A government program designed to reduce unemployment among people with disabilities is also providing vital support for the mission of the United States armed forces throughout the world.
The Javits-Wagner-O’Day (JWOD) program employs more than 45,000 people with disabilities, primarily the blind, although other severely disabled individuals also participate. JWOD is the largest employment source in the country for the disabled. It not only provides them with a means of earning a living, but it offers training and job skills development. JWOD has gone a long way toward addressing high unemployment (over 70 percent) among the blind and other people with severe disabilities.
JWOD dates back to the post-Depression era when the Wagner-O’Day Act was enacted in 1938 under President Roosevelt. The original act provided a means for agencies that administered services to the blind to act as product vendors to the federal government. The Act was amended in 1971 with the help of Sen. Jacob Javits to allow other people with severe disabilities to join the program, and for vendor agencies to provide services along with products to the fed.
The central administering agency for the JWOD program works through over 600 nonprofit organizations that provide jobs for the severely disabled. Among the many products and services that participants provide to the government are support goods to U.S. troops in the field:
Clothing
Garments that protect the troops against chemical weaponry
Military fatigues, dress garments, and camouflage garments
Medical Supplies
First aid kits that each individual soldier carries in a pouch for administering medical care in the field.
Bandages are produced by the millions
Personal Care Items
Ordinary household goods and supplies are bundled into courtesy packages for the soldiers in theater.
Computer software, cell phone batteries, and other electronic items are provided to help with communication to loved ones at home. AVS4you is a great way to create your own videos of your family to send overseas.
The valiant performance of U.S. troops in the field is backed up by the courage of the people at home, including people with severe disabilities working to keep up the flow of supplies overseas.