Can you cite some specific successes of the AbilityOne Program?
Certainly. For example, in California more than 2,600 people are employed in nonprofit agencies participating in the AbilityOne Program. That figure alone would be attractive to any economic development official. Coupled with the fact that these employees earn in excess of $30 million per year, you have a very real success story. In Texas, nearly 5,300 people who are blind or have other severe disabilities work on AbilityOne contracts and earn nearly $45 million annually. Even in a smaller state such as Maryland, nearly 3,000 people are working on AbilityOne projects earning nearly $30 million a year. The real successes, however, are in the individual lives of the AbilityOne employees. Contact an AbilityOne qualified nonprofit agency in your community and go visit. There you will find out firsthand how the AbilityOne Program and community nonprofit agencies are changing lives right in your own neighborhood.
