Emma Hjorth

Emma Alethe Andreasdatter Hjorth (née Lippestad, 21 May 1858 – 2 July 1921) was a Norwegian educator and founder of the country's first large-scale institution for people with intellectual disabilities.

Background and education Hjorth was born at Leppestad farm in Hobøl, Norway, to farmer Andreas Andreassen Lippestad and Gunhild Johannesdatter Bovim. Another of her brothers, Carl Thorvald, was also an educator. Women were not allowed to enroll in higher education at the time, so she took the teacher's examination in 1879 individually as a , a person without the right to study.

Hjorth undertook several study trips to institutions in the United States and elsewhere in Europe, including to Philadelphia and Boston in 1884.

After seeing children turned away from the Torshov school for being "uneducable" – at a time when the concept of racial hygiene held significant sway – Hjorth's mission became to provide education to such students. It was later moved to the Tokerud farm in western Bærum, which she purchased in 1903; it had 42 residents around this time.

Legacy Upon the transfer of the Emma Hjorth Home to the state in 1915, Hjorth stipulated that the area always be used for people with developmental disabilities. The institution was closed in the 1990s and the Regional Activity Center (, REGA) was founded by the Municipality of Bærum for the purpose. It consists of five divisions: , a guest house; , a cafe on the premises of the old central kitchen; , a gymnasium and swimming pool; , a sensory center; and Emma Hjorth Museum, a permanent exhibit on Norway's social–political history. The museum also has a historical walk called , featuring a digital map with information points.