Press Release

Library of Congress Contract Provides Employment for People with Severe Disabilities

April 5, 2000
For immediate release
Contact: Annmarie Hart
Public Affairs Specialist
Phone: (703) 603-0174
Fax: (703) 603-0655
E-mail: ahart@jwod.gov

On Thursday, March 16, 2000, the Library of Congress welcomed a new contractor for janitorial services, The Chimes, Inc., a Baltimore-based nonprofit agency that provides vocational training to people with severe disabilities. The Chimes' janitorial staff of over 40 employees with severe disabilities will clean the Library's Jefferson, Adams, and Madison buildings on Capitol Hill as well as the Little Scholars Child Development Center on Sixth Street N.E.

In signing this contract, the Library of Congress joins a number of Federal agencies hiring people with severe disabilities under the auspices of the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act (JWOD), which directs Government agencies to meet some of their procurement needs by engaging the services of people who are blind or severely disabled. Throughout the country, over 650 nonprofit agencies participating in the JWOD Program provide a range of products and services to their Federal customers, from paper clips and business cards to cafeteria services and call center operations.

"The Javits-Wagner-O'Day Program is delighted to have the opportunity to employ more than 40 people with severe disabilities to clean the Library of Congress. From the Statue of Liberty in New York to the U.S. Mint in San Francisco, the JWOD Program has a history of providing quality service to hundreds of government locations," said Leon A.Wilson, Jr., Executive Director of the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, the independent Federal agency who administers the JWOD Program.

Librarian of Congress James H. Billington said that the benefit of this new contract is that it gives workers with disabilities an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and self-sufficiency while providing the Library with an enthusiastic workforce capable of meeting the Library's standards for keeping its facilities clean, safe, and healthy for employees and visitors.

Terry Allen Perl, President and CEO of The Chimes, said his agency, established in 1947, provides not only jobs to adults but also a full range of services, including vocational and residential programs, to people of all ages with "barriers to independent living," including mental retardation and other disabilities. Mr. Perl emphasized that these workers have demonstrated their abilities to do the jobs they are hired to do.