NYSCB CONTRACTEE MARKS TEN-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF PROVIDING PROTECTIVE GLOVES TO TSA
For the past decade, the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CABVI) has helped keep our country safe by packaging and distributing blue nitrile exam gloves. The gloves are used by 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees who screen more than 1.8 million passengers per day at the nation’’s 450 airports. (If you placed all of those gloves in a line, it would circle the earth twice.)
OCFS and its New York State Commission for the Blind (NYSCB) are pleased to announce that TSA renewed its partnership with CABVI for the next five years!
CABVI is one of eight not-for-profit agencies for the blind that contract with OCFS and the NYSCB to produce or process goods and services for government agencies through the Preferred Source Purchasing Program. CABVI is also one of 17 agencies for the blind that contract with NYSCB to provide training in a variety of areas that allow people who are blind to function safely and independently in their homes, communities, schools, and employment settings.
The exam gloves are manufactured overseas and shipped in bags to CABVI. Approximately 40 to 50 workers, 90 percent of whom are legally blind, then package them in boxes to ship out to locations throughout the country. More than 386,000 cases are shipped annually.
CABVI employees take great pride in their work.
"I’’m very happy to be helping TSA," says Dennis Mahoney. "Without us, nothing would get done. My mom would be very proud."
In addition to the TSA contract, CABVI also provides gloves to New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation for hospitals in New York City, SUNY Medical Centers, Veterans Administration Medical Centers, Federal Correctional Institutions and the United States Postal Service.
About the New York State Commission for the Blind
The New York State Commission for the Blind (NYSCB) provides vocational rehabilitation and other direct services to legally blind New York State residents, including children, adults, and elderly persons. One of NYSCB’’s primary objectives is to assist consumers in achieving economic self-sufficiency and full integration into society. NYSCB offers these services from seven district offices across the state. For more information, visit visionloss.ny.gov.
About the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Established in 1929, Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CABVI) is a not-for-profit agency that serves people who are blind or visually impaired, from newborns to older adults.