Dallas Lighthouse: Serving the blind - and customers - blindnews

Dallas Lighthouse: Serving the blind - and customers

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To: <BlindNews@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 7 Oct 2007 20:48:36 -0400

Dallas Morning News, Texas USA
Sunday, October 07, 2007

Dallas Lighthouse: Serving the blind - and customers

Caption: Dallas Lighthouse president Michael Orfinik (left) and Thomas Sweeny
are shown in the center's remodeled sewing center, where employees make tool
carriers for the Army. NAN COULTER/Special Contributor

In the sighted world, what we don't see can be as important as what we do see.

For instance, are you aware that you haven't seen a Dallas Lighthouse for the
Blind and Visually Impaired sales representative selling brooms and mops door
to door since 1980?

In fact, the last broom was manufactured there in March 1993.

Instead of brooms and mops, the nonprofit Dallas Lighthouse currently
manufactures more than $9 million worth of products annually for government and
military use with a workforce that's 84 percent blind or severely visually
impaired.

Its service area encompasses 11 North Texas counties and represents more than
96,000 people who are blind or severely visually impaired.

And it's the largest employer of blind people in North Texas.

The Dallas Lighthouse was founded by a courageous and enterprising blind woman
named Eva Cameron in 1931.

Bonnie Glazer, the Dallas Lighthouse's public relations spokeswoman, explained
that the idea of making products at facilities for the disabled received its
initial push from Congress in 1938 - 69 years ago - when the
Javits-Wagner-O'Day Program was created.

The goal of the program was to provide "Americans who are blind or have other
severe disabilities with meaningful employment opportunities while providing
the federal government with quality products and services, delivered on time
and at a fair market price."

Though the goal wasn't achieved overnight, today the program is a monumental
success.

It has all the key elements that were intended - meaningful employment, quality
products and services, on-time delivery and fair market prices. And, we should
add, solid business practices.

The Industrial Center at the Dallas Lighthouse makes the following products for
the government:

Dry erase markers, permanent markers and highlighters: an average of 50,000 per
day, or 12 million annually.

Military award binders: 7,000 per day, or 1.3 million a year.

Eyeglass cases: 4,500 per day, or 1 million annually.

Entrenching tool carriers: 400 per day made of fabric, 100 made of vinyl, or
100,000 fabric and 67,000 vinyl annually. The carrier is a holster that clasps
to a jacket and holds a small spade with a collapsible handle.

The Dallas Lighthouse has to bid on these competitive government contracts just
as a for-profit company would.

To help it make entrenching tool carriers, the Dallas Lighthouse remodeled part
of the administration building to create a 5,000-square-foot sewing center.

The center opened in July 2006 and is equipped with state-of-the-art sewing and
cutting equipment that was paid for out of Dallas Lighthouse's own funds.

The project also created 20 sewing operator jobs, and 75 percent of those
operators are blind.

Learning the ropes

Job training is offered on equipment such as sewing machines, snap machines,
bar tack machines and a 40-foot cutting table with hot knife and drill press.
To date, more than 9,000 entrenching tool carriers have been sent to the Army
for use by soldiers.

One of the cutters, Roy Sanchez, can spread and cut fabric even with hazy
vision in his right eye and a left eye with less than 4 percent of central
vision and no peripheral vision.

Another standout in the Sewing Center is Thomas Richard Sweeny, who was
recently named employee of the year.

"I was born in 1944 with glaucoma and had partial vision," Mr. Sweeny said. "I
was sitting in school at the age of 9 in August 1953 when all of a sudden it
was like a curtain closing over my eyes. I have had no vision from that moment
on.

"With the assistance of my guide dog, Hailey, I have been able to remain
independent and carry out my daily living activities.

"I work at the Dallas Lighthouse in the new Sewing Center, and after 90 days of
training and 32 different steps, I learned to thread a needle and bobbins, and
I can use a seam ripper and use the grommet machine.

"I'm married to Teresa, who also works at the Lighthouse in the Sewing Center,"
he said.

"I have always had a strong desire to 'serve my country.' I tried to get into
the military and was turned down because of my disability.

"Working at the Lighthouse producing entrenching tool carriers for the Army has
fulfilled one of my greatest dreams by finally supporting my country with what
I do," Mr. Sweeny said.

Other programs at Dallas Lighthouse include Adult Literacy Through Technology,
Orientation & Mobility Training, Job Assessment and Training, and Financial
Support, which includes fundraising.

The Dallas Lighthouse is a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that
is funded by product sales, memorials, tribute gifts, the United Way,
rehabilitation fees, individual donations, trusts, bequests, foundations and
government grants.

Support needed

But, like all nonprofits, it needs more funding.

"We can do it, but not without your help and support," said Dallas Lighthouse
president Michael Orfinik.

The public is invited to see the achievements of this agency at an open house
from 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 15 at 4245 Office Parkway in Dallas.

It will include tours of the facility, including the remodeled Sewing Center,
and U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions will be presented with the AbilityOne Champion
Award from the National Industries for the Blind.

For more information, go to www.dallaslighthouse.org or call 214-821-2375.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/columnists/rmiller/stories/DN-miller_07bus.ART.State.Edition1.35b0daf.html
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Dallas Lighthouse: Serving the blind - and customers

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