WINSTON-SALEM, NC (July 22, 2020) – IFB Solutions, the largest employer of people who are blind or visually impaired in the country, recently recognized its Employees of the Year, volunteers and partners who continue to play such vital roles in the non-profit’s mission of employment, training and services. IFB operates manufacturing facilities in Winston-Salem, Asheville and Little Rock, Ark., and provides a range of services through its Community Low Vision Centers, Tracy’s Little Red Schoolhouse, and SEE (Student Enrichment Experience) after-school and summer camp programs for children who are blind.

Scott Smith of Winston-Salem was named the overall IFB Solutions Employee of the Year. Scott, formerly a technician in IFB’s optical lab and working now on our helmet pad production line, plays a major role advocating for jobs for the blind. He has joined IFB executives in meeting with Congressional representatives in Washington, D.C. and has spoken extensively with local organizations and the media in support of legislative efforts aimed at sustaining and growing job opportunities for people who are blind. Scott, who is visually impaired, also is a U.S. Navy veteran.

Denice McKinnon Drake was named the IFB Solutions Employee of the Year for the Asheville facility. Denise has worked for IFB Solutions for nearly three years in almost area of the facility including sewing operator, Community Low Vision Center staff member and her current job with the Impulse Merchandising (IMP) team. She came to IFB having lost her sight in an automobile accident – a life-changing event that also has led her to speak out about the importance of wearing seatbelts. Through IFB, Denice has gained meaningful employment and a renewed purpose for her life in addition to meeting and marrying the love of her life.

Andre Johnson was named the IFB Solutions Employee of the Year for the Little Rock facility. Andre has lived with very limited vision his entire life having been diagnosed with optic nerve atrophy at just one-month-old. He joined IFB three years ago to work on the T-shirt production line and now serves as the team’s material handler. He is especially appreciative to work for an organization that produces vital products for the military and serves the members of Arkansas’ blind community through employment, training and programs.

Faith Harding received the IFB Solutions Overall Career Achiever Award. Faith initially lost sight in her left eye as a young child and then lost vision in her right eye at 25 years of age. She joined IFB in 2015 as a sewing machine operator and progressed through the organization to her current role on the Base Supply Center team. Faith has taken advantage of numerous training and educational opportunities in customer service and business to further build her skills. She also is an active IFB volunteer with the SEE program, writer for the “IFB Insider” employee publication and winner of Toastmaster awards. In her free time, Faith is a yoga instructor.

Garry Rippy of Winston-Salem received the IFB Solutions Delmer Wall Outstanding Service Award. Garry, who joined IFB in 2009, works across all of IFB’s manufacturing facilities setting up production lines and modifying operations so they can be performed by individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Through his dedication, many of IFB’s employees who are blind are now able to work in areas previously limited as sighted positions.

Allegacy Federal Credit Union received the IFB Solutions Kathryn W. Garner Volunteer of the Year Award. For more than 20 years, Allegacy and its team of dedicated employees has supported the mission of IFB Solutions. Allegacy employees have provided vital volunteer support for community events and fundraisers. The company also has helped build awareness of IFB’s programs and services through its employee publications and by encouraging its team members to attend tours of the IFB facilities.

The City of Winston-Salem received the IFB Solutions Commodore Funderburk Visionary Award. The award is named for the late Commodore Funderburk who was blind, deaf and mute, and who worked at IFB for 40 years without missing a day of work. The City has been an integral partner with IFB Solutions since the nonprofit opened its doors in 1936. Financial support from the city through various grants also has been instrumental in growing and expanding jobs for people who are blind or visually impaired in the Winston-Salem community. Mayor Allen Joines submitted letters of support regarding IFB’s optical lab and the jobs it created in Winston-Salem, and he also participated in numerous IFB events including groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting ceremonies for new facilities, milestone celebrations and recognitions. View the presentation of this award by IFB Solutions employee Anastasia Powell to Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines here.

DC Holdings received the IFB Solutions Partner of the Year Award. DC Holdings has worked alongside IFB Solutions for more than eight years helping to create business development strategies specifically to grow job opportunities for people who are blind. DC Holdings is a professional management team with a wealth of experience in the military requirements, logistics and acquisition process representing a combined nearly 80 years of government experience in the Military R&D industry. That experience has enabled IFB to successfully foresee potential in new and innovative projects, build supply chain connections and navigate the complexities of the Federal Government procurement process.

 

ABOUT IFB SOLUTIONS

IFB Solutions is a nonprofit corporation founded in 1936 that provides employment, training and services for people who are blind or visually impaired. As the largest employer of people who are blind in the United States, IFB operates manufacturing facilities in Winston-Salem, N.C., Asheville, N.C., and Little Rock, Ark., in addition to operating nearly 20 office supply stores across the country and producing mattresses. IFB produces eyewear under its Twenty200 brand at its Winston-Salem lab and operates a retail location in Winston-Salem. IFB Solutions funds employee training and services as well as community programs through grants and private donations, making possible summer camps, afterschool programs and activities for children who are blind, and Community Low Vision services through its low-vision Centers across North Carolina and in Little Rock, Ark. ifbsolutions.org

Contact
Nicole Ducouer, IFB Solutions Director of Corporate Communications
(304) 685-2393 | nducouer@ifbsolutions.org

WINSTON-SALEM, NC (Dec. 17, 2019) – Late Monday afternoon the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4920, the Dept. of Veterans Affairs Contracting Preference Consistency Act, which grandfathers in VA contracts that predate the Veterans Benefits Act of 2006 to restore eligibility for nonprofits who create jobs for people who are blind like IFB Solutions.

The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Virginia Foxx and supported by Rep. Mark Walker. It came to the floor after passing unanimously in the House Veterans Affairs Committee on Dec. 5. The bill now moves to the U.S. Senate.

“We are very grateful to Representative Foxx for her leadership in passing H.R. 4920 in today’s session,” said Dan Kelly, IFB Executive Vice President of Strategy and Programs. “With this legislation, we can ensure that thousands of people who are blind or have other significant disabilities keep their jobs and continue their path to independence.”

Earlier this fall, IFB Solutions lost all three of its optical contracts with the VA employing more than 137 people at its facility in Winston-Salem. Two of those three contracts predate the Veterans Benefits Act and would return to IFB if the proposed legislation becomes law.

At the heart of the issue are two federal programs created by Congress – the AbilityOne program established in 1938 to help those who are blind or have other significant disabilities find employment, and the Veterans First program established in 2006 to set aside some VA contracts for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. Typically, AbilityOne has been exempted when programs like Veterans First are created but when Congress passed the VBA in 2006, it neglected to specify that exemption, creating the opportunity for conflict.

In 2016, PDS Consultants filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Government, saying that it should receive preference for the VA’s optical contracts over IFB Solutions. IFB went to court to protect its contracts and the 137 jobs supported by that work. A court decision found in favor of PDS and the VA began transitioning its contracts from IFB in the summer of 2019. Since that time, IFB has maintained a small crew of employees in its optical lab.

“I hope we see this legislation become law very soon because I’m ready to have my colleagues return to work,” said Scott Smith, an IFB employee who is visually impaired and a Navy veteran. “The jobs we have at IFB are life-changing. Before coming here, I could not find a job even though I had many years of work and military experience. We need places like IFB and the contracts that make our jobs possible.”

In addition to pursuing a legislative solution with the proposed Dept. of Veterans Affairs Contracting Preference Consistency Act, IFB Solutions has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its case and potentially overturn the earlier lower court decision. IFB expects to hear whether or not its case will be heard by the end of January.

“We don’t believe it was ever the intention of Congress or of the Courts to keep people who are blind or visually impaired from finding jobs,” said Kelly. “There is enough business with the VA for both groups which is what this new legislation is designed to address.

“With strong advocacy from nonprofits like IFB, organizations like the Blind Veterans Association and the National Federation for the Blind, and legislative leaders such as U.S. Representative Virginia Foxx and U.S. Representative Mark Walker, I’m very hopeful that the thousands of people like me and Scott Smith who are blind or have other significant disabilities will soon have the employment opportunities Congress intended when it created the AbilityOne program in 1938.”

Contact
Seth Anderson, IFB Solutions Director of Marketing
336-908-0925 | sanderson@ifbsolutions.org

WINSTON-SALEM, NC (Sept. 10, 2019) – On Aug 31, the Dept. of Veterans Affairs ended the first of three optical contracts with IFB Solutions effectively eliminating 47 positions at the nonprofit agency. IFB had hoped to maintain the contract by filing one last motion in Federal Claims Court requesting a stay of contracting action by the VA until its protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) can be heard. On Sept. 4, a judge denied the request and the VA has moved forward with a new vendor.

“We are devastated for our employees whose positions have been eliminated with the loss of this VA contract,” said David Horton, IFB Solutions President and CEO. “From the beginning, we’ve said that we will fight for these jobs all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary. Now, we are doing just that with our official filing.”

IFB Solutions is petitioning the Court to review the judgment of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit from October 2018 giving priority to veteran-owned small businesses over AbilityOne agencies employing people who are blind in VA contracting awards.

In its filing with the Supreme Court, IFB Solutions wrote, “The harms from the Federal Circuit’s decision are deeply disturbing. Already, the VA has canceled numerous contracts held by AbilityOne qualified nonprofit agencies, which will result in the near-immediate termination of employment of hundreds of blind and severely disabled individuals, many of whom are veterans themselves. The injury does not stop there. The loss of those jobs means there will be a corresponding reduction in the ancillary services that these nonprofit agencies can provide to the blind and severely disabled in their communities.

“Only this Court can protect countless blind and severely disabled employees from a devastating loss that Congress never intended.  Accordingly, the Court should intervene now to protect those who are most in need of protection.”

According to the U.S. AbilityOne Commission, more than 46,000 people who are blind or have significant disabilities are employed through the AbilityOne program, including more than 7,000 veterans. And, more than 36,000 veterans and their families receive rehabilitation and other services from AbilityOne agencies. The U.S. Supreme Court will decide in October which cases it will hear for the upcoming year.

“The toll on our workforce has been intense, especially for our employees who are blind or visually impaired and who face huge barriers to employment,” said Horton. “Nationally, 7 out of 10 working-age adults who are blind are not in the workforce. In addition, more than half of our employees relocate here to take positions with IFB Solutions as the largest employer of people who are blind or visually impaired in the country. For those employees who’ve just started to put down roots in Winston-Salem, the prospect of losing their positions and possibly leaving our community entirely is heartbreaking.”

 

VA Moves to End IFB’s Remaining Contracts Set to End this Fall

As IFB Solutions awaits a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, the VA also is moving forward with ending IFB’s remaining two contracts supporting 90 additional jobs in the optical lab. Those contracts are set to end on Sept. 30 and Oct. 31. In total, 137 IFB employees are at risk of losing their jobs, including 76 employees who are blind and 15 employees who are veterans.

 

Congress Also a Possible Recourse

IFB Solutions along with its fellow AbilityOne agencies and National Industries for the Blind continue to work with members of Congress on a possible legislative solution.

“We’re thankful to our local representatives — Senator Thom Tillis, Congressman Mark Walker and Congresswoman Virginia Foxx — who have shown support, promised action and reached out to the VA directly,” said Horton. “Our shared goal is to find a path forward that enables the VA to maximize contracting awards for veteran-owned small businesses without eliminating or reducing AbilityOne jobs for people who are blind or severely disabled.”

IFB Solutions is not alone in looking to Congress for an answer. In response to prior media inquiries, the VA has stated, “If Congress wants to change the federal laws it has set that govern this process, it can choose to do so.”

“As we have said all along, we simply do not believe that Congress ever intended for people who are blind or severely disabled employed by AbilityOne nonprofits, including thousands of veterans, to lose their jobs or lose access to services in order for veteran-owned businesses to gain contracting opportunities,” said Horton. “Whether we work with Congress on a solution or make our case before the U.S. Supreme Court, we will find a way to maintain life-changing employment opportunities for people who are blind.”

 

IFB Solutions Impact by the Numbers

137: Total jobs at risk in the IFB optical lab

76: Optical employees who are blind losing their jobs

15: Military veterans in the optical lab losing their jobs

7,600*: Total military veterans employed by AbilityOne agencies nationwide

36,000*: Military veterans and family members receiving rehabilitation and other services from AbilityOne agencies

*https://abilityone.gov/commission/documents/U.S.%20AbilityOne%20Commission%20FY%202017%20PAR-Final.pdf

Contact
Nicole Ducouer, IFB Solutions Senior Director of Corporate Communications and Programs
336-685-2393 | nducouer@ifbsolutions.org

WINSTON-SALEM, NC (July 23, 2019) – IFB Solutions, the largest employer of people who are blind in the country, is about to experience several rounds of job cuts that will have a devastating effect on the blind community. The 137 people who work in its optical lab, including 76 people who are blind and 15 veterans, face job cuts with the first wave of 47 lost positions expected by the end of July.

The job losses are a result of policy changes with IFB’s optical lab customer, the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, which has had long-term contracts with the nonprofit since 2000. The VA made the changes following a recent court order that the Rule of Two as currently outlined in the Veterans Benefits Act gives priority to veteran-owned companies over AbilityOne nonprofits like IFB Solutions. IFB Solutions has been fighting that legal interpretation for three years.

“We do not believe that Congress ever intended to benefit veteran-owned small businesses at the expense of people who are blind or severely disabled,” said Dan Kelly, chief operating officer at IFB Solutions. “There is plenty of business for both veteran-owned small businesses and AbilityOne nonprofits, many of whom, like IFB Solutions, also employ a significant number of veterans.”

IFB Solutions has joined fellow AbilityOne nonprofits who employ people who are blind from across the country in asking Congress to clarify its intent with the Rule of Two. On July 24 and 25, IFB Solutions CEO David Horton and IFB optical lab employee Scott Smith will join other AbilityOne representatives in Washington, D.C. to meet with national lawmakers, including Reps. Virginia Foxx and Mark Walker and Sen. Thom Tillis, to discuss the impact on people who are blind or visually impaired. Earlier in the month, a bi-partisan letter clarifying intent with the Rule of Two was signed by 34 members of Congress, including Reps. Foxx and Walker, and delivered to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie.

“I’ve spent my entire career creating and fighting for jobs for people who, like me, are blind and face a job market with limited opportunities – 70 percent of working-age adults who are blind are not employed,” said Kelly. “AbilityOne nonprofits like IFB Solutions provide employment for more than 45,000 people who are blind or severely disabled. If we aren’t vigilant in protecting the jobs as intended by Congress when it created the AbilityOne program back in 1938, those individuals may have nowhere to turn.”

In addition to creating jobs, AbilityOne nonprofits provide critical rehabilitative and support services to hundreds of thousands of people, including thousands of veterans. IFB Solutions alone serves nearly 4,500 people who are visually impaired each year through its Community Low Vision Centers and mobile vision units. And, more than 150 children who are blind or visually impaired attend its free SEE summer camps and after-school programs.

“We are committed to continuing to serve our community, but the loss of our optical contracts with the VA is a significant hit to our business,” said Kelly. “We’re hopeful that Congress will take the necessary action that continues to maximize contracting awards for veteran-owned small businesses without eliminating or reducing AbilityOne jobs for people who are blind or severely disabled. If not, we are fully prepared to return to the courtroom and petition to have our case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.”

Contact
Nicole Ducouer, IFB Solutions Senior Director of Corporate Communications and Programs
336-685-2393 | nducouer@ifbsolutions.org

WINSTON-SALEM, NC (July 2, 2019) – IFB Solutions was honored at the 4^th annual Excellence in Business Award Luncheon hosted by the Triad Chapter of The Risk Management Association. Each year, the chapter honors three local organizations and one individual for their success in business and contribution to their communities. IFB Solutions was nominated for the award by BB&T in the non-profit category.

IFB Solutions Chief Financial Officer Rob Burgess and Employee Relations Manager Brent Burkholder accepted the award. During the presentation, Triad Chapter President Theresa Arrighi of BB&T highlighted IFB’s commitment to the community through its mission of employment, training and services for people who are blind or visually impaired. In the Triad area, IFB Solutions employs nearly 350 people who are blind and offers extensive training programs so they can progress in their positions and careers of choice.

IFB Solutions also is a critical community resource for those who are blind or visually impaired. The nonprofit operates four Community Low Vision Centers serving hundreds of adults and children each year with assistive devices and technology. The Centers are the hubs for IFB’s Focus on Literacy programs which pair school-age children with free assistive devices and technology to use at home to complete their homework and foster a love of reading. IFB also runs the SEE (Student Enrichment Experience) program for children in grades K-12 with a year-round calendar of free, after-school activities and summer camps teaching valuable independent living skills and fostering personal confidence.

“We are very honored to be recognized by the Triad Chapter of The Risk Management Association for our success and impact on our community. As the largest employer of people who are blind in the country, our commitment to serving the larger community through jobs, training and services as well as programs such as SEE and the Community Low Vision Centers is clear,” said Burgess. “The unemployment rate for people who are blind is an astounding 70 percent, and IFB Solutions is working very hard to change that statistic by creating jobs of choice and encouraging greater independence and confidence in individuals of all ages.”