South Carolina Commission For The Blind

{{Short description|South Carolina state agency}}
{{Notability|date=July 2026}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2026}}
{{Infobox government agency
| name = South Carolina Commission for the Blind
| formed = {{Start date|1966}}
| jurisdiction = [[State of South Carolina]]
| headquarters = [[Columbia, South Carolina]]
| motto =
| employees = 150
| budget = $34 m [[United States dollar|USD]] (2025)
| chief1_name = Luis Gamarra Mendoza
| chief1_position = Acting Commissioner
| website = https://sccb.sc.gov/
}}

The '''South Carolina Commission for the Blind (SCCB)''' is an independent state-level agency in [[South Carolina]] that serves citizens who are blind or low vision.

==History==
South Carolina's blind and visually impaired residents previously relied on the state Department of Public Welfare for support. This division focused on craft instruction, managed vending programs, and connected clients with a narrow range of employment opportunities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=South Carolina Commission for the Blind {{!}} SC Works |url=https://scworks.org/workforce-system/partners/south-carolina-commission-blind |access-date=July 18, 2026 |website=scworks.org |language=en}}</ref>

Members of the [[National Federation of the Blind]] of South Carolina recognized that existing services fell short of what the community needed, and advocated for an independent state agency focused exclusively on blind services. State legislators responded by assembling a study committee in 1965 to assess whether such an agency made sense. The committee's research revealed that South Carolina ranked among the nation's top ten states for newly diagnosed blindness cases and for blindness rates per capita. Based on these findings, the committee recommended moving forward with a dedicated commission.<ref name=":0" />

In 1966, the [[South Carolina General Assembly]] established the South Carolina Commission for the Blind through legislation signed into law by Governor [[Robert Evander McNair|Robert E. McNair]] on May 9, 1966, with the agency officially opening its doors as an independent state agency in January 1967.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.sccb.sc.gov/about/history/ |access-date=July 18, 2026 |website=SCCB |language=en-US}}</ref>

By the 1970s, the agency employed two of the only mobility specialists certified east of the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]] in electronic training device instruction, and SCCB was sole agency in the Southern United States equipped with laser cane technology, along with the Russell Pathsounder and Binaural Sensory Aids. These tools became part of standard mobility training, complemented by a university-level mobility skills course offered at the [[University of South Carolina]]. The same decade, the SCCB also launched a Visual Arts for the Blind Program with the University of South Carolina, designed both to introduce blind participants to visual concepts through art and to help them build mental frameworks for navigating a sighted world.<ref>{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kTbwyByQQesC&dq=South+Carolina+Commission+for+the+Blind&pg=RA1-PA223 |title=State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency: Fact Sheet Booklet |publisher=[[Rehabilitation Services Administration]] |year=1969 |language=en}}</ref>

In 2010, the agency discontinued its [[radio reading service]], which provided 24-hour programming for 35 years.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 26, 2010 |title=SC radio reading program for the blind shuts down |url=https://www.live5news.com/story/13219194/copy-sc-radio-reading-program-for-the-blind-shuts-down |access-date=July 18, 2026 |website=[[WCSC-TV]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Our History - Lions Vision Services - South Carolina Lions |url=https://lionsvisionservices.org/history/ |access-date=July 18, 2026 |website=Lions Vision Services |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Programs ===
The SCCB provides various programs related to vocational rehabilitation, as well as specialized programs for employment, youth services, in-school accommodations, parent services, older adults, and prevention.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Arruda |first=Paola Tristan |date=February 26, 2021 |title=Calls for inclusion and accessibility for SC's blind community |url=https://www.live5news.com/2021/02/26/calls-inclusion-accessibility-scs-blind-community/ |access-date=July 18, 2026 |website=[[WCSC-TV]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Resources for Parents of Blind and Low-Vision Children |url=https://www.loc.gov/nls/services-and-resources/informational-publications/resources-for-parents-of-blind-and-low-vision-children/ |access-date=July 18, 2026 |website=[[Library of Congress]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=South Carolina State Regulation of Private and Home Schools |url=http://www.ed.gov/birth-grade-12-education/education-choice/state-regulation-of-private-and-home-schools/south-carolina-state-regulation-of-private-and-home-schools |access-date=July 18, 2026 |website=www.ed.gov |language=en}}</ref> The agency provides adjustment-to-blindness training and job-placement services for thousands of South Carolina residents each year.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zEk40QEACAAJ |title=South Carolina Commission for the Blind Low Vision Clinic |date=2024 |publisher=South Carolina Commission for the Blind |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7CwuDUr0EzAC&q=South+Carolina+Commission+for+the+Blind |title=South Carolina Statistical Abstract |date=2001 |publisher=South Carolina Budget and Control Board |language=en}}</ref> The agency is a grantee from the [[Rehabilitation Services Administration]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=South Carolina Commission for the Blind {{!}} Rehabilitation Services Administration |url=https://rsa.ed.gov/grantee/south-carolina/south-carolina-commission-blind |access-date=July 18, 2026 |website=rsa.ed.gov}}</ref>

The mission of the SCCB is "to provide quality, individualized vocational rehabilitation, independent living, and prevention services that lead to competitive and integrated employment and/or social and economic independence for individuals who are blind and low vision."<ref>{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://www.sccb.sc.gov/about/ |access-date=July 18, 2026 |website=SCCB |language=en-US}}</ref>

The agency's approved 2026-2027 budget is 34 million dollars.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fiscal Year FY 2026-2027 Agency Budget Plan |url=https://www.admin.sc.gov/sites/admin/files/Documents/Budget/FY27%20L240%20-%20Commission%20for%20the%20Blind.pdf}}</ref>

== Leadership ==
The SCCB is led by a 7-member board of directors, with each member representing South Carolina's [[South Carolina's congressional districts|seven congressional districts]] and appointed by the [[Governor of South Carolina]]. The agency is led by a Commissioner, appointed by the board. The agency headquarters is in [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=State Resources {{!}} National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina |url=https://nfbofsc.org/state-resources |access-date=July 18, 2026 |website=nfbofsc.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ripp |first=Rachel |date=July 24, 2023 |title=$7.8M to upgrade, repair South Carolina Commission for the Blind campus |url=https://www.wltx.com/article/news/local/south-carolina-commission-for-the-blind-upgrading-repairing-columbia-campus-with-78m-dollars/101-67b4ad40-5d96-47bc-9b8d-e012999eede1 |work=[[WLTX]]}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|https://www.sccb.sc.gov/}}

{{authority control}}

{{SouthCarolina-stub}}

[[Category:State agencies of South Carolina]]
[[Category:1966 establishments in South Carolina]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1966]]
[[Category:Blindness organizations in the United States]]