Behind the Scenes, Americans with Severe Disabilities Provided For Welfare of U.S. Troops in Iraq, Now Shift Focus to Needy Iraqis.

Business Editors

VIENNA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 19, 2003

Massive Humanitarian Effort Underway to Ship Millions of Pounds of Dried Milk

The success of the U.S. military mission in Iraq hinged on the skill of our generals and the courage of our troops. But underpinning it was the way our troops were equipped to meet and deal with any emergency with products ranging from first-aid kits to light sticks to protective clothing.

It's a little-known story, but many of the special products that served and protected our troops so well in Iraq were made by severely disabled Americans. These Americans work through the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Program, which provides employment opportunities for nearly 40,000 Americans who are blind or have other severe disabilities through more than 600 community-based, nonprofit agencies located across the United States. The JWOD Program uses the purchasing power of the federal government to buy products and services from the more than 600 participating agencies dedicated to training and employing people who are blind or have other severe disabilities.

When U.S. troops were deployed to Iraq this year, they took with them many critical supplies produced by Americans with severe disabilities through the JWOD Program. A few examples:

-- Individual First-Aid Kits. The Marines worked closely with the

Chautauqua County Chapter, NYSARC/Resource Center in

Jamestown, N.Y., on the design and development of the pouch to

hold a first-aid kit that would greatly increase the chance of

survival by enabling a soldier to administer first-aid to

another soldier or to themselves. Fifteen thousand kits were

sent to Iraq.

-- Bandages. Elwyn Industries, in Elwyn, Penn., which produces

more than 2 million bandages per year in 14 different sizes

for the U.S. armed services, had to increase production by 300

percent to supply the troops in Iraq.

-- Chemical Protective Over garments. The National Center for

Employment of the Disabled (NCED) is the largest JWOD Program

producer of the new Joint Services Light Integrated Suit

Technology (JSLIST) chemical protective garments required to

shield soldiers from biochemical weapons, and will produce

more than 850,000 of them in 2003.

-- Head Harness for Gas Mask. To supply our troops in Iraq, Human

Technologies Corporation of Utica, N.Y., tripled production of

the head harness that holds the M40 gas mask, producing an

extra 215,000 of them under tight deadline.

-- Military Clothing: U.S. soldiers around the world wear

military clothing made by people with disabilities working at

Goodwill Industries of South Florida Inc., in Miami and at

many other community programs located throughout the U.S.

Among the items provided by Goodwill in Miami are fleece

jackets, camouflage fatigue trousers, overalls, dress slacks

for the Navy and Air Force and garrison caps for the Air

Force.

Now that the war is over, four community programs across the country - Arc-Diversified in Cookeville, Tenn.; Knox Country ARC in Vincennes, Ind.; CW Resources in New Britain, Conn.; and Transylvania Vocational Services in Brevard, N.C. - are working under a JWOD Program contract to provide instant, nonfat vitamin fortified dried milk as part of a massive humanitarian effort to help the Iraqi people.

The Department of Agriculture through the World Food Programme is providing instant, non-fat dry milk to post-war Iraq. To date, the Farm Service Agency has purchased over 22 million pounds of milk in household sized containers packaged by the aforementioned JWOD-participating community programs. The first shipments of milk are scheduled to arrive in July and are planned for distribution in Northern Iraq. To gear up for this massive undertaking, the four community programs involved in the project have increased employment by 30 percent, adding extra shifts to keep up with demand.

"The mood here is electric," says Nancy Stricker, chief executive officer, of Transylvania Vocational Services, which has added 40 additional employees to keep up with production demands. "Everyone is so excited. They appreciate the reason behind why they're working harder and longer and are thrilled to be making a contribution to such an important humanitarian effort."

Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Program

The Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Program provides employment opportunities for nearly 40,000 Americans who are blind or have other severe disabilities. The JWOD Program uses the purchasing power of the federal government to buy products and services from participating, community-based nonprofit agencies dedicated to training and employing individuals with disabilities. The JWOD Program is a coordinated effort on behalf of the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled (the federal agency that oversees the Program), National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and NISH -Creating Employment Opportunities for People with Severe Disabilities. The JWOD Program provides people who are blind or who have other severe disabilities the opportunity to acquire job skills and training, receive good wages and benefits and gain greater independence and quality of life. Through the JWOD Program, people with disabilities enjoy full participation in their community and can market their JWOD-learned skills into other public/private sector jobs.

The Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled

The Committee is the independent Federal agency that oversees the JWOD Program. The Committee is comprised of 15 Presidentially-appointed members, including 11 senior Federal executives (a majority of whom are procurement officials) representing 11 different Federal agencies, and four private citizens who are advocates for people who are blind or have other severe disabilities.

The Committee is responsible for deciding which products and services should be purchased by the Federal Government under the JWOD Program; determining the fair market price for those products and services; revising the prices in accordance with changing market conditions; and establishing rules needed to administer the Program. The Committee has designated two central nonprofit agencies--National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and NISH--to facilitate the distribution of orders and provide other services among nonprofit agencies participating in the JWOD Program.

NISH - Creating Employment for People With Severe Disabilities

NISH is a national nonprofit organization, established in 1974, whose mission is to create employment opportunities for people with severe disabilities by securing federal contracts. NISH has a network of more than 500 community rehabilitation programs that produce quality products and provide a variety of services to federal customers nationwide.

With its headquarters in Vienna, VA, NISH has regional offices in California, Washington, Georgia, Virginia, Texas and Illinois. Among its services, NISH offers its agencies legislative and regulatory assistance, communications and public relations materials, information technology support, engineering and technical assistance and an extensive professional training program.

In FY 2002, through the JWOD Program, 533 NISH-affiliated agencies provided products and services to the federal government. People with disabilities are working on projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. In FY 2002, more than 35,000 individuals with severe disabilities employed through JWOD contracts collectively earned nearly $247 million in wages.

National Industries for the Blind

Founded in 1938, National Industries for the Blind (NIB) has been a driving force in leveraging the purchasing power of the Federal government to enhance employment opportunities and create jobs for people who are blind. Incorporated as a private, not-for-profit organization, NIB operates through the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Act, a mandatory Federal procurement program enabling people who are blind or otherwise severely disabled to work and provide products and services as a preferred source to the Federal government.

NIB and its more than 80 associated agencies generate employment opportunities for more than 5,000 people who are blind and supply the federal marketplace with thousands of quality SKILCRAFT(R) and other JWOD products and services. In addition to creating jobs, NIB's associated agencies provide people who are blind with training and rehabilitative services, enabling them to achieve independence, compete in the workforce, and lead a fuller, more enriched life. NIB is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.