DBVI January Newsletter

Virginia Industries for the Blind is nearing completion of its very large delivery for VDEM on 24 different lines of PPE. At least 5 tractor trailers delivered PPE on the 28th of December. It is expected that all items will be delivered except for nitrile exam gloves. Nitrile gloves are part of a worldwide shortage that has seen wholesale pricing soar from $60/case to $180/case in the last few months due to lack of raw material and decreased production capacity. VIB is not immune to these external factors and has had previous orders with manufacturers go unfilled as their factories shut down due to raw goods shortages or labor and production shortages resulting from COVID. Efforts continue to secure sources and to free up additional carrier capacity. Direct discussions with the U.S. CEO of DHL have won commitments for more cargo space but has not materialized.

The State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) is a body mandated in federal law for each state agency administering a vocational rehabilitation program. The group is charged with helping to shape vocational rehabilitation policy and to assess the performance of the agency. The SRC for the Blind in its quarterly meeting held on December 11 approved its annual report on the DBVI vocational rehabilitation program. This report was shared on December 30 with Governor Northam, Secretary Carey and the Rehabilitation Services Administration of the US Department of Education. The report will be accessible to the public through the DBVI website.

In order to satisfy customer demand, Virginia Industries for the Blind (VIB) has added an hour a day to its shift at its Richmond Plant. These extra hours will focus on meeting customer needs especially in the kitting of the COVID-19 test supply kits for the Division of Consolidated Laboratories. Employees will also work on glove shipments and fire extinguisher production. VIB leadership thanks its employees for voluntarily agreeing to these longer hours. These extra hours will focus on meeting customer needs especially in the kitting of the COVID-19 test supply kits for the Division of Consolidated Laboratories. Employees will also work on glove shipments and fire extinguisher production. 

On December 2, the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI) Career Connections was held featuring Tara Edwards, Wegman’s Food Markets, as the presenter. 15 individuals receiving DBVI services participated. Tara is a recruiter in the Capital area and shared a PowerPoint about the history of Wegman’s, the vast array of positions including a college track to leadership (internships), their commitment to diversity and inclusion and their value statement – Care, High Standards, Making a difference, Respect and Empowering. Wegman’s has been on the list of Fortunes 100 Best Companies to Work for 23 years in a row and in 2020 ranked third. The company offers competitive pay, benefits, flexibility in scheduling, career development and growth. Ms. Edwards discussed Wegman’s application process, job alerts and discussed 10 tips for a successful interview. She also discussed how to succeed in answering situational questions using the STAR Method (Situation, Task, Action and Result). Ms. Edwards listened to elevator speeches and provided feedback to participants. This was an excellent virtual meeting filled with useful information.

 Individuals receiving Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services from DBVI who are interested in going to work at Wegman’s were advised of the need to alert their DBVI VR Counselor and Business Relations Specialist about their interest. The Business Relations Team will work at the corporate level in assuring their application is reviewed.