Vision & Vocational Services has been Serving the Disabled and Visually Impaired in Ohio for more than 80 Years
Founded in 1927 as the National Association for Blind Artists, our agency's original charter was to find jobs for blind musicians and entertainers.
These talented artists were more fortunate than many of the 4,000 blind Ohioans in the late '20s. Broom making and other similar "piecework" occupations were the most common occupational options for blind adults. The Ohio Commission for the blind — forerunner of the Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired, or BSVI — taught these industrial skills at training schools and workshops. Today, BSVI and Vision & Vocational Services regularly partner in the preparation of disabled Ohioans for many types of meaningful employment.
In 1940, our organization expanded its services to all visually limited individuals and became incorporated as the Columbus Association for the Blind. Businessman Howard Monett donated property at 221 Mound St., in the Market-Mohawk area of Columbus, to be used as a social center for blind persons in the community. When it became apparent that more space was needed to house the growing industrial activities of the organization, a house across the street was purchased as a workshop for the blind.
The sign welcoming visitors to the Monett House identified the Columbus Association for the Blind as one of the charitable agencies supported by the local Community Chest and sported the red feather motif sometimes used in Community Chest fundraising drives. That local federation of agencies later became the Community Fund, then United Fund, and eventually United Way of Central Ohio, a funder of Vision & Vocational Services today.
Continuing its advocacy for the visually impaired, our agency installed a Braille library in the Columbus Metropolitan Library and took over the distribution of "talking books" from the Ohio Commission for the Blind. Various volunteer organizations sponsored monthly card parties, dances and other recreational activities for visitors to the Monett House, while the workshop employed persons with disabilities for tag stringing and enclosure work.
In 1961, the Slum Clearance and Urban Redevelopment Program in the Market-Mohawk area made relocation mandatory. Monett House was sold, and property was purchased at 1393 N. High St., in Columbus' Short North area, that today is the headquarters of our agency and site of residence for disabled persons.
Expanding services continued to shape the agency and demand name changes that reflected the scope of programs and geography. In March 1965, the name of our organization was amended to the Blind Association of Ohio, Inc., and in March 1969, the agency became the Vision Center of Ohio, Inc.
Shortly after this time, a building fund campaign was launched to raise monies to build a second floor and expand existing facilities to provide additional training. The workshop was moved from a location on Cleveland Avenue, where it engaged in prime manufacturing and reconditioning of goods.
The agency's expertise in rehabilitation continued to spread beyond the scope of visual disabilities, encompassing programming for persons with many types of disabilities. Our community-based vocational services, including job development and placement, rapidly spread throughout central and southeastern Ohio to many corners of the state. The broader scope of programming and service area prompted the most recent agency name change, to Vision & Vocational Services, in 2005.
