CABVI announces new project with ‘exceptional partner’

The Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CABVI), and American Nitrile, a Columbus, Ohio based manufacturer, have announced a strategic arrangement to manufacture and distribute domestically produced nitrile gloves to address the national need for personal protective equipment (PPE).

CABVI will package and distribute gloves it buys from American Nitrile at its facilities in Utica, and Syracuse.

CABVI provides vision rehabilitation services to nearly 2,000 individuals with vision loss in a 10-county region of Central New York, while employing more than 100 people who are legally blind or visually impaired.

“We have an exceptional partner in American Nitrile,” said Edward Welsh, president and CEO of CABVI. “They make a high-quality product that’s passed rigorous testing at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for security screenings by the Transportation Security Administration. CABVI distributes the gloves to over 400 U.S. airports through the AbilityOne program.”

“American Nitrile affirms CABVI’s mission to support federal agencies while expanding employment opportunities for people who are blind,” Welsh added.

Privately held, American Nitrile manufactures medical and nonmedical latex-free gloves for health care, government, and industrial use, according to company Founder and CEO Jacob Block.

“We are proud to announce our partnership with Ed and the entire CABVI team,” Block said. “They have been a steadfast supplier to our Federal Government, specifically the TSA, for several decades and we are thrilled to be a part of lessening our country’s reliance on Asia and returning this supply chain to its original birthplace, America’s heartland”

“While manufacturing the highest quality nitrile gloves in the world is our stated mission, we are equally motivated to employ people who are blind in our factory,” Block added. “People who are blind and eager to return to the workforce have friends in American Nitrile, CABVI, and National Industries for the Blind (NIB). We will find a way to make it happen.”

NIB and its network of associated nonprofit agencies like CABVI are the nation’s largest employer of people who are blind through the manufacture and provision of products and services of the AbilityOne program.

“People who are blind employed at NIB associated agencies like CABVI take great pride in the work they do to support our country,” said NIB President and CEO Kevin Lynch. “NIB applauds the partnership between American Nitrile and CABVI, which not only addresses acute national needs for PPE, but creates employment opportunities for people who are blind.”