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The day we took the walk over to Industries of the Blind, I honestly had no idea what to expect.  Only when we rounded the bend after the bridge did I realize that this was a building I had driven by for over a year and a half.  The lettering at the time had meant nothing to me.  

 

As we got closer, I appreciated how the building seemed to funnel people under the overhang until we were ushered into an even smaller lobby space.  We then made our way up to the conference room.  On the way up, I couldn’t help but notice and abhor the assortment of plastic plants placed haphazard underneath the stairwell.  It was meant to be an area of relaxation, but at this point, everyone seemed to take the space for granted and it was as good as ignored.  

stairwell to offices.

zen area?

Upstairs in the offices, the situation got no better for me.  It was dull and sterile. Nothing stood out.  The walls were white.  The ceiling was lined by harsh ‘hospital’ lighting.  Overall, it was just another cliché office area.  In the actual conference room, the president of the company, David LoPresti took time to talk to our group.  He went over the variety of amazing products that emerge from the factory floor, from the pen that writes underwater to the official neck guard of the army that saves lives on a daily basis.    

reception area.

conference room.

 

 

factory floor.

 After a short diatribe, LoPresti began leading us through the factory floor.  For the initial portion of the journey, I was fairly distant.  That changed upon observing and meeting several of the actual workers.  Many of them were considered legally blind, but they were performing tasks on complex machines, a feat that I cannot consider anything short of amazing.  Not only that but, they were expected to perform at a high level of quality.  LoPresti picked up a pair of gym pants and told how a single string out of place was reason enough to have the garment sent back for work.  Had I been in charge, I feel that I wouldn’t be able to help but have a different attitude and more leniency towards my workers in light of their disabilities.  However, that kind of attitude can be more detrimental than anything else.  They are like anyone else and should be treated normally.

employee of the month (i forgot her name D:).

but, she will be attending a conference for her outstanding work. :D

 

the camo cutter.

As we continued our tour, we were shown through a corridor that housed a massive precision fabric cutter.  A giant roll of camo was being fished through a gap and the cutter was creating the same pattern in about every 12 feet of material.  I had a hunch that this would be going towards military flak jackets.  And once again, I was very impressed that this company was doing such important work for the soldiers out in the field.  

One of the last rooms was particularly impressive.  There were two rows of employees working on mounting the actual neck guard into fabric.  That was nothing special.  By now, I had also become accustomed to seeing disabled workers doing great things and this was no different.  That was also normal.  What blew me out of the water was the LED productivity sign.  This room was running at 150 percent!  That is amazing anywhere! 

It was a collection of all of these experiences which gave me the respect that I have for the people in this company.  They are truly beating the odds everday and in many cases, also the competition.