IFB Solutions Facing Dozens of Job Cuts; Leaders Heading to D.C. to Fight Policy Change

Nearly 50 people will lose their jobs next week at a local nonprofit organization that employs people who are blind and visually impaired.

IFB Solutions said even more cuts are coming. They expect 137 people to lose their jobs in total, including 76 people who are blind and 15 veterans. They work in the optical lab.

Read the whole story here. 

137 Local jobs at stake as IFB Solutions faces loss of federal contract

A major workforce reduction is bearing down on IFB Solutions Inc.’s Winston-Salem operations following two recent legal setbacks.

At stake is the expiration of three U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs contracts involving its optical laboratories.

Those contracts affect 137 of 556 local jobs, including 76 employees who are blind and 15 who are veterans. IFB is the largest employer of the blind in the United States. It has about 1,000 employees overall.

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Students who are Blind Conquer the Rapids at the Whitewater Center

If you ask Will Thames, there’s nothing he can’t do.

Thames, a student from Matthews, N.C., is visually impaired but just conquered the rapids at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte. And it’s not his first time.

“I’m looking forward to this,” Thames said about rafting at the Whitewater Center. “This is my second time at this place and from my experience, it’s been a lot of fun.”

Read the full story here.

IFB Solutions Takes to the Big Screen, Wins Coveted Telly Award for SEE Summer Camp Video

The team at IFB Solutions, the largest employer of people who are blind in the country, is staying red-carpet ready. The Winston-Salem based nonprofit has been part of three award-winning videos or documentaries this spring. Most recently, IFB was honored with the prestigious Telly Award for “The Perfect Summer: SEE Camps 2018,” a video about its SEE (Student Enrichment Experience) summer camps for children who are blind or visually impaired.

Read more about these awards here.