Manufactured in the U.S. by people who are blind, participation in the warfighter effort allows employees to achieve their dreams and support the U.S. military.
ALEXANDRIA, Va., December 5, 2024—National Industries for the Blind, along with its nearly 100 associated nonprofit agencies across the country, is the nation’s largest employment resource for people who are blind, low vision or visually impaired. A subset of these agencies, in partnership with NIB, manufacture more than one million articles of military clothing and equipment annually. They strategically support the U.S. Armed Forces through innovation, savings on goods and services and waste reduction.
Over the past five years, average sales by NIB associated agencies to the military totaled more than $201.8 million, with approximately 1.1 million units manufactured during each of those years by people who are blind at 35 locations across the U.S.
Given that people who are blind, low vision or visually impaired have an unemployment rate nearly double that of those who are sighted, this extremely important work has allowed employees to become homeowners, earn advanced degrees and professional certifications and send their children to college.
“Many of those in the military have no idea that their uniform has been carefully crafted by someone who is blind, visually impaired or has low vision,” said Soraya Correa, president and CEO of NIB. “These employees are part of the backbone supporting our armed forces. While these employees may not be able to serve as active-duty military, they approach their work with a great sense of pride and patriotism.”
Other products made by NIB agencies range from dress ties to full ensembles and components such helmet covers, belts, ruck sacks and Extreme Cold Weather Systems (a five- to seven-layer outfit).
Items are used by all branches of the military. Advanced combat uniforms, some flame-resistant, are made by NIB agencies for the Army and the Air Force in Maryland; Dallas, Texas; and Greensboro, North Carolina. Advanced combat shirts are sewn for the Army and Air Force in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and New York. Improved physical training uniforms and gear are made for the Air Force and Space Force in Maryland and Raleigh, North Carolina. A Navy running suit is manufactured in New York. Other items for the Marines, Coast Guard and National Guard are also made across the U.S.
NIB agencies do more than supply these uniforms. They provide agile development and soldier-centered design through manufacturing and development contracts. Military branches work with NIB associated nonprofit agencies to develop new prototypes or improvements to existing products to better serve the warfighter.
NIB agencies use the latest technology—including 3-D printing and modern programmable sewing machines—to develop new and unique products. These prototypes are then field tested, adjusted as required and comprehensively retested. This ensures the product performs in accordance with military standards.
Additionally, NIB agencies provide uniform-related services to save the military time and money, reducing waste. In particular, NIB agency Travis Association for the Blind in Texas manages a receipt, inspection, repair and reissue program for U.S. Army Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment (OCIE). Army OCIE items are currently warehoused, cleaned, repaired, inspected and distributed by 147 employees who are blind. In the past, this process was conducted by the Central Issue Facility at each Army base. However, the Army concluded that Travis is better suited to fulfill this function and offers a better use of resources. Through this program, Travis saves the Army over $25 million each year.
The agencies also make a variety of safety equipment, including helmet insert pads that cushion impact, medical gloves, bandages and other first aid items. NIB Board Member Jeff Mittman learned the importance of these items firsthand when he was wounded in combat in Iraq and lost his eyesight after an IED explosion. Mittman strongly believes many of these items helped save his life. Yet, at the time of the injury, he wasn’t aware that National Industries for the Blind existed. Today, Mittman is president and CEO of Bosma Enterprises, an NIB associated nonprofit agency. Bosma supplies a variety of products, including over half a billion medical grade gloves a year, to Veterans Affairs hospitals across the U.S.
“When I got hurt on the battlefield, it was products produced by NIB agencies that saved my life,” Mittman said. “From the gloves they treated me with, to the bandages they used to stop the bleeding, to components of the very helmet I was wearing on my head. Without NIB and its agencies, I would not be here.”
For more information on National Industries for the Blind, visit www.nib.org.
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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 low vision, including veterans. For more information, visit www.nib.org or www.nsite.org.