The commission has its origins in the New York State Commission for the Blind which was established by Chapter 415 of the Laws of 1913 to improve the condition of blind persons in the state and provide the governor with recommendations for ameliorating their condition and preventing blindness. In this it continued the work of two previous commissions (1903 and 1906) to investigate the condition of the blind, and its core responsibilities remained largely unchanged as it was moved over time within the state's developing social services hierarchy. Under the 1913 law the commission's duties were to maintain a registry of the blind in the state describing the condition, cause of blindness, capacity for education and industrial training of each; to maintain bureaus of information and industrial aid to aid the blind in finding employment and to teach them trades and occupations they might follow in their homes; to establish industrial training schools and workshops and devise means for the sale and distribution of products made by the blind; to promote visits to the blind and teaching of the blind in their homes to ameliorate their condition; and to inquire into the causes and prevention of blindness and to initiate or cooperate in preventative measures.
A reorganization of the commission took place during 1920. Policies were reshaped and work of special sections was redefined, especially to obtain closer cooperation with local agencies for the blind throughout the state and to organize associations in communities where none existed. It was during 1920 that the first sale of articles made by blind persons in New York State was conducted. Later in the decade the commission carried out the provisions of Chapter 185 of the Laws of 1922 affecting relief of the blind. Under the supervision of the commission, which was responsible for investigating need, direct financial assistance was given to blind persons by local communities.
In 1927 the commission became a bureau (in the Division of Special Welfare Interests) within the Department of Charities, which was itself created (Chapter 651 of the Laws of 1926) to continue the work of the former State Board of Charities. When the Department of Charities was designated the Department of Social Welfare (Chapter 654 of the Laws of 1929), the commission became a bureau in that department. In 1933 the bureau became a division of the Department of Social Welfare. The 1930s saw a spurt of initiatives by the division. These included conducting a census (1930) of blind persons in the state; expanding professional services to preschool blind children; sponsoring college courses on eye conditions for teachers of the blind; taking responsibility for the state's quota of "talking book machines" produced by the Library of Congress as part of a WPA project; and supervising the local administration of public welfare programs through the Federal Social Security Act (1938).
In the 1940s vocational rehabilitation was established as a federal-state program headquartered in Albany, and the division's name was changed back to the Commission for the Blind. Mandatory reporting of blindness became law and a legal definition of blindness was formalized. Beginning in 1954 the commission's organizational structure was studied and major program activities were initiated. Emphasis was placed on vocational rehabilitation and specifically on small business enterprise. From 1956 to 1960 policy emphasized expansion of interpretive, educational, and standard setting roles for the commission in work for the blind. This involved strengthening local voluntary service organizations; advising and coordinating services; eliminating segregation and preferential treatment unrelated to needs caused by blindness; substitution of skilled professional services for those bases on an "emotional" approach to blindness; and integration of blind persons into "normal" community services and activities.
The commission's name was changed to the Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped in 1966. The Department of Social Welfare was renamed the Department of Social Services in 1967, and at that time the commission became an agency within that department, still charged with responsibilities on behalf of the blind, and with providing preventive, vocational, rehabilitative, and other social services for them. In 1997 (Chapter 436), the Department of Social Services was abolished and the Department of Family Assistance was created, consisting of the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance and the Office of Children and Family Services. The Office of Children and Family Services assumed responsibility for the family assistance programs formerly administered by the Department of Social Services and the Commission for the Blind was placed within that office.
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The commission is charged by law with responsibilities on behalf of people who are legally blind and living in New York State. These responsibilities include providing prevention of blindness programs, administering rehabilitation services using federal (Vocational Rehabilitation Act) and state funds, and providing training and other services helpful to visually handicapped persons. The commission carries out these functions as an agency within the Department of Family Assistance, Office of CHildren and Family Services. The bulk of the commission's recent work has been to operate the state's program for the vocational rehabilitation of blind children and adults. It administers a program to establish business opportunities in federal, state, county, and municipal buildings which employ legally blind business people. It also operates satellite offices for case planning, including such services as diagnosis, physical restoration, counseling, training, and job placement. One of the commission's primary objectives is to assist consumers in achieving economic self-sufficiency and full integration into society.
L. 1913, Ch. 415.
