2006 Annual Report
(PDF 1.5MB)

2005 Annual Report
(PDF 1.8MB)


 
 

---

Industries for the Blind
Quality Products, Quality Craftsmanship, Quality of Life for the Blind

Industries for the Blind, serving the Winston-Salem community since 1936, the Asheville community since 1991, and the Mayaguez, Puerto Rico community since 2006, provides employment and services for people in the local blind communities.

We produce high quality, value priced products ranging from custom-made mattresses and military clothing to prescription eye glasses for consumers in the local community and across the nation as well as for military personnel and their families around the world.

Industries for the Blind provides meaningful employment with competitive marketplace wages and benefits for a segment of the population that national statistics indicate might not otherwise be employed. We are widely known for our quality workmanship, teamwork and dedication.

Our mission is to provide opportunities for persons who are blind or visually impaired in need of training, employment and services. The mission is accomplished through creating a state of the art work environment with work processes and training programs custom designed to meet special needs. Our agency has been recognized locally, regionally and nationally as a provider of choice for jobs, products and services.

Industries for the Blind has provided employment for thousands of visually impaired people since its inception. We are currently the largest employer of the blind in North Carolina with over 200 (and over 350 blind employees in total) blind employees and 80 million dollars in sales.

Industries for the Blind is a self-supporting not-for-profit organization that has won many prestigious awards over the years, most recently received national recognition by our industry for having the highest growth in blind jobs for an unprecedented three out of four years.

Industries for the Blind is proud to be a strong builder of social, capital and an economic contributor in the Winston-Salem and Asheville communities.

Reaching Out
In addition to training our employees and manufacturing products, IFB offers an Optical Center, Community Low Vision and Retail Outlet Store.  Our state-of-the-art optical center provides an extensive array of eyewear products to area consumers. From grinding the lenses to delivering the final products, customers receive quality eyeglasses, excellent service and complete satisfaction at an exceptional cost. The Community  Low Vision Center offers trained professionals who are able to help persons with low vision be as independent as possible.  Our Center offers comprehensive eye exams by a specialty low vision optometrist, individualized training and a complete line of low vision products.  At our Retail Outlet Store, we sell high-quality bedding and household products manufactured here on our premises. The store is open to the public, and customers receive substantial savings on solid, well-made products.

Offering Opportunity
Our services include evaluation, vocational training and employment in industrial, retail and service work environments and placement in outside, competitive employment. We offer job opportunities in a variety of areas.  Legally or totally blind individuals in the community are encouraged to contact the Human Resources Department for information on available positions. Please call 336-759-0551.

Looking Forward 
We plan to expand our services and employment opportunities, during the new century, by exploring such areas as customer service, franchising and call centers. We want to be able to hire every blind person looking for work in our community.

IFB is an associated agency with National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and supports all programs and services provided by this organization. IFB produces Skilcraft products and abides by the AbilityOne (formerly Javis-Wagner-O'Day Act) which seeks to provide employment opportunities for the blind and those who are significantly disabled.

NIB-Associated Agencies perform a wide-range of services contracts for the Federal government under the AbilityOne mandatory source program. Time after time, NIB Associated Agencies have been recognized for outstanding quality and exemplary achievement in service contracts. These contracts create employment for people who are blind, while at the same time providing Federal customers with a cost-effective means of contracting for vital services without increasing actual Government staff.

NIB (National Industries for the Blind) is a private, not-for-profit corporation whose mission is to enhance the opportunities for economic and personal independence of persons who are blind, primarily through creating, sustaining and improving employment. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, NIB accomplishes its mission by developing employment. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, NIB accomplishes its mission by developing business opportunities in the federal, state, and commercial marketplaces for 83 associated agencies operating 123 industries in 44 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

NIB was incorporated in 1938 as a result of the Wagner-O'Day Act, legislation that established a Federal market for the purchase of products manufactured by organizations employing people with severe vision disabilities. The Act was amended in 1971 as the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act (now AbilityOne) to provide for the purchase of both products and services and included Federal purchasing from industries serving people with other significant disabilities. A sister organization was formed called National Industries for the Severely Handicapped (NISH) to represent these agencies with the Federal Government.

The Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled is a small Federal agency, which administers the AbilityOne program. Their members include senior officials from major Federal procurement agencies and private citizens representing people who are blind and otherwise severely disabled who are appointed by the President of the United States.

For further information on the National Industries for the Blind, Javits-Wagner-O'Day (now AbilityOne) or Skilcraft, please visit these websites:

www.nib.org
www.jwod.gov

^TOP