NIB Connection

For nearly 90 years, NIB associated nonprofit agency Lighthouse for the Blind, St. Louis, has provided employment opportunities as well as educational and support services for people who are blind. The agency distinguishes itself by directing most of its community outreach efforts — and proceeds from its manufacturing activities — toward serving school-age children and […]

To say Jennifer Holladay keeps busy as manager of information and volunteer services at the Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CABVI) is an understatement. Her role involves leading four staff members and hundreds of volunteers who help the agency throughout the year with special events, mailings, audio information services, and more. “My […]

For Warren Walker, the 2022 Peter J. Salmon Employee of the Year Award winner from Bestwork Industries for the Blind in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, being nominated by his co-workers as the agency’s employee of the year was particularly meaningful. Being selected by NIB as the national winner of the Salmon award is something he […]

When Blind and Vision Rehabilitation Services (BVRS) of Pittsburgh opened its doors as a manufacturer in 1910, no one could have imagined the opportunities it would present to people who are blind or visually impaired in 2022. Over the years, the NIB associated nonprofit agency has pursued cutting-edge employment opportunities and training while never forgetting […]

Previously known as rehabilitation engineering, NIB’s productivity engineering program offers a wide array of services to associated nonprofit agencies. Programs include facility planning, safety and ergonomics assessments, training, process analysis, and efficiency improvements – all designed to boost employment for people who are blind while ensuring workplace safety. “We believe the term ‘productivity engineering’ better […]

NSITE, NIB’s a talent management enterprise, supports employers and job seekers who are blind, visually impaired, and/or veterans throughout the career life cycle. Part 1 of this blog series looked at NSITE’s genesis and what it offers both job seekers and employers. This concluding post of the series provides an overview of the variety of […]

It’s never easy to embark on a new venture, particularly during the height of a pandemic, but that’s just what NIB did when it launched NSITE, a talent management enterprise designed to support employers and job seekers who are blind, visually impaired, and/or veterans throughout the career life cycle. NSITE offers a continuum of employment […]

In 2010, the federal government had a problem: Millions of taxpayer dollars appropriated for completed contracts were in financial limbo. The executed contracts hadn’t used all of the funds appropriated, but the money couldn’t be returned to the government until the contracts were closed out, and the government lacked enough trained personnel to do that.   […]

My December 9, 2020, NIB Connection post introduced BARD Mobile, the talking books smartphone app released by the United States Library of Congress. The excellent BARD Mobile app provides access to the worlds’ largest collection of free talking books for people with print disabilities. In fact, it is my portable go-to for accessing fiction and […]

Headquartered in Baltimore, NIB associated nonprofit agency Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM), has been providing employment opportunities and life skills training programs to people who are blind or have low vision since 1908. Its multifaceted manufacturing operations employ nearly 500 people at three Maryland locations — Baltimore, Federalsburg, and Salisbury — and in […]