Brief History of Services for the Blind in Michigan

1903 to present

For the first half of the twentieth century, services for the blind consisted of a sheltered workshop in Saginaw and the blind concession program.  In the 1950s, the Michigan Department of Social Services (DSS) assigned a few caseworkers to a "blind-only" caseload to provide financial and employment assistance.  A few years later, the DSS combined the workshop, blind concessions, and these caseworkers into a Division of Services for the Blind.

In the mid 1960s, a group of state legislators recognized that the broom-making workshop in Saginaw presented the wrong image of blind workers and should be closed.  After studying other state programs, they decided that a new facility should be constructed that emphasized independence rather than sheltered work.  As a result, the Michigan Rehabilitation Center for the Blind was opened in Kalamazoo, in 1970, for purposes of teaching blind persons the skills necessary for independence.

In the mid 1970s, organized blind consumers initiated legislation to create an agency structure where blind persons would play a major role in planning and policy making.   This initiative led to the passage of Public Act 260 of 1978, creating the Michigan Commission for the Blind (MCB), a five-member, governor appointed commission, and requiring that at least three commissioners be legally blind.  The act also transferred the agency from DSS to the Department of Labor, and made the Commission a partner with the federal government in providing employment services and vending facilities for blind persons.  It also established a broad range of teaching and counseling roles and responsibilities.

In the early 1980s, MCB gained state and federal funds to establish independent living services for older blind individuals, and state funds to establish low vision services for blind and visually impaired youth.  In addition, the vending program was expanded to include cafeterias and highway vending locations at welcome centers and rest stops, the center in Kalamazoo was renamed the Michigan Commission for the Blind Training Center, a statewide DeafBlind service was established, and formal strategic planning began with the production of a mission statement. In 2000, MCB launched its Vision 2020 Initiative looking toward the year 2020 to design customer responsive service systems.  The mission of the Commission is to assist blind persons to achieve independence and employment.

The 1990s have been highlighted by the Americans with Disabilities Act, a major anti-discrimination statute designed to remove barriers in employment, government services and public accommodations; and, the 1992 amendments to the Rehabilitation Act which calls for greater attention to client choice and independent living services.  In 1996, MCB was transferred from the abolished Department of Labor to the Department of Consumer and Industry Services and to the Family Independence Agency (FIA), formerly DSS.  In 1997, the Client Assistance Program was privatized.  In 1998, the Workforce Investment Act was enacted, incorporating the newly-amended Rehabilitation Act, calling for greater interaction between rehabilitation agencies and local Workforce Boards. In 2003, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm transferred MCB to the newly created Department of Labor and Economic Growth (DLEG).

Today, in addition to serving as the vocational rehabilitation agency for the blind, the Commission operates the residential training center in Kalamazoo, and provides independent living services for Michigan's older blind population, low-vision services for the state's youth, DeafBlind services, and entrepreneurial opportunities for blind persons through its Business Enterprise Program.  The Commission serves under a five-member board appointed by the Governor and has a staff of nearly 100 in offices throughout the state.