We would like to thank the United States AbilityOne Commission for their order of two AbilityOne seal and logo plaques. We have been providing high-end furniture quality mahogany seal and logo plaques to government agencies for over 30 years now. We continuely learn about organizations like AbilityOne for the first time through their orders. If you aren’t familiary with AbilityOne, you will be impressed to learn what they do and what their mission is!
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The AbilityOne Program: Empowering Individuals Through Meaningful Employment
The AbilityOne Program is the largest source of employment in the United States for people who are blind or have significant disabilities. Operating as a vital socioeconomic federal initiative, AbilityOne connects government agencies with a nationwide network of over 450 nonprofit organizations. It provides high-quality products and services to the federal government while creating transformative career opportunities for a historically underutilized workforce.
History and Evolution
The roots of the program date back to 1938 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Wagner-O’Day Act into law. This landmark legislation aimed to combat high unemployment among people who were blind by directing federal agencies to purchase specific manufactured products—originally mops and brooms—from qualified nonprofits.
In 1971, spearheaded by Senator Jacob Javits, Congress passed the Javits-Wagner-O’Day (JWOD) Act. This critical amendment expanded the program’s scope to include individuals with other severe disabilities and allowed the provision of services in addition to manufactured goods. Recognizing its modernized mission and broader capabilities, the JWOD program was officially rebranded under the “AbilityOne” name in 2006.
Core Goals and Impact
The primary goal of AbilityOne is twofold: to deliver mission-essential supplies and services—ranging from IT support and contract management to food products—to federal customers at fair market prices, and to provide meaningful employment, training, and economic empowerment to those facing significant barriers to employment.
By utilizing the AbilityOne Program, the federal government generates robust social impact. It fosters workforce inclusivity, promotes independence and self-sufficiency, reduces reliance on government assistance programs, and ensures taxpayer dollars are reinvested directly into communities across the country.