The Massachusetts Commission for the Blind was originally comprised of three men and two women, including Ms. Helen Keller. This group functioned as a board of directors and was established a state agency to provide services to people who are blind. The original agency was organized around two residential workshops for people who are blind, one for men and one for women. In 1919, the Commission was incorporated into the State Department of Education and renamed the Division of the Blind. In 1966, the agency was reestablished as the separate commission that it remains today. Currently, MCB is one of eleven agencies in the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS).
The Massachusetts Commission for the Blind was established on July 13, 1906.