Corporate

Rebekah Grieb wasn’t concerned at the age of 12 when an eye doctor recommended she have some tests done. She was an athlete, active in basketball, volleyball, and softball. “There was no vision loss in my family that glasses wouldn’t fix,” she says, “or that wasn’t related to old age.” The eye specialist told Rebekah […]

Each January, people across the globe celebrate Louis Braille’s genius communication system of tactile raised dots representing visual alpha-numeric print. January is National Braille Literacy Month, and January 4 is World Braille Day.  Born in France on January 4, 1809, Louis Braille fell victim to a tragic accident in his father’s leather-harness-making shop as a […]

On November 29, NIB launched Heard & Empowered, a groundbreaking podcast that shares job and career insights, inspiration, and insider tips specifically tailored to the blind and visually impaired community.  People who are blind have one of the highest unemployment rates at 70%. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the jobless rate for people with […]

In this season of gratitude, NIB and its nationwide network of associated nonprofit agencies thank our supporters for aiding in our mission to empower people who are blind to achieve greater independence and engagement in their communities. We wish you and yours a happy Thanksgiving and joyous holiday season.

Employees who are blind working at NIB associated nonprofit agencies produce thousands of products for the U.S. armed forces and military veterans every year. From neckties for dress uniforms to fatigues to helmet components, hundreds of employees work each day to provide critical supplies. Still others operate switchboards for medical centers operated by the Department […]

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), an annual recognition of the workplace contributions of people with disabilities sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy. This year’s NDEAM theme, “Advancing Equity and Access,” emphasizes the need to ensure people with disabilities have equal opportunities to prepare for and succeed […]

In 1938, the United States was nearly a decade into the Great Depression. The unemployment rate was up, and production rates were down. The world had a very limited idea of what people who were blind could do, making employment even harder to obtain. However, there was hope on the horizon. President Franklin D. Roosevelt […]

In 1967, the General Services Administration (GSA) had a problem. The standard-issue U.S. government pen had been redesigned to stringent new specifications, which the private company making the pen couldn’t meet. Instead, they delivered 13 million defective pens to GSA. Looking for a new supplier, GSA Commissioner Heinz Abersfeller asked National Industries for the Blind […]

This year marks an important holiday in the history of our nation: The 50th anniversary of the passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. While most people are familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which will be 33 years old on July 26, fewer are familiar with the Rehabilitation Act. But the Rehab […]

Sunday, June 25, marks the 85th anniversary of the Wagner-O’Day Act, the legislation that led to the creation of National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and ultimately, the AbilityOne® Program. The act, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, directed government agencies to give priority to suppliers employing people who are blind […]