IFB Beat 10-14 Edition

A Message from the Editor

This week is packed with updates and things to add to your calendar. Stroll the IFB Beat to find:

FY25 Corporate Goals update.
National Disability Employment Awareness Month highlights.
Learn about accessibility support phone lines you should know.
Mark your calendar! The Novant Health Mobile Mammogram Unit will be at the Winston-Salem facility on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, for screenings.

Thanks for reading the IFB Beat and have a wonderful week!

Anastasia Powell

IFB Solutions Communications Manager
apowell@ifbsolutions.org | 336-245-5698

Quick Links:

FY24 Corporate Goals Update

Dear IFB Solutions Employees,

At IFB Solutions, our mission to create life-changing opportunities for people who are blind continues to inspire and drive us forward. As we look toward fiscal year 2025, the executive and senior management teams, along with the Board of Directors, have established five corporate goals to ensure we maintain healthy operations and grow our impact.

These goals, centered around business health, regulatory excellence, and mission fulfillment, are crucial benchmarks for the year ahead. Below are the FY25 corporate goals:

Achieve a 74.51% or higher ratio of blind to sighted direct labor work hours by the end of FY25.
By fiscal year end, generate a cumulative Return to Working Capital (RTWC) of 1% of overall revenue.
Reach an average of 12,000 blind work hours (BWHs) weekly by fiscal year end.
Employ 338 individuals who are blind by September 30, 2025.
Continue to receive a clean annual report from an external auditing firm following the close of FY25

Each of these goals reinforces our commitment to building a sustainable, mission-driven organization that empowers our employees and positively impacts the communities we serve.

Thank you for your continued efforts and commitment to IFB Solutions. Together, we will continue to make a difference in the lives of those who are blind.

Sincerely,
Dan Kelly, President, and CEO

Celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Observed each October, during National Disability Employment Awareness Month, or “NDEAM,” we celebrate the value and talent workers with disabilities add to America’s workplaces and economy. NDEAM’s purpose is to confirm our commitment to ensuring disabled workers have access to good jobs, every month of every year. That’s the spirit behind this year’s theme: “Access to Good Jobs for All.”

IFB Solutions recognizes the employment barriers and remains committed to changing lives by creating job opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired.

“IFB Solutions does not try to change the person, they change the approach, providing people who are blind with the opportunity to work.,” states Asheville Facility (IFB overall) Employee of the Year Joshua Denton. Watch his story here!

Community Low Vision Center Updates

CLVC Item of the Week:

Detatch and go pill organizer

Detach N Go Pill Organizer, 7 Day for $9.59. The Detach N Go Pill Organizer has 7 interlocking detachable compartments. Each section is a self-contained AM/PM pillbox.

If you have questions or are interested in any of the weekly items, please contact your local CLVC for assistance.

From Our Community

Accessibility support Phone Lines You Should Know

Submitted by Kim Shoffner

With a welcomed emphasis on accessibility and inclusion, numerous companies now offer specialized support services for customers with vision loss. They are there to help you get the most out of their products and to ensure your devices are set right to accommodate your needs. This is an effort we greatly appreciate and are delighted to spread the word.

Amazon’s Accessibility Customer Service: 888-283-1678

Call to speak with an accessibility specialist who can help you buy books and other products or get you directly to tech support for Amazon devices and services including Alexa, Kindle & Fire Tablet. Hands raised triumphantly for accessible and inclusive smartphones. Audible Support: 888-283-5051.

American Airlines Special Assistance: 800-237-7976

Arrange the assistance you need for navigating the airport, security screening, location of gate, seat number, connecting flights, baggage claim and ground transportation.

Apple Accessibility Support Line: 877-204-3930

For users of Apple’s iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple Watch, or Mac – this is a gift. It is a special support line reserved for customers with vision, hearing, motor, and learning impairments. Senior AppleCare specialists are available 24/7 to help you get your Accessibility Settings right, answer your questions, and resolve your technical issues. They’ll even teach you a thing or two.

National Center for Citizens with Disabilities (NCCD): 866-241-6568

This is where wireless customers with vision loss get answers to questions about accessibility features and services available from AT&T.

Comcast Accessibility: 866-668-6703

Direct line to a dedicated team, specially trained to support customers who rely on accessibility services including voice guidance and video description.

Google: To request a call back, from a Google Disability support specialist, complete this online form.

Call an accessibility specialist at Google through the BeMyEyes app on a smartphone or tablet. Click the ‘Service Directory tab’ button on the app’s home page, select Google in the Technical tab.

Google Technical Support: 855-971-9121 may (or may not) be able to help with accessibility questions, depends on the specialist you connect with.

HP Accessibility Support: 888-259-5707

Technical support for customers with accessibility needs, pertaining to HP (Hewlett Packard) products, available from 6am to 9pm Mountain Time.

LinkedIn Disability Answer Desk: Call on Be My Eyes app.

Contact an accessibility specialist at the LinkedIn Disability Answer Desk through the Be My Eyes app, on a smartphone or tablet; click the Specialized Help button on the apps home page, then select Technical to get to LinkedIn.

Microsoft Disability Answer Desk: 800-936-5900 or the Be My Eyes app

The features you need to make your PC ‘vision friendly’ are built right into Windows – unfortunately, many people don’t know that. Microsoft recognized this as a significant problem and put in place a support team specialized in accessibility. So, dial them up and get your computer set up to work for you (not against you). And, to make it even easier on yourself — allow them remote access to your PC and they can make the adjustments.

Peloton: The Accessibility Team at Peloton will answer your questions and give you a call, if you request it by email to: accessibility@onepeloton.com.

Samsung Accessibility: 972-761-7123

Contact the Accessibility Team at Samsung for answers to questions, large and small, about all Samsung products. Reach out by phone or email: [email protected] to request a call back. For general support in the U.S. contact Samsung at: 800-726-7864 by text or voice.

Spectrum Accessibility Support: 844-762-1301

Call this support line to learn about and take advantage of Spectrum cable accessibility accommodations.

Spotify: Call on Be My Eyes app.

Get help from your smartphone or tablet with any questions you may have about Spotify, the world’s largest music streaming service. Speak to a trained customer service specialist on BME; go to Specialized Help, Technical, then Spotify.

T-Mobile Accessibility: 833-428-1785

T-Mobile has an Accessibility Support web page. It says, “T-Mobile will provide accessible support for wireless network service and billing inquiries. Please contact our Accessibility Customer Care at 1-833-428-1785 if you have any questions or need special assistance. For additional support, please contact Customer Care.”

United Airlines Accessibility Desk: 800-228-2744

Arrange the assistance you need for navigating the airport, security screening, location of gate, seat number, connecting flights, baggage claim and ground transportation.

Verizon Center for Customers with Disabilities: 800-974-6006 or verizon.com/disabilities

Free 411 for your home phone and for your mobile phone. Get your bills in the format of your choice…large print or digital. They can help you with anything else pertaining to your home phone service.

Verizon Wireless National Accessibility Center: 888-262-1999

It can sometimes be challenging to get information about accessibility features that make your mobile phone, or tablet, work for you. Questions about enlarging text, using voice commands effectively, or using the screen reader, often remain unanswered when posed to your store representative. That should be the case no more – now there is a customer service and technical support center dedicated to helping people maximize the accessibility features built into all of Verizon’s mobile devices. Let them help you get your device set just right for you, from 8am – 9pm EST, Monday – Friday.

Voter Registration: Call on Be My Eyes app. Get help, on a smartphone or tablet, registering to vote, checking your registration status, and requesting a mail-in ballot. On BME, go to Specialized Help on the home page, then Civic Engagement, then select vote.org.

We will continue adding Accessibility Support services as we discover them. Please let us know if you know of any before we do, and we’ll share by posting to this list.

This article was updated on September 30, 2024. Via https://ophthalmicedge.org/patient/accessibility-support-phone-lines-you-should-know/

HR & Opportunities

Winston-Salem Facility: Upcoming Benefits Upcoming Information Sessions

For more information, reach out to Tammy Whitmire-Powers, IFB Solutions Benefits Administrator at twhitmire-powers@ifbsolutions.org.

Information sessions will be held at the Winston-Salem location on the topics listed below. Hourly employees should inform their supervisors if they are interested in attending a session. Hourly Admin and salary employees may contact Tammy Powers to schedule a time to attend a session.

October 30, 2024 – Medicare

Basics / Changes / Cost
Significant changes to Part D-Prescriptions
Difference between Medicare Supplement & Medicare Advantage
How Medicare and Medicaid work together

November 6, 2024 – Profit Sharing Account

Overview of a Profit-Sharing Account
Eligibility
How to monitor your account

December 11, 2024 – 403(b) & Investing for your future.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Did you know that breast cancer is the most common type of non-skin cancer in women in the United States. According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 310,720 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024. Furthermore, about 42,250 will die of the disease.

Learn how you can become an advocate for cancer research, participate in events to raise awareness, volunteer your time, and share your story of how cancer has affected your life at Donate, Advocate, Volunteer | Get Involved | AACR Foundation

Information from: Breast Cancer | Cancer Awareness Months | AACR

Mark your calendar! The Novant Health Mobile Mammogram Unit will be at the Winston-Salem facility on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, for screenings. Please let your supervisor know if you are interested in scheduling an appointment.

New Job Announcements

For all current openings, visit https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs?clientkey=8B43E6E34C5D5C9AA3D07BB04DBEB909

BSC Customer Care Coordinator – McGuire AFB, New Jersey

Education and work experience:

Must have a high school diploma or GED.
Knowledge/experience in handling placement/fulfillment orders, quotes, inventory/inventory systems, and POS systems required.

External candidates may apply at https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=103587&clientkey=8B43E6E34C5D5C9AA3D07BB04DBEB909

Internal candidates may apply at https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=103588&clientkey=8B43E6E34C5D5C9AA3D07BB04DBEB909&jpt=ce8685cef740a6280b5fcb492b556fa5