About Us

History of IFB

Industries for the Blind began in 1936 as a two-room shop in downtown Winston-Salem, with only six blind workers, in an effort to provide employment opportunities to persons who were blind or visually impaired. The Lions Club opened this small operation on Fifth Street with the intention of having a modest but immediate impact on the community. Little could they know what an extraordinary story they were beginning. As these first workers came together to manufacture mattresses, brooms, and caned chairs—grateful for real jobs at a time when visual impairment almost assured unemployment—they had no idea they were forging the way for an organization destined to improve the lives of hundreds of individuals and families across North Carolina.

Since our inception, IFB has thrived and grown to become a nationally relevant, self-sustaining, not-for-profit business that serves prominent customers with interests around the world. With the incorporation of Asheville Industries for the Blind in 1991 and the formation of IFB Puerto Rico in 2006, we continue to grow in response to present community needs as well as position ourselves strategically for the future.

Today, IFB is the single largest employer people who are blind in the country. Our revenue stream has grown from a trickle to a powerful force of change, with sales now reaching the $100 million mark. Our quality products and services are highly respected and sought after in a competitive marketplace—locally, regionally, and nationally—and our reputation for dependability, skilled craftsmanship, timeliness, and attractive pricing is unsurpassed.

Our mission remains connected to our roots. While our portfolio of goods and services is always expanding, our promise stays firm: we will improve the quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired by offering them employment opportunities and benefits that, without us, almost certainly would not exist. By creating a state of the art work environment with manufacturing processes and training programs custom designed to meet special needs, IFB continues to win national recognition for having the highest growth rate in blind jobs while delivering quality products to the U.S government, armed forces, and many other significant customers. From our origins in a two-room shop to our success as a multimillion-dollar enterprise, the focus of IFB has always stayed the same—changing lives through opportunity—and today we are proud to say, “Our vision is working.”

Mission

Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind provides opportunities for persons who are blind or visually impaired in need of training, employment and services. We believe that all persons who are blind or visually impaired have the right to succeed in every area of life. 

Vision

Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind will enhance the lives of persons who are blind or visually impaired.