National Industries for the Blind (NIB), the nation’s largest employment resource for people who are blind, recently launched “Hire Me,” a public service announcement (PSA) that aims to dispel misconceptions about the capabilities of people who are blind in the workplace and encourage private and public employers to hire them.
“NIB has been a leader in supporting the employment of people who are blind for more than 80 years,” explains NIB President and CEO Kevin Lynch. “This PSA is just one of the ways we are raising awareness about the limitless capabilities and potential of people who are blind in the workplace and how employers can benefit from this largely untapped, yet highly capable workforce.”
The PSA is particularly relevant as employers seek greater diversity, equity, and inclusion in their workplaces. People who are blind are an often-overlooked segment of society that have proven to be talented and capable employees, yet still face a staggeringly high unemployment rate: Nearly 70% of working age Americans who are blind are not employed.
Sustainable employment and career success are key to helping people who are blind achieve greater independence, which is why creating opportunities for job seekers and employees who are blind is at the heart of NIB’s mission. Through its new talent management enterprise, NSITE, NIB offers many paths to career success through award-winning training and professional development programs for people who are blind that enhance leadership, business, and technology skills. In addition, NIB assists employers interested in hiring people who are blind by helping them understand how easy and affordable it can be to make workplace accommodations.
By raising awareness and providing the tools corporations and job seekers alike need to act on the “Hire Me” call, NIB is joining in the work to create the more inclusive society. The PSA not only challenges traditional notions but also invites employers to consider people who are blind and their many capabilities in a new light.
“When I meet people who have the perception that just because I am blind, I am not able, it really makes me want to show them how capable I am,” says Virginia Gay Young an employee of Lighthouse Louisiana featured in the PSA.
The PSA, which is being distributed to local and national television stations across the country, can also be accessed on NIB’s YouTube page.
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About National Industries for the Blind
Since 1938, National Industries for the Blind (NIB) has focused on enhancing the opportunities for economic and personal independence of people who are blind, primarily through creating, sustaining and improving employment. NIB and its network of associated nonprofit agencies are the nation’s largest employer of people who are blind through the manufacture and provision of SKILCRAFT® and other products and services of the AbilityOne® Program. For more information about NIB, visit NIB.org.