Serving others for a greater good
Providing world-class products and services to customers helps us support upward mobility for the blind and visually impaired.
Our mission. Our promise.
At Industries for the Blind and Visually Impaired (IBVI), our marching orders are straightforward. They can be distilled into five simple core statements:
- Create and grow employment opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired.
- Provide the best, most cost-effective industrial supplies and friendly customer service.
- Be the leading voice in educating businesses on how to create, design, and build accessible workplaces for the blind and visually impaired.
- Balance job creation, capital investments, and profitability while adhering to regulatory requirements. ISO 9001:2015 certified.
- Create an open, collaborative environment that fosters innovative business ideas, engages employees, and adds a true sense of belonging.
One of my favorite parts of my job is assembling tool kits for the military. Doing so makes me feel like my job has a real purpose and that I am truly helping those in the armed services.
– Matt B., IBVI team member since 2014
Our Core Values
Through the years
1952
Industries for the Blind, Inc. is established, and its first federal contract was for brooms and brushes.
1998
First nonprofit agency manufacturer in the world to achieve ISO 9000 quality certification of its manufacturing processes.
2006
Moved into new 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility in West Allis, WI.
2018
Over 36,000 Skilcraft® pens are assembled by blind Americans on our manufacturing floor every working day. And in one of its most prominent sales ever, IBVI sold 20 million pencils to Wal-Mart USA and more than 10,000 pallets of consumer goods to the U.S. Census Bureau.
1970
Started manufacturing U.S. government pens. The company’s capabilities reach over 100,000 pens per day.
1999
U.S. Navy recruitment distribution fulfillment program developed.
2017
Opened our 98,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Menomonee Falls, WI.
Employment with purpose
In 1948, Paul Fryda had a vision: to provide a job for his brother, who was blind. So he opened Alwin Products Co. Within just a few years, he renamed it Industries for the Blind, and restructured it as a nonprofit to create more jobs for the blind community. Today, 70 years later, more than 75% of our labor on AbilityOne contracts is done by individuals who are blind or visually impaired—continuing our mission to bring new purpose to their lives.
