Jobless rate for people with a disability is more than twice the rate for those without a disability
MaryBeth Clare and guide dog Hubble met with Senator James Risch of Idaho during the 2024 NIB/NAEPB Public Policy Forum.
ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 25, 2024—MaryBeth Clare, blind and visually impaired advocacy training coordinator for Envision Xpress at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, joined a large group of National Industries for the Blind Advocates for Leadership and Employment on Capitol Hill. The group was there to urge Congress to adopt a 1% AbilityOne Program utilization goal for the Department of Defense to grow employment for people who are blind or have significant disabilities.
Clare joined the NIB Advocates for Leadership and Employment program in 2022 to educate legislators about the needs of their constituents, including people who are blind.
In 2022, the DOD voluntarily pledged to double its utilization of the AbilityOne Program, increasing from 0.55% to 1% by 2027. By formalizing this goal and nearly doubling the DOD’s current utilization of the AbilityOne Program, tens of thousands more Americans who are blind or have significant disabilities could have the opportunity to build meaningful careers in both manufacturing and professional services that enhance their personal and economic independence.
“Together, our strong, collective voice calls on elected policymakers to open doors for the millions of people who are blind or visually impaired and not currently employed. Our focus on the 1% DOD utilization goal for the AbilityOne Program can impact employment for thousands of people who are blind in the future,” said Soraya Correa, NIB president and CEO. “The DOD is one of the AbilityOne Program’s biggest customers. We are grateful they voluntarily committed to this goal, but we know that making the goal mandatory will help build momentum.”
The AbilityOne Program is among the nation’s largest providers of jobs for people who are blind or have significant disabilities. It uses the purchasing power of the federal government to buy products and services from participating, community-based nonprofit agencies nationwide, dedicated to training and employing individuals who are blind or have significant disabilities, providing employment opportunities to approximately 40,000 people who are blind or have significant disabilities, including more than 2,500 veterans.
NIB is one of two designated central nonprofit agencies under the AbilityOne Program. It is also the nation’s largest employment resource for people who are blind, and, through its network of associated nonprofit agencies, the largest employer of people who are blind in the country. In 2023, NIB and its agencies employed 5,237 people who are blind, created 308 new job opportunities for people who are blind, and employed 476 veterans, including veterans who are blind.
In March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that unemployment rates for non-disabled are now 3.8%—the lowest they’ve been since 1969. Yet, people who are blind still have one of the highest unemployment rates—more than 10% of working age Americans who are blind are not employed. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the jobless rate for people with a disability is more than twice as high as the rate for people without a disability.
Clare lost her sight very suddenly in her 30s. After experiencing migraines for many years, she developed occipital neuralgia. She went to Stanford Hospital for treatment and had a bad reaction to the medication. She went into cardiac arrest twice, and when she woke up, she had no peripheral vision.
The doctors thought she would retain her central vision, and MaryBeth began independent living training at the Idaho Commission for the Blind to learn how to navigate the world with reduced vision. Then, one day in July 2018, she woke up without sight.
“They think that there was a disconnect in my brain to my eyes when I lost consciousness and went into cardiac arrest. So they have no official diagnosis for me, it was just one of those random things that happened,” Clare said.
Clare then experienced firsthand the difficulty many people who are blind experience in finding employment.
“I applied to over 70 jobs without getting any of them. Nobody would hire me because of my disability,” Clare said. “And then I finally found Envision Xpress.”
Clare began working at the Envision Xpress Base Supply Center (BSC) on Mountain Home Air Force Base in March 2020. The next day, the base closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Deemed essential, the BSC remained open. Clare took advantage of the time to not only become familiar with the store, but also to design and stage end caps featuring AbilityOne products, contributing to a 15% increase in AbilityOne sales in 2022. She also created displays to showcase how the prices and selection at the BSC are competitive with big box stores. In 2023, Clare was selected as NIB’s national Peter J. Salmon Employee of the Year.
In 2022, Clare joined the NIB Advocates for Leadership and Employment program. Since then, she’s met with Idaho legislators to discuss the needs of people who are blind or visually impaired. She’s worked closely with Idaho Senator James Risch, who has visited Clare’s store to see the AbilityOne Program in action.
“I’ve been working with him to see about getting this 1% DOD AbilityOne Program utilization goal passed as well,” Clare said. “It’s so important to advocate for yourself and for others. It’s what we need to be able to keep our jobs and supply the military with what they need. We are so vital, and I just don’t think that people see it. And I want to be the voice that just shouts out, ‘Let us keep our jobs. Let us work with the military. Let’s do this because we’re such a vital part.’”
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About National Industries for the Blind
Incorporated in 1938, NIB is the nation’s largest employment resource for people who are blind, and through its network of associated nonprofit agencies, is the largest employer of people who are blind in the U.S. NIB creates opportunities for people who are blind to become wage earners and taxpayers, reducing their reliance on government support and increasing engagement in their communities. The organization offers career training and assists employers and employees in developing mutually beneficial workplaces. NIB’s vision is that blindness is not a barrier to employment. In 2021, NIB launched a national talent management enterprise known as NSITE. NSITE provides a continuum of employment services that connect employers with talented, dedicated people who are blind or visually impaired, including veterans. For more information, visit www.nib.org or www.nsite.org.