In the second part of act 1, we meet Annie Sullivan as she prepares to leave for Alabama from the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Massachusetts. She is a student at the institute, but Annie also seems to be a teacher or mentor in some sense. At any rate, as she prepares to leave, she is given two parting gifts from Anagnos, one of the institute's administrators. Anagnos gives Annie a small loan to pay for her transportation to Alabama which she is expected to pay back. She also receives a garnet ring, which she is very grateful to get from Anagnos.

The children at Perkins have also procured a couple of gifts for Annie. She is given a pair of sunglasses to help her eyes, which are particularly sensitive to light due to having suffered from trachoma. This helps indicate that Annie has vision issues herself, which will help her empathize with Helen. The children have also taken up a collection to buy a doll which is intended for Helen.