“75% of the production work has to be done by blind people.” “It’s just a good job for those who don’t see well.” says Kathy, who also works at IBVI. “Visually impaired employment isn’t all that easy to get and so this is good employment for several people.” “It’s my job and it’s been my employment for the past 24 years.” says Susan, who works at Industries for the Blind and Visually Impaired (IBVI) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The US Government Pen has provided steady, reliable employment for these Americans for five decades now, making it a foundational part of their lives. Nearly 70% of working-age Americans who are blind or visually impaired are not employed in the United States. Today, eight million of these pens are created every year to keep up with the Government’s steady demand for the product. The SKILCRAFT pen lives a double life of sorts, being a superior writing instrument on one hand and a social change agent on the other.
About life out in the field, but also regarding the careful hands who put it together, piece by piece, in preparation for use by warfighters and administrative officials alike. If the SKILCRAFT pen could talk, imagine the stories it would be able to tell. It’s not because the pen’s components are proprietary or need-to-know – it’s because the workforce who makes this pen consists of people who are blind or visually impaired. You see, the best-kept secret of the SKILCRAFT US Government pen is that for the past 50 years it has been assembled sight unseen by the people who make it.
We know this staple of modern Americana by sight – the clean lines and utilitarian styling of this workhorse are iconic and easily recognizable – but for those who make it, the pen is instead recalled and remembered by touch and feel. A ubiquitous presence on the desks of those in the Federal government. The pen that numerous people first used to ink their enlistment papers for military service. The trusty writing implement tucked in many a military pocket. For many, the sight of a SKILCRAFT® US Government Pen brings back memories.
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