The Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired of Utica has the largest economic impact on New York State’s economy among affiliates of the New York State Preferred Source Program (NYSPSP) according to a recent study conducted by the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.
The institute determined that CABVI’s impact amounted to 36 percent of the $431.2 million economic output of all 11 agencies employing people who are blind in New York State.
“Agencies serve clients and employ workers in their immediate communities, meaning the impact these organizations create is highly localized.”
“The largest impacts are generated in the Mohawk Valley. The region is home to CABVI one of the largest providers of services to individuals who are blind in the state. The affiliate supports 787.6 jobs and generates $155.2 million in output. The regions with the next largest impacts are the Finger Lakes and New York City. Together the affiliated agencies in these three regions represent approximately 85 percent of the economic impact generated by NYSPSP’s affiliated agencies.”
According to the report CABVI has contributed to leading the state in total Impacts by Economic Region in the categories of Labor Income, Value Added, and Economic Output, surpassing much larger populated regions as New York City, the Capital Region and Western New York.
CABVI is also featured in the Rockefeller Institute Report with a two-page profile of the organization. The profile goes into detail about CABVI’s “Impact Facts,” the jobs CABVI provides and the services it offers to its consumers. CABVI President and CEO, Ed Welsh added,
“One of the keys to our success is that we have many product lines of business. Our ability to offer a range of employment opportunities and let people do what they really want to do is important to us.”
About the Rockefeller Institute Report
The Rockefeller Institute report quantifies the economic impacts of NYSPSP service providers to enhance understanding of the role these agencies play as economic engines and vehicles for upward mobility for New Yorkers who are blind.
About NYSPSP
NYSPSP is comprised of 11 private nonprofit affiliated agencies in New York that offer important programs and services to thousands of individuals who are blind, including workforce preparation, employment, rehabilitation services, child and youth programs, transportation, and wellness programs. In addition, the providers are major employers in their local communities, generating hundreds of millions in revenue each year.
About CABVI
The Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CABVI) is a social enterprise established in 1929 by community leaders in Utica, New York, who recognized a need to provide services and employment to people who are blind or visually impaired. CABVI’s serves more than 1,800 people of all ages, generally free of charge, who are blind or visually impaired, in an eight-county region of Central New York. CABVI provides employment opportunities and a variety of vision rehabilitation services including low vision examinations, vision rehabilitation therapy, orientation and mobility, instruction in the use of assistive technology applications, employment training, adaptive recreation and sports, and social work. For further details, please visit www.cabvi.org/video.
