Fact Sheet

The AbilityOne Program is a coordinated effort on behalf of the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and NISH–Creating Employment Opportunities for People with Severe Disabilities.

The AbilityOne Program is the largest single provider of employment for people who are blind or have other severe disabilities—currently employing more than 40,000 individuals with severe disabilities, at more than 600 community-based nonprofit agencies across the country. Employment opportunities made possible through the AbilityOne Program equip people who are blind or have other severe disabilities with the job skills and training necessary to receive good wages and benefits and gain greater independence and quality of life.

The AbilityOne Program strives to reduce the alarmingly high unemployment rate (70 percent) faced by individuals who are blind or who have other severe disabilities by providing employment opportunities on Federal contracts nationwide. According to the 2000 Census, of the 31 million United States residents between the ages of 21 and 64 who have disabilities, 21 million are unemployed.

The AbilityOne Program can provide national coverage as participating community-based nonprofit partners are in every state in the country, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam.

The AbilityOne Program saves Federal and State Governments more than $46 million a year, according to a study conducted in 2003. The study, "People with Disabilities Work: America Benefits," focuses on AbilityOne commissary, food services and custodial programs, which collectively employ more than 10,000 people nationwide who are blind or have other severe disabilities. The savings come from the increase in income and payroll taxes and reduction of entitlements that result from employment.

The AbilityOne Program provides high quality job opportunities for people with disabilities who face significant barriers to employment and who would otherwise rely on public benefit programs.

The AbilityOne 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 AbilityOne Program is a Federal law that requires the Federal Government to purchase specific products and services from its community-based nonprofit partners.

What began as the Wagner-O’Day Act in 1938, and which permitted nonprofit agencies serving people who are blind to sell products such as brooms and mops to the Federal Government, was expanded in 1971 when Sen. Jacob Javits led an effort to permit individuals with severe disabilities other than blindness to participate in the Program. Javits’ amendment also expanded the Act to include the provision of services to the Federal Government.

By employing people who are blind or who have other severe disabilities, the AbilityOne Program is able to increase independence and self-esteem by helping these individuals enjoy full participation in their community and market their AbilityOne skills into other public and private sector jobs.

The AbilityOne Program, a priority source of supply for Federal customers, makes it easy to do the right thing by offering an array of quality products and services delivered on time and at fair market prices.

People who are blind or who have other severe disabilities employed through the AbilityOne Program gain long-term work experience and marketable job skills, reduce their reliance on Government entitlement payments and increase tax revenues.

To help meet Federal customers’ paperless acquisition needs, AbilityOne products can be purchased through e-commerce portals such as www.abilityone.com, www.gsaAdvantage.gov and those of authorized AbilityOne commercial distributors.

AbilityOne paper products meet the Minimum Recycled Content Standard for printing and writing paper as specified by Executive Order 13101.

AbilityOne Program sales account for less than one percent of all Federal procurement dollars spent.