CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
In an effort to educate the American public about issues related to disability and employment, Congress designated each October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
Base Supply Center Charleston, as part of the BSC network of National Industries for the Blind and National Industries for the Severely Handicapped - Creating Employment Opportunities for People with Severe Disabilities, intends to celebrate this month with recognition of the AbilityOne Program.
The base supply center in building 713 will be hosting an open house and vendor show to government purchase cardholders and other members of the military Oct. 17. The base supply center is a store that carries office and shop supplies, individual equipment and a hazardous material pharmacy for organizations on base. When a product is available that is made by the blind, they are required to sell that product instead of a different name brand to support employees who are blind or disabled.
"Despite their continued gains in employment, people who are blind remain one of America's greatest untapped labor resources," said Jim Gibbons, President and chief executive officer of NIB, a national nonprofit organization that functions as part of the AbilityOne Program and enhances the opportunities for economic and personal independence of people who are blind, primarily through creating, sustaining and improving employment. "NDEAM is a time to celebrate and promote people who are blind enjoying fuller participation in their communities and finding employment like that found through AbilityOne."
NIB and its network of 88 associated agencies serve as the largest single source of employment for people who are blind or have other severe disabilities in the United States. As a result, nonprofit agencies provide customers with a wide array of quality products and services while allowing people who are blind to lead more productive and independent lives, pay taxes, help support families and join in the American work experience.
"Seven out of ten working-age Americans who are blind are not employed," said Gibbons. "BSC Charleston is an important part of providing federal and military customers with a unique opportunity to help improve this disturbing number."
For the 2007 fiscal year, Charleston AFB did their part by purchasing $309,874 in AbilityOne-branded products ensuring the continued success of this program.
Created in 1938 and amended in 1971, the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act and the AbilityOne Program provide employment opportunities for people who are blind and provide products and services to federal and commercial customers. Federal purchasing of SKILCRAFT® and other products and services under the AbilityOne Program employ nearly 47,000 Americans who are blind or have other severe disabilities. The program stands as an employment model. For more information, visit their Web site at www.AbilityOne.org.
At NIB, it is their mission to enhance the opportunities for economic and personal independence of persons who are blind, primarily through creating, sustaining and improving employment. NIB and its associated agencies serve as the largest program responsible for the employment of people who are blind through the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act and the AbilityOne Program. NIB and its associated agencies around the country work to deliver quality products on time and at a fair market price. For more information on NIB, visit their Web site at www.NIB.org.