The New York State Commission for the Blind was created by Act of Legislature which became a law April 30, 1913, under chapter 415 of the Laws of 1913. MEMBERS Mr. M. C. Migel, New York City, Chairman. Miss Mary V. Hun, Albany, Vice-Chairman. Miss Lucille A. Goldthwaite, New York City, Recorder. Honorable George B. Burd, Buffalo. Honorable Alton B. Parker, New York City. ADVISORY COUNCIL OF PHYSICIANS Dr. Ellice M. Alger. Members Dr. Conrad Berens, Jr., clinical surgeon and attending ophthalmologist at Commission's eye clinic at Sing Sing prison. Dr. Coleman W. Cutler, consulting ophthalmologist for Commission's eye clinic at Sing Sing prison. Dr. Alexander Duane. Dr. Haven Emerson, Commissioner, New York City Department of Health. Dr. D. F. Gillette, clinical surgeon for Syracuse territory. Dr. H. Robertson Skeel, clinical surgeon and attending ophthalmologist at Commission's eye clinic at Sing Sing prison. Dr. John R. Weeks. Dr. Linsly R. Williams, Deputy Commissioner, New York State Department of Health. Dr. H. W. Wootton. GENERAL ADMINISTRATION STAFF Marion A. Campbell, Secretary. Mary J. Johnsen, Clerk. Charles A. Cooper, Financial Secretary. Lucy McEwen, Bookkeeper. WOMEN'S INDUSTRIAL DEPARTMENT Mary E. Coleman, Superintendent of Women's Industries. MEN'S INDUSTRIAL DEPARTMENT Arthur Male, Manager, Central Workshop. James E. Cowley, Foreman, Training Center and Workshop (resigned September 1, 1917). William A. Boname, Foreman (appointed October 1, 1917). FIELD AGENTS Joseph J. Murphy, Headquarters, New York City (resigned November 1, 1917). Mrs. Ola M. Keedy, Headquarters New York City (appointed November 1, 1917). SOCIAL SERVICE NURSES FOR PREVENTION OF BLINDNESS Sarah A. Clendinning. Headquarters, New York City, Commission's office (assigned to Sing Sing eye clinic). Mrs. Ava D. Calkins. Headquarters, Syracuse, N. Y. HOME TEACHING STAFF · ASSIGNED TO FIELD WORK THROUGH THE STATE Binghamton, Glens Falls, Westchester county, and, Mrs. Thekla C. Beck. Appointed February, 1914. Albany, Schenectady and Troy territory; after October 1, 1916, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. Miss Nellie G. Henry. Appointed October, 1914. Long Island; since March 1, 1916, Buffalo. Miss Jennie R. Wilkins. Appointed October, 1914. during summer seasons, Fulton county. Miss Anne Connelly. Appointed October, 1914. Oneida, Herkimer and Otsego counties. Mr. Calvin S. Glover. Appointed December, 1914. New York City, headquarters for Nassau and Suffolk counties; since April, and up to September 1, 1917, Glens Falls, headquarters for Washington, Warren and Saratoga counties; present headquarters, Buffalo, for Erie, Niagara and Orleans counties. Utica, headquarters for Miss Elizabeth Schoeffel. Appointed October, 1915. Rochester, headquarters for Monroe, Ontario and Wayne counties; assisting also in Buffalo and Erie county. Miss Mary Penderleith. Appointed October, 1915. Syracuse, headquarters for Onondaga, Cortland, Cayuga and Oswego counties. Where headquarters of a home teacher is located in a city having a local association for the blind, the home teacher for the Commission works jointly with the local association. In some cases her expenses are partly assumed by the local association. On October 1, 1917, the Commission for the Blind, in common with many State Departments having headquarters in New York City, transferred its offices to the Hall of Records Building on Chambers street, which is its present address. FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT To His Excellency the Governor and the Honorable the Members of the Legislature of the State of New York: GENTLEMEN.- The New York State Commission for the Blind herewith presents the report of its activities for the year terminating January 1, 1918. Every effort has been made to prevent the tragedy of unnecessary blindness; to this end we have utilized the public health facilities of the State, emphasizing the importance of the care and treatment of the eyes, and of personal health in insuring unimpaired sight to future generations. The possibility of training and employment, and the resources of reading and music have been extended to blind citizens of the State through the staff of blind home teachers and agents. Figures tell convincingly the extent to which the Commission has used the authority conferred and the funds appropriated in discharging its two-fold obligation: FACTS FROM FINANCIAL AND SHOP RECORDS 50% of the Commission's staff are blind members. 68% of the money spent went to the blind. 32% covered rent, salaries and administrative expenses which will be kept at the minimum. $17,763.38 is receipts from sales for the blind. $22,597.35 has been paid to blind workers. $14,565.39 has been paid for supplies for blind workers. ADMINISTRATION AND EXTENSION The Commission has worked in affiliation with ten privately supported local associations for the blind; an active correspondence list of 335 blind individuals; and of 81 organizations has been maintained; 25 blind residents in other States have been assisted with the sale of their work through the annual Macy Department; to do this, we have organized a volunteer committee which helps in listing, tagging and selling these articles. The Commission is working with local boards of education to provide sight-saving classes for groups of children with defective sight, who cannot make progress in the regular classes of the public school, but are not appropriate candidates for the schools for the blind. Two hundred such children have been referred to the Commission for such classes; this group is typified by a girl of 12 years in the second grade of a public school and unable to make progress; she is bright and active in everything but her studies; she has a high degree or myopia and will be blind if she continues her attempt to use her eyes in regular school work; her sight might be kept as at present in a special class, where blackboard and desk work were accommodated to her eye condition. A Commission for the Blind may well give attention to a condition which so seriously threatens sight. PUBLICITY The Secretary and Members of the Commission and of the home teaching staff have presented the work of the Commission on the program of Departments of Sociology at Columbia and Syracuse Universities, at the Conventions of the American School Hygiene Association and the American Association of Workers for the Blind, and at the New York City Library Club. Publicity has also been given in conjunction with organized sales in 50 cities and towns of the State, where committees aggregating over 1,000 ladies have assisted as hostesses in attendance upon these sales. The State Department of Health has distributed, with its endorsement, to every health officer in the State a bulletin announcing the activities of the Commission; definite results from this kind of publicity are typified in the case of a seamstress, living 30 miles from the nearest oculist; she wrote to the Commission describing what appeared to be long-continued eye strain and reported having glasses which she had purchased for $10 from the traveling eye doctor; arrangements were made, entirely by correspondence, for her examination and treatment at the nearest eye clinic, where an oculist affiliated with the Commission was willing to give her professional attention. Later she wrote gratefully to the Commission describing the ease with which she is again using here eyes. |