A Brief History of the AbilityOne Program
The
AbilityOne (formerly JWOD) Program provides employment opportunities
for over 40,000 Americans who are blind or have other severe
disabilities by orchestrating government purchases of products and
services provided by nonprofit agencies employing such individuals
throughout the country. In 1938, the Wagner-O'Day Act was passed
under President Franklin D. Roosevelt in order to provide employment
opportunities for people who are blind by allowing them to manufacture
mops and brooms to sell to the federal government.
In 1971, under the leadership of Senator Jacob Javits, Congress
amended this Act (41 U.S.C. 46-48c) to include people with severe
disabilities and allow the program to also provide services to the
federal government. Over sixty years later, this extraordinary socioeconomic
program provides federal customers with a wide array of quality
products and services, while providing thousands of people with
severe disabilities real jobs and increased independence.
The Committee for Purchase From People
Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled is the AbilityOne Program's federal
overseer. Through two Central Nonprofit Agencies, National
Industries for the Blind and NISH (serving people with a range
of disabilities), the Committee currently works with over 600 nonprofit
agencies across the country, as well as in Puerto Rico and Guam,
to provide employment opportunities to people with severe disabilities.
The purchase of AbilityOne products and services by federal customers
helps battle the 70 percent unemployment rate faced by this untapped
labor resource.
In 2006, the Committee decided to change the umbrella name for the program
it administers under the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act from "JWOD" to AbilityOne.
A gradual transition is taking place over the next 10 months. Updates on the new
name, including graphics and standards, will be posted here when available.
Click here to view the information related to JWOD Program name to become AbilityOne.
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