Barbara Stone started a movement over fifty years ago to improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities. Barbara Stone made a difference and so can you.
People ages 18-64 in Greenville County
with a Disability
US Census
Total Fall 2025 Grants Awarded
Barbara Stone was a champion for individuals with disabilities. She started a movement over fifty years ago that forever improved the lives of individuals with disabilities. She was a community and family member, just like you.
You can make a positive difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities by supporting the Barbara Stone Foundation. We believe that all individuals with disabilities can flourish when given the opportunity. Please join us and together we will serve as champions for individuals with disabilities.
Help us celebrate the Barbara Stone Foundation’s 35th anniversary with a special exhibit at the Upcountry History Museum. We’re inviting our community to share photos, stories, and memorabilia that reflect Barbara’s lasting impact on the disability community in Greenville and beyond. Your contributions will help preserve and honor her extraordinary legacy.
The UP Professional Cohort graduation will be held at the Kroc Center on December 16, 2025. The program increases independence, self-advocacy and professionalism for inclusive employment for individuals with disabilities.
Five non-profits received Community Innovations Grants from the Barbara Stone Foundation totaling $21,500. Fall grant recipients included the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Kind of the Upstate, Meyer Center for Special Children, Walt’s Waltz and Centre Stage.
The Road to Possibilities – Opportunity Fair will be held on Thursday, February 5, 2026 and will be held at University Center (McAlister Square). Hosted by Greenville County Schools and The Barbara Stone Foundation, this transition-focused resource fair brings together students with disabilities, families, educators, and community partners to explore career paths, programs, and services that support life after high school.
The Barbara Stone Community Leadership Award honors an individual who has shown the same commitment, initiative and spirit as Barbara. Nominate someone living in the Upstate of SC who embodies some of the same characteristics as Barbara by clicking the link to the nomination form. Nominations close on February 3, 2026.
If your organization would like to be featured in the Community Events, Opportunities, and Resources section of our upcoming issue, please fill out the details below.
We’ve updated our Community Innovations Grant application process for 2025 to better serve our community—click the button below to explore the changes and submit your application.
Within our generation, people with disabilities were locked away from society with a belief that they had nothing useful to contribute. Although much progress has been made in the past fifty years, individuals with disabilities still struggle to be seen, heard, valued, and included.
YOU can be the difference. Together, we can achieve our vision of a community where all individuals with disabilities flourish.