NIB Connection

In 2020, the AbilityOne Contract Management Support (CMS) program celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Today, it continues to thrive and expand, offering professional employment to people who are blind or have significant disabilities, all while saving taxpayers’ money by providing an invaluable service to the Department of Defense (DOD) and other federal agencies. The program’s roots […]

For many, the long pandemic of 2020 has resulted in significant Zoom, social media, Netflix, and other remote technology fatigue. For avid readers who are blind or visually impaired, however, the nationwide shutdowns are providing time to rediscover the value of remote access to tens of thousands of best-selling braille and talking books and magazines. […]

In 1992, the United Nations declared December 3 the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD), a day dedicated to appreciation, celebration, and advancement of the more than 1 billion people around the world living with disabilities. National Industries for the Blind (NIB) is proud to support IDPWD and to work with institutions spanning a […]

This year, NIB associated nonprofit agency Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ABVI)-Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, in Rochester, New York, is celebrating 30 years of working with 3M. Launched in 1990, the partnership was a first for an NIB associated agency and a private company. Interested in producing self-stick notes for sale to […]

Jeff Mittman always wanted to be the center of the attention, and as a U.S. Army Master Sergeant, he got what he wanted: Everything his soldiers did was up to him, from when they awoke, to how hard they trained. “The focus was on me, people spun around me, and I absolutely loved it,” Mittman […]

Every October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) reminds us of the value employees with disabilities bring to their communities and organizations. 2020 was a special year, marking both the 75th anniversary of NDEAM and the 30th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. As we wrap up NDEAM, National Industries for […]

Being blind since birth, Rebecca Bridges always felt strongly that work experience would be critical to landing a job. By the time she graduated from college in Indiana, Bridges had completed three internships, including one in Washington D.C. “I fell for the D.C. area,” says Bridges, who recalls fending for herself on the transit system […]

NIB and its associated agencies have long known that given the right training and opportunities, there are few limits to what people who are blind can do. NIB’s Contract Management Support (CMS), Business Management Training (BMT), and Professional Mastery of Office Technology for Employment (ProMOTE) training programs prepare employees who are blind to reach their […]

Opening doors to greater independence and rewarding careers for people who are blind has been central to the AbilityOne Base Supply Center® (BSC) program since its beginning 25 years ago. As the program celebrates this milestone anniversary, NIB is spotlighting four BSC employees and the opportunities they found at BSCs. Kim Utley, Manager, Dover Air […]

In the mid-1990s – before 9/11 and the armed forces expansion that accompanied the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq – military bases were under pressure to cut costs. On-base stores that provided everything from office supplies to cleaning products for thousands of military personnel became prime targets. Once the stores closed, personnel began using newly […]