Two Lancaster County organizations have teamed up to offer a line of door and security hardware assembled by people who are blind.
PDQ Manufacturing, of Leola, and VisionCorps of Lancaster, announced the release of SKILCRAFT door hardware.
Under the partnership, PDQ manufactures the lock and hardware components, and the hardware is assembled at VisionCorps’ newly renovated Philadelphia location.
The products are available for purchase through AbilityOne, a federal government program that creates jobs for people who are blind or have significant disabilities.
SKILCRAFT is a registered trademark owned and licensed by National Industries for the Blind, the nation’s largest employment resource for people who are blind.
Items include mortise locks, cylindrical locks, exit devices, door closers, and stand-alone electronic keypad locks. All have been added to the federal government Procurement List, which includes a variety of mandatory-source products and services used by federal agencies.
“Seventy percent of people who are blind or vision impaired are not employed,” said Dennis Steiner, VisionCorps CEO and President. “At VisionCorps, we are proud to partner with manufacturers like PDQ in hopes of changing that statistic. We’re excited to start producing yet another quality product and creating more jobs for people who might otherwise be unable to work.”
VisionCorps serves 2,000 individuals who are blind or vision impaired in Lancaster, Lebanon, Berks and Chester counties, as well as the Philadelphia region.
