West Valley View Newspaper Publishes NIB Editorial: Remember Blind Employees

The following Letter to the Editor was published by West Valley View Newspaper on September 7, 2010 following the 15th Anniversary Celebration of Focusworks AbilityOne Base Supply Center at Luke Air Force Base, Glendale, Arizona.

Editor:
As we approach Labor Day, I want to recognize the blind employees, military veterans and other staff who serve America at Luke AFB in Glendale, Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson and Yuma Marine Corp Air Station through the Arizona Industries for the Blind.
On Aug. 31, Focusworks will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the AbilityOne Base Supply Center program at its Luke AFB facility, where blind employees manage mission critical supply stores and outfit service men and women for deployment throughout the world 24/7 365 days a year. They also support local federal agencies including the Army National Guard, the Veteran's Administration, 161st Refueling, ROTC, the U.S Marshals and Homeland Security.

Unemployment runs nearly 70 percent nationwide for people who are blind. Having a good paying job with benefits provides Focusworks' blind employees access to the American dream of economic and personal freedom for themselves and their families in the West Valley communities of Avondale, Goodyear, Glendale and Phoenix.

Labor Day is a fitting time to recognize the contribution Americans who are blind make to our country.

Kevin A. Lynch
President and CEO
National Industries for the Blind

Arizona Industries for the Blind operates the Focusworks BSC, which is one of 140 AbilityOne Base Supply Centers that employ 300 people who are blind. These stores also provide jobs for a workforce of more than 40,000 people who are blind or severely disabled who make SKILCRAFT products and provide services through AbilityOne Program contracts with the federal government and Department of Defense.

National Industries for the Blind is one of two Central Non-Profit Agency (CNA) under the Javits Wagner O'Day Act. NIB's mission is to create personal and economic employment opportunities for people who are blind. NISH also a CNA whose mission is to create employment opportunities for people who are blind or severely disabled. AbilityOne is a government program administered by the Committee For Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled. AbilityOne is the program name for the Javits Wagner O'Day (JWOD) Act.