Elmont Online

Published 10:35 p.m., Thursday, December 1, 2011

ALBANY— Blind workers in Albany assemble and sew the orange safety vests worn by highway workers across the state. Blind workers in Utica take massive shipments of latex gloves and package them in small bundles that are used by TSA workers at every airport in the nation.

Industries for the Blind of New York State and its affiliated agencies employ more than 440 blind and visually impaired New Yorkers and generate $88 million in sales annually. The nonprofit group has set a goal of doubling its workforce and say they can do it if state and local governments abide by a state law that gives preferential treatment to goods produced by the blind and visually impaired.

"There is a lack of knowledge about the law," said Christopher Burke, executive director of Northeastern Association of the Blind, the Albany-based affiliate of IBNYS.

The 60-year-old Preferred Source Program requires state agencies, public benefit corporations, and school and fire districts to purchase products from nonprofit agencies for the blind if the products are available. The goods must be priced competitively but are exempt from the competitive bidding process.

Yet the state buys only 1 percent of its purchases through nonprofits for the blind, according to a new report by researchers at the University at Buffalo.

"There is no Preferred Source police," Burke said. Government buyers "are out looking for the cheapest product."

Burke said goods produced by the blind are priced either the same or slightly higher than the most competitive rates. If the state bought 2 percent of its supplies from IBNYS, the group could meet its goal of doubling the workforce, Burke said.

As the budget crisis makes it increasingly tough to market themselves to cash-strapped agencies, IBNYS commissioned the University at Buffalo Regional Institute to study the impact of the blind workforce. IBNYS is using the data to convince government and commercial buyers of the value of their services, even if they cost a little more.

In addition to $88 million in sales, the study found that the IBNYS affiliates produce $80 million annually in spinoff activity in related industries, support an additional 266 jobs outside the 885 employed directly by IBNYS and generate 60 percent of their sales from the federal government and other out of state buyers, bringing new dollars into the state economy.

The product lines for the blind nonprofits are self-sustaining and IBNYS affiliates use their business operations to subsidize rehabilitation services, which are partially funded with state taxpayer money. By growing the business operations, Burke said they can expand rehab services to people on the waiting list.

There are 362,400 New Yorkers who are blind or visually impaired, about half are of working age. More than 60 percent are unemployed, according to the UB study. The poverty rate among the blind and visually impaired is more than double the rates of nondisabled people.

"Without this place, many of us wouldn't have a place to work," said Mike Bowman, who manages the production floor lined with sewing machines at NABA. Bowman, of Averill Park, lost his sight when he was a child.

Randy Ashcroft, lives in Johnstown but rides four hours on several bus lines to commute to his job in NABA's shipping and packing department. He leaves home everyday at 5:40 a.m. and returns around 7 p.m.

"I enjoy working here and you get a paycheck every week," Ashcroft said. "It gives me something to do."

Reach Cathleen F. Crowley at 454-5348 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Visit her blog at http://blogs.timesunion.com/healthcare.