Happy Birthday, SourceAmerica!

Pick up a cake and light some candles – SourceAmerica® turns 47 years old on June 26! 

To celebrate nearly half a century of creating job opportunities for people with disabilities, here are five fascinating dates in SourceAmerica history! 

1974: National Industries for the Severely Handicapped (later to become NISH and then SourceAmerica) begins operations, joining National Industries for the Blind (NIB) as a Central Nonprofit Agency in the Javits-Wagner-O’Day (JWOD) Act. 

1991: Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm create a massive production surge in JWOD-participating nonprofit agencies – including those in our network. These organizations help meet the challenge of supplying American troops with millions of dollars’ worth of critically needed products. 

2005: In response to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, SourceAmerica authorizes $5 million to assist affected employees with disabilities and creates a Disaster Relief bulletin board on our website to pair affected nonprofit agencies in our network with those providing assistance. 

2016: SourceAmerica signs our first-ever Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. AbilityOne Commission^®, defining the governing relationship and spelling out the roles and responsibilities for each entity. 

2020: As our network supports the national response to COVID-19, SourceAmerica closely collaborates and coordinates with the U.S. AbilityOne Commission and NIB, providing information, resources and training material to hundreds of nonprofits across the country. 

Learn more about how SourceAmerica continues to make a difference! Visit the Success Stories and Videos page of our website.