Empowering the Blind Community
Blind Industries and Services of Maryland is a 501 c3 nonprofit organization who supports the blind community by providing stable and rewarding career opportunities, innovative rehabilitation programs, economic and personal independence, and appropriate resources for training and education.
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Video Transcript: BISM donor video 2024
This transcript includes spoken dialogue and meaningful on-screen text shown in the video. The video alternates between speakers at their workplaces and background footage of BISM staff and program participants working and training.
[On-screen text: BISM logo. “Empowering The Blind Community | employing | educating | training | bism.org”]
Michael Gosse, President, BISM:
“I love that BISM empowers blind people through training, education, and employment. And we take each one of those opportunities separately. At the same time as we’re giving people employment opportunities, we’re training them to have better opportunities. And through our ITR Department — Independence Training and Rehabilitation Department — we give them the skill. We educate them in the skills of being an independent blind person.”
[On-screen lower third: Michael Gosse | President | BISM]
Matt Yannuzzi, ITR Manager, BISM:
“The CORE Rehabilitation Program here at Blind Industries — where students are learning how to complete tasks nonvisually, so that they can either gain or regain their independence while dealing with blindness. You develop those foundations, but then with those foundations, with those techniques, it then empowers you to discover the world around you. To me, CORE is a way for people to be free again.”
[On-screen lower third: Matt Yannuzzi | ITR Manager | BISM]
[On-screen text: BISM logo. “Empowering The Blind Community | employing | educating | training | bism.org”]
Laura Shroyer, CORE Manager, BISM:
“Blindness is a spectrum. Not everybody who comes in is totally blind. So they’ll come in and they’ll wear sleep shades, so that way they can see what it is fully like to be immersed as a fully blind individual. And then they will learn these skills, so that way years down the road, if they do go totally blind, they never have to come back here. They never have to relearn. They already have their tools in their toolbox, because they’ve already done the program.”
[On-screen lower third: Laura Shroyer | CORE Manager | BISM]
Lauren Wheatley, Operations, BISM:
“I work in paper and operations at Blind Industries. Before I started working at BISM, I took part in their CORE training program. And I think one of the biggest impacts for me is being able to demonstrate the skill that I have, as well as skills and ability I didn’t know I had. They’re able to make your job accessible in a way that I don’t feel as though my disability gets in the way of me doing my job successfully.”
“I finished up the BISM CORE program in 2021. I’ve had vision issues most of my life, but the glaucoma didn’t develop until I was in my teens. BISM — it’s been a good impact on my life. I’ve met a lot of good people through BISM. I met instructors, I met friends. And it’s overall taught me a lot of independent skills.”
[On-screen lower third: Lauren Wheatley | Operations | BISM]
[On-screen text: BISM logo. “Empowering The Blind Community | employing | educating | training | bism.org”]
Juneil Goode, Team Lead, BSC NRL:
“I work at the NRL location — I work as the team leader. So a part — a big part of the job is warehouse management: checking in, receiving packages, organizing orders, and tracking orders.”
[On-screen lower third: Juneil Goode | Team Lead | BSC NRL]
Kim Utley, Store Manager, BSC Dover:
“I was notified that I was one of three blind individuals that was hired to work here at the Dover location in 1997. It was a culture shock for me. Working with the military, providing them with customer service, was much different than anything I had ever experienced. It’s just been really an awesome experience for me. It encouraged me to be a better me, and afforded me to participate in many different opportunities throughout my life. Very grateful to be a member of the Blind Industries team.”
[On-screen lower third: Kim Utley | Store Manager | BSC Dover]
[On-screen text: BISM logo. “Empowering The Blind Community | employing | educating | training | bism.org”]
Rich Bishop, Operations Manager, BISM:
“They’re all good folks, you know. Everyone here — I’m very proud. And they’ve been doing it a lot longer than I have. But I’m very proud to be part of this team because they all take care of each other. They look out for each other.”
“In the four and a half years that I’ve been here, we have shipped like 400,000 jackets, and I got one return out of all of those. You know, we’ve got a great group of people here. We do. We really do. They care for each other, they take care of each other, and they work together.”
[On-screen lower third: Rich Bishop | Operations Manager | BISM]
Devene Spence, Foreman, BISM:
“I worked here for 38 years and I left my job. BISM is a great organization to work for. They do a lot of stuff for you. You know, they make the adjustments on the machines where anybody can basically use that machine — blind or sighted — regardless. You know, don’t let no one tell you that you can’t do something, because you can do anything. You can be anybody you want to be. You just have to make goals for yourself and try — strive — to reach them. You know, don’t let anybody tell you you can’t do it, because you can.”
[On-screen lower third: Devene Spence | Foreman | BISM]
[On-screen text: Sign reads: “Belief in the Capabilities of Blind People”]
[Music plays]
[On-screen text: BISM logo. “Empowering The Blind Community | employing | educating | training | Give Today | bism.org”]
