Agency History and Timeline
Below is information on the history of the agency. This information was obtained through various sources. A list of the sources is included at the end of the timeline.
1947
Governor: Strom Thurmond (Democratic) (1947-1951)
1950s
State Department of Public Welfare provided services for South Carolinians who were blind or severely visually impaired. The department's Division of the Blind taught home crafts, supervised vending operations and placed clients in the Broom Shop. Services were buried within the welfare bureaucracy, and many individuals who were blind or visually impaired felt the situation was demoralizing.
1951
Governor: James Francis Byrnes (Democratic) (1951-1955)
1955
Governor: George Bell Timmerman, Jr. (Democratic) (1955-1959)
1959
Governor: Ernest "Fritz" Hollings (Democratic) (1959-1963)
1963
Governor: Donald Stuart Russell (Democratic) (1963-1965) (resigned)
1964
At its convention, the South Carolina Aurora Club of the Blind, now known as the National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina, passed a resolution calling for the creation of a separate agency to serve individuals who are blind. Two obstacles had to be overcome: the hesitation of legislators to create more bureaucracy by adding another state agency and fear on the part of Public Welfare officials that losing a part of their constituency meant losing power.
1965
Governor: Robert Evander McNair (Democratic) (1965-1971)
State Senators Walter J. Bristow and Earle E. Morris Jr., along with Reps. Owen Cobb and F. Hall Yarborough introduced the bill in the General Assembly. A public hearing on the matter resulted in the formation of a nine-member legislative committee charged with exploring the feasibility of creating a state Commission for the Blind. Sen. Morris served at the helm of the committee.
After careful study, the committee recommended establishing a new agency. The committee based its decision on data showing that only Mississippi and Hawaii exceeded South Carolina in the incidence of blindness per 1,000 people. Nationally, the state ranked among the top 10 states in the number of new blind cases reported.
1966
On May 6, 1966, Gov. Robert E. McNair signed the bill creating the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. The agency's first governing board was Dr. Sam M. Lawton, Spartanburg; R.F. Neidhardt, Columbia; Dr. Michael Holmes, Kingstree; Katherine Morrison, Columbia; and Doris McKinney, Greenwood.
Dr. Fred L. Crawford was appointed the first commissioner.
1971
Governor: John C. West (Democratic) (1971-1975)
1973
Commissioner: Henry Watts
1975
Governor: James Burrows Edwards (Republican) (1975-1979)
1977
Commissioner: Maxine Bowles
1979
Governor: Richard Wilson Riley (Democratic) (1979-1987)
1984
Commissioner: William K. James
1987
Governor: Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. (Republican) (1987-1995)
1990
Commissioner:Donald Gist
1995
Governor: David Muldrow Beasley (Republican) (1995-1999)
1999
Governor: James Hovis Hodges (Democratic) (1999-2003)
2000
Commissioner: Nell Carney
2003
Governor: Mark Sanford (Republican) (2003-2011)
2005
Commissioner: James Kirby
2011
Governor: Nikki Haley (Republican) (2011-Present)
Sources of Information
Agency Annual Restructuring Reports
2015 Agency Program Evaluation Report; and
Agency website.
Staff Portal
