Powerful Partnerships Yield Positive Change
We believe in the power of employment for people of all abilities. Every day, Envision and LCI challenges the unacceptably high 70 percent unemployment rate for people who are blind or visually impaired. Our organizations have a great foundation in manufacturing, but as the economy and the desires of the younger generation change, employers must adapt. That's why we created the William L. Hudson BVI Workforce Innovation Center—to create a workforce for those who want to grow and develop in positions previously unavailable to individuals with disabilities.
Our current partnerships are extensive and are continuing to change and grow. This growth is key to fueling our mission. And we'd love for you to be a part of that.
LCI
LCI's sole mission is to provide meaningful employment for people who are blind. As one of the nation’s largest employers of the blind, our focus is to offer opportunities, skills and training to the blind and visually impaired to help them cultivate a job into a rewarding career. Since 1936, the core of LCI has always been manufacturing, but through the years this non-profit corporation has continued to grow and evolve into a multi-faceted entity. Today, LCI's business capabilities range from manufacturing and distribution to retail and e-Commerce. Headquartered in Durham, NC, LCI operates two distribution centers, four e-commerce websites, six manufacturing facilities and over 35 retail stores on military bases across the United States.
Learn More at lcindustries.com
Bender Consulting Services
Bender provides disability employment expertise in the areas of recruitment, workplace mentoring, strategic planning, training, and digital accessibility to drive innovation and realize business value for customers. Founded in 1995, Joyce Bender, founder and CEO of Bender Consulting Services believes that all people with disabilities should have access to freedom, through competitive employment. Bender’s vision is to be a company that positively impacts worldwide change, resulting in increased competitive employment of people with disabilities.
Learn More at benderconsult.com
Wichita State University
Mission: The mission of Wichita State University is to be an essential educational, cultural, and economic driver for Kansas and the greater public good.
Vision: Wichita State University is internationally recognized as the model for applied learning and translational research.
Learn More at wichita.edu
Blind Institute of Technology
Led by founder Mike Hess, Blind Institute of Technology [BIT] is a team of staff, volunteers and board members passionate about addressing an attitude shift for blind professionals and educating companies on how to hire and cultivate success for the visually impaired. BIT breaks down barriers to employment for both the BVI community and the employers who hire them. With a focus on tech-related education and training, its solutions-based programs prepare BVI candidates with essential skills needed to be successful in today’s job-market. Its employer programs provide tools and resources that empower their BVI employees and help companies build best-in-class accessibility ratings for their digital landscape.
Learn More at blindinstituteoftechnology.org
Eyebot Technologies
Founded by trio, Mike Hess, Sumanth Channabusappa and Kishore Nayak, Eyebot is a startup tech company building technology-based solutions for the visually impaired. The three together have more than sixty years’ experience in the technology, telecommunications and network sectors.
Learn More at eyebot.technology
Posh Technologies
Posh is a mobile transformation company enabling business productivity for mid-size enterprises. It develops line of business apps to support key business processes in order to enhance productivity, business to employee (B2E) engagement, revenue, etc., across mobile platforms.
Zensa
Zensa has a strong network of qualified providers, developers, designers and accessibility testers to bring holistic end-to-end solutions to support creation, deployment and maintenance of accessible products and services. Its comprehensive consulting and engineering services will cover accessibility needs from audit and compliance testing to training, education, and staffing.
Learn More at zensa.co
Ntara
We exist to foster rewarding connections between brands and people. Helping ignite the boundless potential for our clients brings us joy. We help them thrive in an increasingly complex and global world, building solutions ready for the future and all the change it brings. Services: consulting, websites, ecommerce, application development, creative and UX, integrated marketing, technical integrations.
Learn More at ntara.com
Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas
Mission: Supporting and advancing a competitive workforce in South Central Kansas.
Vision: Growing a regional economy through a skilled workforce.
Learn More at workforce-ks.com