In the 1950’s, Barbara Stone was a young mother with a child with severe autism. The Stone family, along with families across the state, had no local services that would help with the needs of their children with disabilities. 

Professionals could only recommend that once a child’s needs had exceeded the resources at home the child should be institutionalized.  What a wrenching decision faced by the families of South Carolina.  Following the advice of professionals, Barbara and her husband took their 9 year-old, non-verbal son to Whitten Village in Clinton, SC.  They dropped him off with strangers.  Again they followed the advice of the professionals.  They agreed to have no contact with their son for thirty days.  This was a long and agonizing month. Eight years later their son moved into the first group home on Ridge Road.   

Barbara vowed to help her son and other such children in Greenville County by working to establish local services. In 1953 she joined the Greenville Association for the Retarded.  She provided leadership serving as an officer. Their first project was to establish a day camp for children with disabilities.  This camp evolved into the wonderful summer camp known today as Camp Spearhead.  Camp Spearhead has grown over the years and is a perennial favorite of hundreds of campers who enjoy spending a week with friends in the beautiful foothills of South Carolina. 

In 1968 Barbara Stone brought families and community leaders together, including leaders from the School District, the Department of Social Services, Vocational Rehabilitation Department, the Social Security Commission and the Mental Retardation Commission.  At this meeting they determined that the greatest and most immediate needs were daycare for children and sheltered workshops for adults.

This meeting planted the seed for establishing services for people with special needs living throughout South Carolina.  The state services grew to include: service coordination, residential homes, day services for young children and day programs and workshops for adults.  The definition of “disability" was expanded to include not only people with intellectual disabilities, but people with other developmental disabilities, head and spinal cord injuries and autism.

Barbara became the first Executive Director for the Greenville County Disabilities and Special Needs Board.  She served as Executive Director for many years until her retirement.  Since then, she has served on the Foundation that bears her name and continues to work tirelessly for the needs of people with disabilities.

Barbara has given so much to the state and our county.  Now with state services being reduced and people being put on a waiting list rather than provided services, it is up to you and others in the community to continue Barbara's work. Please donate to the Barbara Stone Foundation so that families with disabled loved ones can get the services they need in their community.