About us

To eliminate all barriers for people who are blind or visually impaired.

To provide opportunities for employment and personal development for people who are blind or visually impaired to achieve greater independence.

Build strong relationships and work collaboratively with customers, suppliers, the community and our associates.

Achieve excellence by continually providing opportunities for the organization, encouraging empowerment and teamwork of associates, and providing a positive work environment.

Demonstrate respect for all.

Encouraging open communications through working in a transparent manner to foster and encourage new perspectives and ideas and also to provide information throughout IOB.

Act with integrity. We will, at all times, behave in an ethical and trustworthy manner guided by our values, beliefs and mission.

Be responsible and accountable. We will take ownership for our actions and be fiscally accountable to ensure long-term viability.

The folks who make up Industries of the Blind are glad to be here. It’s not just because of our mission or that productive work is fulfilling. It’s also because we all participate in deciding how this organization is run. We are a unified organization that makes decisions together, as more of a family because what binds us is more than just a job. It’s our mission and our independence.

While the business operates with defined plans based on our strategy, we regularly get together to discuss operations and suggest improvements. We all know that the open exchange of ideas leads to continual improvement. That’s the foundation a good relationship is built on and we’re in it for the long run.

We’re proud to be part of this incredible mission and continued growth. Limitations are far and few when you put the right people together with the right drive. We enjoy watching people grow into their potential and help others do the same. One hand helping another never disappoints.

• 1933 – Times were tough for just about everybody in 1933—perhaps the worst year of the depression. It was in that year that the first work program in North Carolina was organized for people who are blind. It was known as the Guilford County Association for the Blind. The Association was composed of six people; they made mops in a leased storefront.

• 1938 – The National Industries for the Blind was incorporated in 1938 as a result of the Wagner-O’Day Act, legislation that established a federal market for the purchase of products manufactured by organizations employing people with severe vision disabilities.

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