Skilcraft, often stylized asSKILCRAFT, is the registeredtrade name of theNational Industries for the Blind (NIB).[1] Products made by Skilcraft are created largely byvisually impaired or severelydisabled individuals. Products bearing the Skilcraft brand are commonly used inUnited States federal government institutions, including theUnited States Postal Service. They are also commonly sold in U.S.military base exchanges and commissaries.[2]
In 1938, PresidentRoosevelt signed theWagner-O'Day Act which directed the government to purchase products manufactured by blind Americans.[3] Robert Irwin, who was the executive director of theAmerican Foundation for the Blind, and Peter Salmon, the assistant director for theIndustrial Home for the Blind, promoted the bill inWashington, D.C.[3] This act gavenon-profit organizations for the blind the ability to sell to thefederal government.[4] It also provided the creation of a committee, known as the Committee on Purchases of Blind-Made Products, which had providentially appointed members representing various federal departments and private citizens.[5]
The National Industries for the Blind (NIB) incorporated as anonprofit organization on August 10, 1938,[6] and was created as a result of theJavits-Wagner-O'Day Act (JWOD).[7] NIB helps coordinate orders and allocate orders to different workshops for the blind.[8] The first president of NIB was Chester C. Kleber, who held that position until 1960.[9]
AfterWorld War II, the Committee on Purchases of Blind-Made Products decided that NIB should sell in commercial markets.[10] In 1952,[11] NIB created the brand name Skilcraft, which created a uniform label and emphasized the quality of the product.[12] The brand name also allowed the company to be better able to expand into the commercial marketplace.[13]
By 1960, NIB had 62 affiliated workshops.[12] In 1970, black blind workers went onstrike at a Skilcraft plant inGreensboro, North Carolina, citing poor working conditions, discrimination and low wages.[14]
In 1971,SenatorJacob Javits introduced legislation extending the act to "individuals with other severedisabilities".[15] The JWOD also gave workshops for the blind a "five-year priority on service contracts".[16] JWOD also created a committee, the Committee for Purchase from People who are Blind or Severely Disabled.[15]The committee would be made of 15 members appointed by the president, with each individual representing different federal agencies.[15] The committee also had a budget, as described by JWOD.[16]
The Committee for Purchase designated NIB and National Industries for the Severely Handicapped (NISH) to be the two central,non-profit organizations which coordinate government acquisitions from hundreds of independent organizations for people who are blind or severely disabled.[17]
By 1998, there were 85 agencies who were associated with NIB.[18]
The first products manufactured under the program weremops andbrooms for cleaning government offices.[19] The federal government awarded around $220,000 in contracts to 36 workshops to manufacture the mops and brooms.[20] By 1939, NIB expanded to sellpillowcases, sanitary swabs, and fiber door mats.[21]
Later, pens and office supplies were introduced.[22] NIB supplied the government with 70 millionballpoint pens a year by 1969.[23] These pens have requirements, including the ability to "write continuously for a mile and in temperatures up to 160 degrees and down to 40 degrees below zero."[22] The ballpoint pen contract helped create jobs for 125 new workers with disabilities.[24] By 2014, sales of the pens reached around five million dollars, with 60% of purchases from theU.S. military.[11]
In 1990, there were 400 different items added to the list of items manufactured.[25] In 2015, Skilcraft introduced a new line of products which includedscrewdrivers andsocket wrenches.[19]
Today, the Skilcraft name encompasses more than 3,500 products including office supplies, janitorial equipment,uniforms, andhospital supplies.[26] Skilcraft also provides services, such as call centers, on a contract basis to government agencies.[26]
Nearly 70% of blind individuals in the United States who are of working age are unemployed.[26] Being able to work allows the blind to be both self-supporting and able to support others.[8] The Skilcraft trade helps employ more than 5,000 blind Americans working for local agencies in 44 states.[27] Affiliates who make the Skilcraft brand, such asLighthouse for the Blind are able to pay their employees between $8 and $12 an hour, providehealth insurance and401(k) options.[28]
skilcraft nib.
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