[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6814]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 IMPROVING EMPLOYMENT & INDEPENDENCE FOR THE BLIND AND VISION IMPAIRED

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANIEL WEBSTER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 14, 2013

  Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, as May is Vision Loss Awareness 
Month, it is my pleasure to recognize and support the AbilityOne 
Program. The AbilityOne Program, established by the Javits-Wagner-O'Day 
Act, is the nation's largest initiative that provides career 
opportunities to more than 50,000 people who are blind or have other 
significant disabilities. Seven out of 10 working age Americans who are 
blind or visually impaired are not employed. Through this program, 
people with disabilities have the opportunity to gain greater 
independence and quality of life, and enjoy and benefit from 
participation in their communities.
   There are over 600 community-based nonprofit agencies nationwide 
that participate in the AbilityOne Program. Lighthouse Central Florida, 
located in Orlando, Florida, is one of the agencies across the country 
associated with the AbilityOne program to provide individuals who are 
blind or visually impaired with rehabilitative services, job training 
and employment opportunities. In August 2012, I was fortunate to visit 
and tour the Lighthouse Central Florida facility, its recent expansion 
Lighthouse Works!, and their new call center. On behalf of the citizens 
of Central Florida, I commend the efforts of Lighthouse Central Florida 
and the investments they are making in the lives of individuals with 
vision loss to provide them with job training, work experience and 
other tools necessary to lead independent, successful lives.
   In addition, the AbilityOne Program network manufactures a wide 
array of products and services such as the National Industries for the 
Blind's (NIB) SKILCRAFT' brand, which encompasses over 3,000 
items including janitorial equipment, office supplies, medical 
supplies, tools, and uniforms. I am pleased to support the AbilityOne 
Program and NIB's initiatives by purchasing SKILCRAFT' 
products for use in my District office.
   Federal and state governments save more than $33 million a year 
through the excellent work being done through the AbilityOne Program. 
Over the past 75 years, AbilityOne has enriched the lives of 
individuals who are blind or have other significant disabilities, and 
over the past 37 years, Lighthouse Central Florida has educated, 
trained, and helped 100,000 blind and vision impaired individuals. I 
applaud the efforts of those involved, and I wish them many more years 
of quality service to our nation.

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