Comment from IFB Solutions
IFB SolutionsSupportAdvocacy
Summary: IFB Solutions, a nonprofit organization providing employment for people who are blind, supports the AbilityOne Commission's Draft Strategic Plan. They advocate for preserving the program, updating eligibility and labor ratios, and caution against introducing price competition that could harm small participating organizations.
Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind, d/b/a IFB Solutions, Inc. (“IFB”), is pleased to add our views to the AbilityOne Commission Draft Strategic Plan for FY 2022-2026. IFB is a nonprofit corporation founded in 1936 that provides employment, training and services for people who are blind or visually impaired. As a large employer of people who are blind in the United States, with over 360 employees who are blind. As a qualified participating organization in the AbilityOne Program, IFB operates manufacturing facilities in Winston-Salem, NC, Asheville, NC, and Little Rock, AR. In addition, IFB operates nearly 20 base supply centers (BSC) across the country and produces mattresses, as well as producing eyewear under its Twenty200 brand at its Winston-Salem lab. IFB Solutions funds employee training and services as well as community programs, offering summer camps, afterschool programs and activities for children who are blind, and Community Low Vision services through its low-vision Centers across North Carolina and in Little Rock, Arkansas. (Please see attached file)