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Senate committee advances Catherine Oker reappointment to South Carolina Commission for the Blind
Summary
The Family and Veteran Services Committee approved the reappointment of Catherine Oker to the South Carolina Commission for the Blind after a screening in which she described her long experience teaching visually impaired students and goals for supporting aging and school-age populations.
The South Carolina Senate Family and Veteran Services Committee voted to advance Catherine Oker’s reappointment as the Third Congressional District representative to the South Carolina Commission for the Blind.
Oker told the committee she has worked with visually impaired and blind students since 1978 and that she has served on the commission since 2020. “I’m currently on the board for the Commission for the Blind,” she told the committee, describing her background in teaching braille, orientation and mobility training and support for elderly clients who lose vision later in life.
The nut graf: Committee members praised Oker’s long record of direct service, leadership and community engagement and asked about workforce and service gaps. Discussion highlighted variability across school districts in braille instruction and persistent needs for qualified orientation and mobility instructors; Oker and committee members also discussed the commission’s role in technology and prevention programs.
During questioning, Oker said the commission addresses both braille instruction and technology-based accommodations, and that services vary by district. She noted the commission’s prevention work and partnerships with local organizations such as the Lions Club for vision care and surgery assistance, and reported she will change her primary residence to Pendleton at the end of the month (remaining in the Third Congressional District).
Formal action: A motion to advance Oker’s nomination was made and seconded; the committee voted by voice with no opposition. The committee recorded affirmative proxy votes from Senators Kimbrell, Clymer and Fernandez, and the chair later recorded additional affirmative proxies for Senators Teder and Isaac Devine. The chair said the nomination will be forwarded to the full Senate for consideration.
The committee closed the item by noting letters in Oker’s packet that praised her interpersonal skills, work ethic and leadership; members thanked her for continuing to serve.
