[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17133]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING GEORGIA INDUSTRIES FOR THE BLIND

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. AUSTIN SCOTT

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 13, 2012

  Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to recognize 
an organization working hard throughout my home state, Georgia 
Industries for the Blind. This organization is a part of the AbilityOne 
Program, a Federal purchasing program that enables more than 50,000 
Americans who are blind or severely disabled to work and provide 
products and services to Federal and commercial customers.
  Today in America, roughly seventy percent of blind and visually 
impaired working-aged adults are not employed. Federal opportunities 
through the AbilityOne Program have played an important role in 
bringing people with disabilities into the workforce. For example, 
Georgia Industries for the Blind--employing over 100 blind individuals 
throughout the state--has been the door of opportunity for economic 
independence and professional growth for its associates.
  Recently, I visited the GIB operation at Robins AFB, and I was 
impressed by the opportunities the organization provides their 
associates to develop personally and professionally. A great example of 
one of GIB's associates is Stanley Parham. Stanley is both hearing 
impaired and legally blind. He is a 1996 graduate of Jordan Technical 
School in Columbus, GA. He has been employed at the Robins Air Force 
Base site under Georgia Industries for the Blind for two years where he 
has been recognized as Employee of the Month from Vocational 
Rehabilitation of Georgia in October 2010. Prior to joining GIB, 
Stanley worked for ten years at Sign Graphic Printing in Dalton, where 
as a screen stretcher, he cleaned frames and remade or hung new mesh on 
the screens. An accomplished artist, Stanley has been honored at the 
White House for his previous work. In 1993, as a middle school student, 
his art teacher nominated him for an art contest with President George 
H. W. Bush. He won the opportunity and produced a chalk drawing of Mrs. 
Barbara Bush removing her husband's portrait from the wall of the Oval 
Office. As one of five employees at Robins Air Force Base that 
sanitizes or cleans pasteboard boxes for reuse in shipping parts/
supplies that maintain C-5, C-17, C-130, F-5, F-15 aircraft Stanley 
exemplifies the skill and professionalism that is common among 
AbilityOne associates.
  This organization focused on his skills and abilities, giving him the 
chance to serve those who serve our country. It is a place that truly 
lives up to its mission.
  The AbilityOne Program harnesses the purchasing power of the Federal 
government to buy products and services from participating community-
based nonprofit agencies that are dedicated to training and employing 
individuals with disabilities. It affords Americans with disabilities 
the opportunity to acquire job skills and training, receives good wages 
and benefits, and gain greater independence and quality of life. It is 
for this reason that I stand in support of the work Georgia Industries 
for the Blind does each day to open doors of opportunity for Americans 
who are blind.

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