Travis Association for the Blind
| Non-profit | |
| Industry |
|
| Founded | 1934 in Austin, Texas, United States |
| Headquarters |
2307 Business Center Drive Austin, Texas 78744 Coordinates: 30°12′47″N 97°44′28″W / 30.2129642°N 97.7410068°W |
Number of locations | 6 |
Key people |
|
Number of employees |
 400 (2015) |
| Website |
austinlighthouse |
Travis Association for the Blind (TAB) is a service-oriented non-profit organization which employs over 220 blind and visually impaired personnel in six facilities in southeast Austin, Texas as well as a facility in Taylor, Texas. Travis Association for the Blind manufactures, repairs, and distributes a wide variety of merchandise for local, state, and federal government as well as private industry. TAB is a National Industries for the Blind partner agency.
history
Commonly known as the Austin Lighthouse for the Blind, the [Travis County] Association for the Blind was founded in 1934. At its start, the organization produced woven mats and canned peaches. Eventually the organization shortened its name to Travis Association for the Blind (TAB).
During World War II the United States government began to purchase mops produced at the Austin Lighthouse under a contract made possible by the Wagner-O'Day Act of 1938, which became the Javits–Wagner–O'Day Act in 1971, and was renamed the AbilityOne Program in 2006.
TAB moved its headquarters into a 62,500 sq ft plant at 2307 Business Center Drive in 2005.
Products
In a partnership with GOJO Industries, TAB packages and redistributes skincare products, including PURELL Instant hand Sanatizer and MICRELL antibacterial hand soap under the Skilcraft trade name.[1][2]
TAB also manufactures the following products:
- various types of military belts
- helmet suspension and chinstrap assemblies for the military
- award plaques
- key cases
- Soap dispensers
- binders
Services
Travis Association for the Blind's Distribution Services department, known as Air Force Marine Corps Third Party Logistics (AF/MC3PL), provides supply chain services to the U.S. Armed Forces through a contract with Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support formerly Defense Supply Center Philadelphia.[3] Additionally, TAB provides laundry and refurbishment services for the United States Army through the Regional Logistics Support Center (RLSC). The RLSC facilities are located in south Austin and Taylor, Texas.
References
- ↑ Gojo Industries 2012 Sustainability Report: Partnerships That Turn Disability Into Ability
- ↑ Surrago, Mary Jane (2013). Empowering People: The Story of National Industries for the Blind and its Associated Agencies (PDF). National Industries for the Blind. p. 47.
- ↑ "Delivering the Goods" (PDF). Opportunity Magazine. 5 (1). 2012. Retrieved 8/5/2014. Check date values in:
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