West Texas Lighthouse for the Blind’s motto is “Creating jobs, changing lives,” and it’s a role the San Angelo manufacturing plant takes seriously.

The facility has been providing local jobs for the blind and visually impaired since 1963 when it started out making brooms and mops, said Executive Director Dave Wells. Now, roughly 44 employees — 25 of whom are blind or visually impaired — assemble and package products, including writing instruments and safety items for the federal government, the state of Texas, local businesses and individual consumers.

“We had one guy come in and he said we had saved his life by giving him a job,” Wells said. “He was really depressed because he had had a stroke and started losing his vision. Nobody would hire him until he came to us, and he said it really changed his life; he had a reason to get up in the morning.

“We don’t treat these guys like they’re blind people, we don’t coddle them, we don’t baby them,” he said. “We have the same expectations we have for our sighted folks. The majority don’t want a handout — they want to work.”

While the business must make a profit to keep its doors open — 99 percent of its funding comes from sales — providing jobs is the priority, Wells said…..

Source for complete article: http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2009/aug/02/beacon-of-hope/