JWOD NDEAM MATERIALS

Introduction
What is JWOD?

History of the JWOD Program

JWOD Program Partners
Planning Federal JWOD Celebration Activities
Key Messages
JWOD Program Facts & Figures
Economic Benefits Studies Summaries
Sample Secretary's Announcement
Sample Memorandum of Support
Memorandums of Support from Federal Agencies
FAQs from the Federal Perspective
JWOD Participating Nonprofit Agencies
JWOD NDEAM Poster
JWOD Logos
Information for JWOD Participating Agencies

Key Messages

The following are key messages/discussion points that you can use to communicate about and promote the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Program.

• The JWOD Program is the largest single source of employment for people who are blind or have other severe disabilities in the United States, currently employing more than 45,000 such individuals at more than 600 community-based nonprofit agencies across the country.
  
  
• People with severe disabilities remain one of America's greatest untapped labor resources, with nearly 70 percent unemployed or underemployed.
  
  
• The JWOD Program leverages a national network of nonprofit agencies to develop and expand the array of solutions it provides to Federal customers. The JWOD Program is a vehicle through which acquisition professionals may fulfill many needs.
  
  
• The JWOD Program develops and delivers employment opportunities that provide individual choice, equitable wages and benefits, upward mobility and personal satisfaction for people who are blind or have other severe disabilities.
  
  
• The JWOD Program, a priority source of supply, collaborates with its Federal customers to satisfy their needs with quality products and services at fair prices.
  
  
• The JWOD Program is a cost-effective way to help people who are blind or have other severe disabilities to achieve greater independence, as it enables many individuals to reduce dependence on Government support and join the ranks of taxpayers.
  
  
• The JWOD Program is a critical part of the U.S. military industrial base, providing support to the warfighters and international relief through the provision of products and services.
  
  
• The JWOD Program is a public-private partnership established by Congress through which the Federal Government uses its acquisition policies to support an important socioeconomic objective-the employment of people who are blind or have other severe disabilities.
  
  
• JWOD Program sales account for less than one percent of all Federal procurement dollars spent; this minimal investment creates more than 45,000 job opportunities for people who are blind or have other severe disabilities.
  
  
• The JWOD Program has policies designed to minimize its impact on small businesses and incumbent contractors. Of all Federal contracts considered by the JWOD Program, tens of millions of dollars are not added to the Procurement List annually because of the potential severe adverse impact.
  
  
• According to SBA guidelines, a Federal agency's JWOD spending is removed from the total agency budget against which the small business percentage goal is applied.
  
  
• The JWOD Program promotes integrity and good stewardship of Federal contracting dollars through efficient and effective policies, procedures and processes, which will increasingly be made available on www.jwod.gov.
  
  
• People who are blind or have other severe disabilities are a reliable workforce, fulfill a wide array of product and service needs for Federal customers and their prime contractors, and are capable of meeting or exceeding industry quality standards.
  
  
• The JWOD Program has delivered award winning performance to a wide range of Federal customers, such as [add specifics relevant to target agency].