- Skilcraft
SKILCRAFT® is a trade name of the
National Industries for the Blind , an organization created by the Wagner-O'Day Act of 1938 to create employment opportunities for blind Americans. Products bearing the SKILCRAFT® brand are commonly used in U.S. Federal Government institutions, includingThe United States Postal Service . They are also commonly sold in U.S. MilitaryBase exchange s.Legislative Background
In 1938 President Roosevelt signed the Wagner-O'Day Act which directed the government to purchase products manufactured by blind Americans. In 1971, Senator Jacob Javits introduced legislation extending the act to severely handicapped individuals. Today known as the
Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act , this legislation is implemented by The Committee for Purchase from People who are Blind or Severely Disabled, an independent Federal agency. The Committee for Purchase has designated the National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and NISH to be the two central, nonprofit organizations which coordinate government acquisitions from hundreds of independent organizations for the blind and severely handicapped.SKILCRAFT® Products
The SKILCRAFT® trade name was introduced in 1952 to emphasize exceptional quality. SKILCRAFT® focuses on providing expendable property to the government. The first products manufactured under the program were mops and brooms for cleaning government offices. Later, pens and office supplies were introduced. Today the SKILCRAFT® name encompasses over 3,000 products including office supplies, janitorial equipment,
uniform s, andhospital supplies. SKILCRAFT® also provides services, such as call centers, on a contract basis to government agencies.Employing the Blind
The SKILCRAFT® trade helps employ more than 5,000 blind Americans working for local agencies in 44 states.
External links
* [http://www.jwod.com/ SKILCRAFT® products online catalog]
* [http://www.nib.org/ National Industries for the Blind webpage]
* [http://www.jwod.gov/ JWOD-The Committee for Purchase from People Who are Blind and Severely Disabled]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
