rights.

As a volunteer Sunday School teacher for women incarcerated in the East Cambridge Jail in Massachusetts, Dix witnessed conditions that would shape her work forever: the jail was unheated and dirty, and no consideration was given to the care of the mentally ill.

Her observations led Dix to think seriously about the treatment of prisoners, and particularly the mental ill. She began to read all the available research, interview doctors and study the work of other reformers. Realizing that she could not fully know what she could not see, she set out to visit many of the jails in the state. Her survey of the Massachusetts jails would be the first of many across the nation and Europe. She worked with lawmakers to establish mental health care facilities and reform policies on care for the mentally ill. She even managed to convince Pope Pius IX of the need for reform in Rome’s prisons.

At a time when it was rare for women to be given an audience to influence public policy, Dix undertook a bold advocacy campaign. At a time when little thought was given to the rights of the mentally ill, she was a beacon of hope in a world that had been plagued by abuse and neglect. She should be remembered as an advocate for the most vulnerable among us. The ripples of her work are still felt today.