Alabama Industries for the Blind started in 1932 as a
sewing project for blind women who had graduated from the Alabama School
for the Blind. Today, AIB employs over 300 people, 75% of whom are
blind or have vision loss. A satellite production facility has been in
operation in Birmingham since 1986, and AIB also operates Base Supply
Centers on military bases in Alabama and Georgia.
We are a National Industries for the Blind (NIB) affiliate and part of the AbilityOne Program.
All employees receive at least the federal minimum wage with incentives
paid for higher production. Unemployment is one of the most persistent
problems facing people with vision loss - up to 70% are unemployed or
underemployed. When people who are able to work are not given the
opportunity, it costs us as a society, not just in money, but in
productivity and loss of potential talent. By giving people who are
blind or multidisabled a chance to work, AIB is supporting Alabama's
economy.
Our customer base includes the Federal government and US
military, Alabama state government including the Departments of
Transportation and Mental Health and the Alabama National Guard; public
schools and universities; Lions Clubs and Federated Women's Clubs of
America, as well as a strong base of commercial customers.
AIB works under the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Act,
a federal law that makes our facility and others like us a mandatory
source of supply for government agencies and departments. This
AbilityOne Program is administered by the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled,
an independent federal agency. The AbilityOne Program's mission is to
provide employment opportunities for people who are blind or have other
severe disabilities in the manufacture and delivery of products and
services to the federal government. The Committee for Purchase
establishes which items will be added to the JWOD Procurement List and
the fair market prices for items.
In addition, the state of Alabama has a State Use Law
which makes AIB and other Alabama agencies employing people who are
blind or severely disabled a preferred source for state and local
agencies and departments. By obtaining three quotes on all items AIB
assists agencies in complying with state bid law and provides a faster
procurement process. Click to order a state use law catalog or order AIB manufactured products and many more AbilityOne products online.
Production areas
Alabama Industries for the Blind is located at 1209 Fort
Lashley Blvd. in Talladega. We are somewhat flexible in our
manufacturing capabilities, and welcome any opportunity to partner with
other companies.
Sewing was our original occupation, and this remains a
strong point for our organization. We have a large self-contained
cutting room, and like all our production areas, the equipment is
designed for maximum safety for our employees, whether they are sighted
or not. A sewing production area hums with activity, producing a
variety of sewn products such as military kit bags, highway safety vests
and canvas bags. A separate sewing area is home to our tie production
department. We have been making ties for the military for many years,
and our production teams in this department take great pride in the
knowledge that they are making a contribution to our country's
well-being.
The Industries began producing brooms in 1945 when men
were added to the Adult Department for the Blind (the precursor to
AIB). We sold brooms for years through the Lions Clubs of Alabama and
still enjoy their support. We also make string mops, including a
special mop designed for use by the U.S. Navy. These mops contain no
wire components, and so are completely biodegradable.
Smaller brushes include toilet bowl brushes and other
scrub brushes ideal for use around the house. Child-sized brooms and
mops are a perennial favorite with the younger set. Our NIB affiliates
produce many other household items which are available for sale through
our online catalog and at the AIB Teacher Store, adjacent to our production facility in Talladega.
We also have a screen printing and embroidery
department. We can take your design and create promotional t-shirts,
canvas bags and other items. We also embroider in full color on
high-quality golf or polo shirts. Small orders are welcome; we also
have the capacity to produce in volume.
Birmingham Satellite
Alabama Industries for the Blind opened a satellite
location in Birmingham in 1986. Primarily a sewing production shop, we
have produced thousands of American flags in addition to linens and
other sewn goods. The shop is located in the same facility as the
Birmingham Regional Center, in the city's Lakeside District.
The late Sara Chamblee was one of the first employees of
Mattie Gilbert Smith's sewing project in 1932. "I often wondered if
that little beginning would grow," she said in the late 1990s. "That was
my dream, because there was so little work for blind people then....I
never dreamed it would reach this proportion. No, it is not the end of
my dream, for I am wishing that work opportunities would become so great
that all blind adults could work."
Base supply centers
Today AIB also places emphasis on expanding job
opportunities for blind adults through service-oriented employment, an
important change for all NIB affiliates. Military bases around the
southeast are required under JWOD to purchase selected supplies from AIB
and other facilities employing people who are blind. Base supply
stores are an ideal outlet for training service and management
personnel, and provides employment for people who are blind in a variety
of locations. We currently have locations at Redstone Arsenal in
Huntsville, Alabama, Moody AFB at Valdosta, Georgia, and Ft. Rucker in
Dothan.