Nell Carney

Nell Carney (née Cardwell; June 28, 1935 – February 9, 2019) was an American educator and public administrator who served as the commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, commissioner of the U.S. Rehabilitation Services Administration, Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services and as the administrator of the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired. She also served as the superintendent of the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Early life and family

Carney was born on June 28, 1935 in Anderson County, Tennessee, the daughter of Robert and Mazie Owenby Cardwell. She was blind from an early age. One of Carney's earliest influences was Kenneth Jernigan, who she credited as a mentor.

She was the valedictorian of her high school class, and went on to receive a B.S. and M.A. degree from the Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development, where she majored in special education.

Career

After college, Carney first worked as a special education teacher at Berry Elementary School in Nashville, Tennessee from 1975 to 1977. For one year in 1977, she taught sensory impaired and learning disabled students at Green Spring Junior High in Baltimore. During the 1960s and 1970s, Carney served on the board of the National Federation of the Blind.

From 1978 to 1984, Carney lived in Seattle where she served the statewide program coordinator for the Washington State Department for the Blind. In 1984, she returned to the East Coast, where she worked as a special education teacher with District of Columbia Public Schools.

Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired

From 1985 to 1989, Carney served in various roles at the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired, including as vocational counselor, then Assistant Regional Manager, then Assistant Commissioner, and finally as Acting Commissioner by 1989.

Rehabilitation Services Administration

In April 1989, Carney was nominated by president George H. W. Bush to serve as commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration. She was sworn-in by vice president Dan Quayle in July 1989, after being confirmed to the post by the United States Senate. She served in the post until 1993.

During her time in the role, Carney worked on strengthening protections for consumers and on empowerment within the blindness community. Carney also established a national advisory group on rehabilitation facilities and played a critical role in her post during the passage and implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services

From 1993 to 1997, Carney served as the executive director of the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services. After serving in the past, she worked for three years as the superintendent of the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

South Carolina Commission for the Blind

In 2000, Carney was appointed to serve as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. She served in the post until 2004, when she moved to Wilmington, North Carolina to become a management consultant.

Honors

Carney was awarded the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Northern Colorado.

During his time in office, the mayor of Nashville, Bill Boner proclaimed June 28 as "Nell Carney Day" in her honor.

In 2005, she was named as a recipient of the Order of the Silver Crescent by Governor Mark Sanford.