In April of 1909, the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired was directed by the state Legislature "to provide any and all means which shall be deemed feasible for ameliorating the condition of the blind." Ninety years later, the Commission more than ever finds itself fulfilling that original mandate.

The formation of a single agency to administer to the needs of New Jersey's blind population was the culmination of a wave of social conscience that swept the country in the late 1800s and early 1900s. As a result, significant strides were made toward equalizing opportunities for people who were blind or who were vision impaired.

The Commission, known as the Commission for the Blind until 1982, was at the forefront of that movement and still works diligently toward the realization of new levels of achievement in the quest for equal opportunity.

Although the Commission's scope of service has significantly expanded since 1910, the direction established 100 years ago is still an integral part of today's programs and policies as well as tomorrow's goals and aspirations.

The Commission was established in 1910 under the direction of Lydia Young Hayes, a blind teacher of the blind. One of the initial tasks of the Commission was to compile a registry of the state's blind residents. During that first year, 750 people were registered. By 1970 that number exceeded 10,000.

Miss Hayes and another teacher, Janet Paterson, established the state's first integrated classes for blind and sighted students within the Newark school system during that first year, 1910. These classes were based on the belief that integrated classes provided blind students with the educational tools and exposure necessary for a smooth assimilation into society.

This educational policy was recognized throughout the country as an innovative model in the field of education of the blind. Under the supervision of Josephine Taylor from the early 1940's to the late 1960's, the Commission's evolving educational programs, known by then as the New Jersey Plan, gained world-wide recognition. This system of supporting blind and vision impaired students in public schools and sending teachers to assist them through lessons in braille, low-vision aids and special classes has grown over the years into an even more comprehensive educational service program that supported 1,500 students last year.

A Home Teaching Service Program was also installed during the first years of the Commission. Teachers went into clients' homes to help them discover ways to most productively use new techniques and their own talents to achieve self-sufficient lifestyles. This program offered instruction in communication skills such as braille and typing, and included guidance in the production of marketable crafts and handiworks. These latter skills led to the creation of a Home Industries Program which functioned as an agent for the sale of blind-made products.

In 1915 the Commission began a program to place blind workers in industry, capitalizing on openings resulting from World War I Armed Services recruitments. Federal and state legislation offered additional support to the Commission's early employment and social service programs. This legislation was designed to provide legal and economic leverage to agencies that served the handicapped, such as the Commission.

Broadened by major amendments (the Barden LaFollete Act) in 1943, earlier federal rehabilitation legislation (the Smith-Fess Act of 1920) provided funds and authorized state agencies to help blind and vision impaired clients obtain meaningful employment through vocational training, counseling, physical restoration and placement service. Federal and state funding for medical, surgical and other physical restoration services have also helped to augment the Commission's rehabilitative programs.

Direct financial assistance to blind individuals was also made available through the Commission as early as 1921 (New Jersey Relief Act). Although these programs have been absorbed by the Social Security Administration, the Commission still provides extensive guidance and consultation to blind and visually impaired clients regarding their rights and obligations. This helps to insure a fair and equitable disbursement of available funds.

Basic legislative mandates and their various amendments allowed the Commission to vastly enhance its services during the middle period of its 75-year growth under the direction of George Meyer (1936-1964).

The Randolph-Sheppard Act (1936) authorized the Commission to license qualified blind clients to operate vending stands in federal and federally-sponsored buildings, later broadened to include state, municipal and private buildings. There are presently 63 Commission-sponsored newsstands, snack bar, and coffee shop facilities throughout the state, and three more are planned.

Vocational Rehabilitation Services were formally organized in 1941 under the supervision of Carl Pirrups-Hvarre. These services provided a wider range of training, placement, counseling and guidance to prepare blind clients for employment and to bring them together with the business establishment. This comprehensive rehabilitation service also incorporated diagnostic and restorative procedures to minimize visual handicaps affecting employability.

The Commission has not only been concerned, however, with the issue of vision in the workplace. Prevention and total sight care have always been the primary concern of those dedicated to serving blind and vision impaired people.

From 1911 to 1918, the Commission, concerned citizens and private organizations such as the New Jersey Association for the Blind pooled their resources to secure legislation to promote research into blindness prevention. Eye Health Services were formally established in 1943 under the supervision of the late Emma Howe, and the nation's first traveling eye unit and glaucoma registry were organized. These services have continued to grow over the years and provide clients with the most sophisticated tools available to detect sight-threatening illnesses promote sight conservation and utilize restoration technologies.

Under the direction of Joseph Kohn, (1964-1976), the size and scope of the Commission's staff and service programs more than doubled. Significant expansions occurred in many departments: social services under the supervision of Helen Gromann; the home industries program under the supervision of Dan Sullivan; vocational rehabilitation under the supervision of Irv Kruger, an expanded contract workshop program; the career development program; the opening of the George Meyer Textbook and Materials Center; volunteer programs; preschool screening programs; and many more.

The Commission has also benefited from the individual support of private citizens, beginning with the Churchill Fund in the early 1900's. Sarah Churchill, a prominent Montclair resident who dedicated her time as well as her substantial resources to the Commission and its clients, set a precedent for private patronage which has carried through the years by way of the Welfare and Client Assistance funds and the New Jersey Fund for the Blind.

Caroline Rose Foster, a client of the Commission from 1964 until her death in 1979 at age 102, bequeathed a sizable sum from her estate to promote the Commission's work for blind and vision impaired people. A Morristown resident since 1881, Miss Foster distinguished herself in the social and political life of Morris County and the state. Appropriately, she specified in her will that the funds derived from the interest on her gift to the Commission be used for "the amelioration of the condition of the blind."

Invaluable services have been provided by other people including the volunteers who spent hours transcribing thousands of pages and tapes for the Cornmission's clients.

Other contributions were made by those who served on the Commission's Board of Trustees, such as the late Dr. Joseph Kler, Nathan Rogoff, Joseph Mellilo, and Margot Studer, all long-term members.

Consumer involvement and client responsibility have also played a major role in shaping the Commission's present levels of efficiency. With the establishment of the first Consumer Forum in 1964, under the auspices of Governor Richard Hughes, consumer groups and individual clients began to take active participation in the Commission's decision and policy-making procedures.

The Commission's present efforts and future goals for the next decade are to continue applying all resources towards preventing blindness and providing services that facilitate equality in education, employment and quality of life for New Jersey’s vision impaired residents.

Over 100 years ago the New Jersey State Commission for the Blind, guided by the blind teacher from Massachusetts, Lydia Hayes, established a tradition of dedicated service for blind and vision impaired people which has grown and flourished into a modern, multiservice agency prepared to identify and serve the state's more than 259,000 vision impaired citizens.