For Immediate Release
Contact:
Andrea Travis
Communications Assistant
The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc.
(206) 973-4002
atravis@seattlelh.org
The Lighthouse for the Blind Earns
2012 Employment Growth Award
From National Industries for the Blind
Award Honors Success in Sustaining and Increasing Employment
For People Who Are Blind
March 11, 2013, Seattle, WA – The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. was honored by National Industries for the Blind (NIB) with the 2012 Employment Growth Award, which recognizes efforts to increase employment retention, growth and upward mobility for people who are blind. The award honors the Lighthouse for its success and commitment to increasing economic independence for people who are blind.
“We are very proud of the way The Lighthouse team — employees, customers, suppliers, donors and volunteers — work together to create opportunities for people who are blind to work successfully in a wide variety of jobs,” said Kirk Adams, Lighthouse President & CEO. “During these challenging economic times we have continued to create high quality employment opportunities in Seattle, Spokane, and at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Together we have demonstrated that people who are blind can compete on equal terms with their sighted counterparts.”
The 2012 Employment Growth Award recipients are awarded cash payments from a fund created to recognize and encourage NIB associated nonprofit agencies that grow or sustain employment for people who are blind. Emphasis is also placed on efforts to increase upward mobility in the workplace and job placements.
“It is an honor for me to recognize The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. with a 2012 Employment Growth Award,” said Kevin Lynch, President and CEO of NIB. “The Lighthouse continues to do an outstanding job in creating employment and high-growth career opportunities for people who are blind.”
The Lighthouse for the Blind is one of 91 nonprofit agencies throughout the country associated with NIB, the nation’s largest employment resource for people who are blind.
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About The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc.
Founded in 1918, the mission of The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. is to create and enhance opportunities for independence and self-sufficiency for people who are blind, Deaf-Blind, and blind with other disabilities. We currently employ over 400 individuals, more than 220 of whom are visually impaired. In addition to offering employment opportunities, the Lighthouse provides a wide range of programs and services including a vocational computer training programs for blind adults, one-on-one computer classes for Deaf-Blind people, an in-house American Sign Language interpreting department, staff mobility instructors to teach independent travel with a white cane or dog guide, and a braille training program and reading group.
About National Industries for the Blind
For 75 years, National Industries for the Blind (NIB) has been focused on enhancing the opportunities for economic and personal independence of people who are blind, primarily through creating, sustaining and improving employment. NIB and its network of 91 associated nonprofit agencies nationwide serve as the largest employer for people who are blind by the sale of SKILCRAFT® and other products and services through the AbilityOne Program, established by the Javits-Wagner-O’Day Act. For more information on NIB and its 75th anniversary, visit www.nib75years.org.
