As one of the original five Commissioners, Helen Keller played a pivotal role in the establishment and shaping of the philosophy of the first Commission for the Blind in the United States. For more than a century, the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB) has upheld the belief in the potential of individuals who are blind to be active and productive members of society. Since 1906, MCB's mission has been to provide personalized training and education to residents of Massachusetts, while advocating for inclusive policies across the Commonwealth, with the ultimate goal of fostering lifelong independence and full participation in the community.
“"The curse of the blind is not blindness, but idleness." - Helen Keller”
A Blind Advocate Makes History (1899-1906)
By Chapter 13 of the Resolves of 1899, the State Board of Education was directed to investigate and report on the feasibility of providing home instruction for adults who were blind. This action was largely prompted by the efforts of the late J. Newton Breed of Somerville. Blindness in the prime of his life, Mr. Breed was deeply aware of the plight of many adults who were blind and left dependent and unhappy due to a lack of occupation. He tirelessly advocated for measures to provide them with opportunities for home instruction.
In response, the Secretary of the State Board of Education prepared a report titled Feasibility of Instructing the Adult Blind at Their Homes, which highlighted that the needs of adults who were blind were both significant and unmet. The report also noted that a considerable number of these individuals could benefit from home instruction.
Following the report's recommendations, the Legislature of 1900 appropriated $1,000 to the Perkins Institution and Massachusetts School for the Blind for the purpose of providing home instruction to adults who were blind. The State Board of Education was tasked with overseeing the allocation of the funds. Additionally, the trustees of the Perkins Institution granted $100 to the Perkins Alumni Association, which had begun offering home instruction for women who were blind in 1898.
In subsequent years, the General Court allocated additional funds: $3,600 in 1901 and $5,000 in 1902 for the same purpose. Over the following years, four individuals who were blind served as home teachers, providing valuable instruction in writing, reading with embossed type, and various crafts, including basketry, sewing, and knitting, with notable success.
In 1902, a group of women affiliated with the Women's Educational and Industrial Union of Boston became deeply concerned with the welfare of adults who were blind. They enlisted the support of philanthropists and other community-minded individuals, who came together to form the Massachusetts Association for Promoting the Interests of the Adult Blind. Their goal was to persuade the Legislature to establish an industrial home for the blind, similar to institutions already operating in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. At the suggestion of Governor John Bates, their plans were modified. In early 1903, they urged the Legislature to authorize the creation of a Commission to investigate the condition of adults who were blind and to report their findings to the Legislature by 1904.
In August 1903, Governor Bates appointed a Commission consisting of Mr. A. H. Hardy (Chairman) of Boston, Dr. Edward M. Hartwell of Boston, and Miss Agnes Irwin of Cambridge. The Commission:
- Held hearings and conferences with people who were blind and their supporters.
- Consulted with overseers of the impoverished in several Massachusetts cities and towns.
- Visited individuals who were blind across Massachusetts.
- Toured major educational and industrial institutions for people who were blind east of the Mississippi River.
- Studied relevant reports and legislation.
A Permanent State Agency is Proposed and Established
The Commission filed its report on January 15, 1904, recommending the creation of a permanent state board composed of five individuals with the authority to establish and maintain a complete register of adults who were blind in Massachusetts. The board would also:
- Establish a bureau of industrial aid to develop home industries and assist people who were blind in finding employment.
- Create one or more workshop schools to provide suitable instruction and work for people who were blind.
Although the Legislature received the report in 1904, it did not act on the recommendations. Instead, it appointed a second Commission to create a register of adults who were blind in the state. This Commission was also tasked with investigating the advisability and feasibility of improving the condition of adults who were blind through industrial training, the establishment of industrial schools, or other means. The Commission was given a deadline of January 15, 1905.
The deadline for the Commission was extended to January 1906. Additionally, the Legislature authorized the Bureau of Statistics of Labor, which conducted the 1905 state census, to assist in preparing the register by providing the names and addresses of people who were blind and recorded in the census.
The Commission submitted its final report on January 15, 1906. The report included a register of people who were blind, along with a set of recommendations and a bill. The key recommendations included:
- The establishment of a permanent board to improve the condition of the blind, with the belief that women and blind individuals should be eligible for membership.
- The board should be responsible for maintaining and perfecting the register, serving as a bureau of investigation, information, and advice.
- The board should act as a bureau of industrial aid, helping people who were blind find employment, develop home industries, and explore new job opportunities.
- The board should be empowered to establish and manage industrial schools and workshops to provide suitable instruction and work in industries best suited to blind individuals.
In accordance with these recommendations, the bill, with minor revisions, was enacted as Chapter 385 of the Acts of 1906 and approved by Governor Curtis Guild Jr. on May 11, 1906.
Many citizens, including Helen Keller and members of the Massachusetts Association for Promoting the Interests of the Adult Blind, were actively involved in lobbying and advocating for the establishment of the agency.
Below is the statement that Helen Keller made during a hearing of the Massachusetts Legislature in 1903:
“"It has long been my earnest desire to help the blind. It is terrible to be blind and to be uneducated; but it is worse for the blind who have finished their education to be idle. Their very education becomes a burden because they cannot use it... They think, think, think in the long days that are nights... Their education was a delight, and a privilege; but for what have they been educated? ... I often receive letters from them, and the cry of their despair is in my heart as I speak.
If the Commonwealth will establish a Commission to place the blind in positions of self-support, it will be doing three things - helping the blind, relieving itself from the burden of caring for them, and setting an example to other states..."”
Commissioners Appointed
On July 6, 1906, Governor Guild appointed five members to the Commission:
- Dr. Edward M. Hartwell of Boston, for five years.
- Miss Helen Keller of Wrentham, for four years.
- Miss Annette P. Rogers of Boston, for three years.
- Dr. J.H.A. Matte of North Adams, for two years.
- Mr. Robert L. Raymond of Milton, for one year.
At its first meeting on July 18, 1906, the Commission elected Dr. Hartwell as Chairman and Mr. Raymond as Secretary.
Following its organization, the Commission opened an office at 15 Ashburton Place in Boston and established two departments: the Department of Registration and Information, and the Industrial Department.
Public Services Begin
In the early days, the Commission focused on establishing what is now known as the Blindness Registry and developing the Industries Department. From the outset, the agency prioritized providing education to children who were blind and employment opportunities for adults who were blind.
The agency served children of all ages. For example, at a meeting on September 5, 1906, the Commissioners authorized an employee to investigate the case of a blind infant in Feeding Hills, near Springfield.
The Commission also extended its services to individuals with multiple disabilities. During the same meeting, the Commissioners reviewed the case of a DeafBlind person and voted to make arrangements for her to attend a school the following year.
The agency's services to adults were primarily vocational. At nearly every meeting, the Commission authorized work-related or training services. For example, David Scott of Worcester was authorized to spend two weeks at a shop in Pittsfield, "at a cost not to exceed $25," to learn chair caning. Frederick Brigham was sponsored to attend the Connecticut Industrial School for the Blind to learn broom-making.
The Commission didn't rely solely on workshops and training schools. One consumer was authorized to live with a man in Cambridge and learn broom-making, "at a cost not to exceed $5 per week for room and board." Such services were often provided in collaboration with cities, towns, or local citizen groups. For instance, the Commission authorized the purchase of a broom-making kit and materials for a consumer in Marlborough, with the condition that the City of Marlborough or local residents provide a place to work.
The Commission also authorized financial assistance for vocational training. It agreed to "pay one-half the necessary expense" for a consumer to receive massage training from a doctor, with the following conditions:
- The doctor must view the consumer as a promising student.
- A group of "responsible persons in Worcester" must write a letter supporting the feasibility of such work in the city.
- The group would cover the additional costs of training and help promote the consumer's work afterward.
On November 7, the Commission placed a "suitable apprentice" at the Trowbridge Piano Factory in Franklin. A week later, Waldo Ramsdell of South Hanover was sponsored to apprentice at a cobbler shop, with costs not to exceed $20.
In authorizations that foreshadowed the agency's current Vending Facilities Program, the Commission approved the expenditure of "not over $50 for stock in trade, including candies, cigars, etc., for Thomas Henry of Everett" and "$20 for a coffee-grinding machine for Henry Hill of Lawrence."
Throughout 1906, the Commission conducted home visits in Worcester, Fall River, Springfield, Marlborough, Everett, Lawrence, and South Hanover. These visits helped identify responsible citizens who could support people who were blind in various endeavors, including massage, broom-making, and cobbler shops.
The year 1907 marked both growth and a shift toward a structure focused on industries and the funding of vocational rehabilitation services, referred to as "Industrial Aid."
In late 1906, the Commission established a "Case Committee" to handle routine service requests. Throughout 1907, the Committee continued to manage expenditure requests.
In tune with the times, Mr. Charles Campbell, Superintendent of the Industrial Department, requested and was granted permission "to buy wholesale cloth for making automobile tool bags." (The Model T was introduced in 1908.)
The Industrial Department rented one-and-a-half stories in the Southwick Building as a factory for men to work, and a house and estate at 227 Harvard Street in Cambridge for women.
While Mr. Campbell focused on expanding the Industrial Department, Charles Holmes was the sole worker in the Vocational Rehabilitation Department. Miss Lucy Wright, Superintendent of the Department of Registration and Information, made her own significant contributions. She published a leaflet about Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, the founding director of Perkins School for the Blind, and another titled "Hints to Parents of Blind Children." She also purchased books and pamphlets related to blindness for the Commission's use.
In 1907, the Commission took over the "Home Work for Women Program" of the Perkins Institution for the Blind, establishing what would become the Department of Home Industries for Blind Women.
As of January 1, 1907, the register of the blind listed 3,806 individuals. The Commissioners stated, "The register is unquestionably the fullest and most useful list yet made of the blind in Massachusetts. It embodies a large and constantly increasing amount of information, obtained through personal investigations by agents of individual cases. Friendly relations have been established with the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, various charitable organizations, and the Perkins Institution, resulting in many new cases of blindness being promptly referred to us for advice and aid. This enables us to turn the returns from the State census into practical use, as prior to the passage of Chapter 1, Resolves of 1905, these names and addresses could only be used for statistical purposes."
As the Commission developed, Miss Wright advocated for the creation of a "Home Teaching Department." By 1912, the agency's budget had grown to $50,000, its register listed more than 4,000 individuals who were blind, and its staff numbered 30, 12 of whom were blind. The return of veterans from World War I increased the state's blindness population and demand for services.
“"We the blind are as indebted to Louis Braille as mankind is to Gutenberg," said Helen Keller. ”
Mid-Century Expansion of Services
Amid the Great Depression, the Library of Congress established what is now the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped to distribute braille books to regional lending libraries across the country. Following the introduction of the Talking Book in 1934, the Commission became the state distributor of record players and, later, cassette players. In the mid-1930s, the federal government passed the Randolph-Sheppard Act, nationalizing the Commission's existing Vending Facilities Program.
As veterans returned home from World War II, the demand for services for the newly blinded population surged. Research and funding were directed toward helping veterans adjust to blindness, including the development of the white cane and the formal establishment of the Vocational Rehabilitation Program. With an influx of federal and state funding, the Commission expanded its staff and resources to meet the growing needs for education, training, independent travel, and employment placement.
The Commission's Children's Services also grew in the 1950s as more students who were blind attended "Sight-Saving Classes" in public schools. By the 1960s, integration into regular classroom settings became more widespread and was formalized by Chapter 766 in 1974.
The Massachusetts Commission for the Blind has remained at the forefront of training people who are blind in communication skills. MCB rehabilitation teachers, assistive technology specialists, and orientation and mobility instructors have provided braille instruction and trained consumers in using Talking Book machines, optical and tactile readers, speech recognition software, and talking Satellite Positioning Systems.
Present Day
As of 2024, MCB serves approximately 30,000 residents of the Commonwealth who are legally blind, providing access to employment opportunities and social rehabilitation with the goal of promoting independence and full community participation. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 6, Section 136 mandates that eye care providers report all cases of legal blindness to MCB within 30 days of the examination date. Upon receiving these reports, an MCB counselor contacts newly registered individuals to explain and offer appropriate benefits, programs, and services.