NewView Oklahoma increases employment for blind/visually impaired individuals by nearly 50 percent
For Immediate Release—January 30, 2012
(Oklahoma City) NewView Oklahoma, the state’s largest employer of blind and visually impaired individuals, posted a remarkable increase in the number of hours worked by blind employees during the 2011 fiscal year.
According to figures released by National Industries for the Blind (NIB), blind and visually impaired employees worked 123,524 hours at NewView Oklahoma in FY 2011, compared to 83,474 hours in FY2010—a 48 percent increase.
“We are thrilled at the success we’ve seen over the last year,” NewView Oklahoma President and CEO Lauren White said. “Unemployment among blind and visually impaired individuals is 75 percent, so every job we create brings hope and independence to someone’s life.”
NewView Oklahoma employees manufacture a variety of products at the organization’s downtown Oklahoma City headquarters and operate several telephone switchboards and mailrooms for the U.S. government at locations across the country.
NewView Oklahoma’s success earned the organization an award of nearly $37,000 from NIB. Those funds will go toward creating new employment opportunities.”
“To grow our organization in this tough economic climate is a testament to the hard work, dedication and talents of our employees,” White said. “We look forward to building on this success and creating even more jobs for blind and visually impaired individuals in Oklahoma and across the country.”
NewView Oklahoma – formerly Oklahoma League for the Blind – is a private, not-for-profit organization founded in 1949 with a mission to empower people who are blind and visually impaired to achieve their maximum level of independence through employment, rehabilitation and community outreach. For more than 60 years, NewView Oklahoma has been a life-changing source of hope and empowerment for Oklahomans living with blindness and visual impairment.
