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BISM, Empowering the Blind Community

2026 Impact Report

70%of blind individuals are under or unemployed.

Source to be confirmed by BISM

Here’s how BISM is moving the needle.

  1. Educate
  2. Train
  3. Employ

Educate

Forty years of ITR

In 2026, our training program, ITR, turned 40.
More than 400 people joined us under the tent to celebrate. Four hundred oysters later, the dance floor was full.

Educate

BISM on Tap

BISM on Tap brought our community together in two cities: at Checkerspot Brewing in Baltimore and Burnished Brewing in Salisbury.
Three BISM beers, Low Vision, Blind Spot and Blind Squirrel, raised $10,000.

Educate

The Golf Classic

This year, 88 golfers raised $128,000 at the BISM Golf Classic.
The finale: 325 golf balls dropped onto the course from a helicopter.

Educate

The Regatta

Nine sailboats raced for five beneficiaries, and BISM was one of them, receiving $25,000.
Two of our instructors who are blind sailed in the race.

Train

The skills of independence

ITR teaches the skills that make independence possible: cane travel, cooking, technology, braille and the skills of everyday life.
In 2026, that added up to 69,442 hours of life-changing training.

Train

1,485 lives touched

Our training reached 1,485 people this year.
Among them were 464 young people under 18, 84 people who received instruction at home, and 170 people referred to us by other programs.

Employ

Real jobs

BISM employs more than 500 people. 160 of them are blind, and 12 are in leadership roles.
That’s how we move the needle: with real jobs.

Employ

Made by BISM

In 2026 our teams manufactured 450,000 jackets, and 75% of the manufacturing team were blind.
We achieved ISO certification, and we were named Partner of the Year at the Clorox Purell State-Use-Partner Awards.

Reading & accessibility

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AI-generated narration · OpenAI Marin · English (US). Narration follows the scene you explore.

Current narration transcript

Seventy percent of blind individuals are underemployed or unemployed. This report begins with ten figures. Seven are dimmed to represent that challenge. Blind Industries and Services of Maryland is moving the needle through three connected commitments: educate, train, and employ. Here is what that work looked like in 2026.

Complete narration transcript

Moving the needle

Seventy percent of blind individuals are underemployed or unemployed. This report begins with ten figures. Seven are dimmed to represent that challenge. Blind Industries and Services of Maryland is moving the needle through three connected commitments: educate, train, and employ. Here is what that work looked like in 2026.

Forty years of ITR

In 2026, I T R turned forty. More than four hundred people gathered under the tent to celebrate. Four hundred oysters were shucked, and the dance floor filled with friends, families, and people using white canes. These photographs capture a community celebrating forty years together.

BISM on Tap

BISM on Tap brought the community together in two Maryland cities. The map marks Baltimore, at Checkerspot Brewing, and Salisbury, at Burnished Brewing. Three beers, Low Vision, Blind Spot, and Blind Squirrel, helped raise ten thousand dollars. Explore either map marker to find its matching location.

The Golf Classic

Eighty-eight golfers raised one hundred twenty-eight thousand dollars at the Golf Classic. The finale came from above: a helicopter dropped three hundred twenty-five golf balls onto the course. The pile shown here contains one ball for every ball dropped.

The Regatta

Nine sailboats raced for five beneficiaries, including Blind Industries and Services of Maryland. BISM received twenty-five thousand dollars. Two instructors who are blind sailed in the race. The nine sailboat symbols represent the boats, and the five circles represent the beneficiaries.

The skills of independence

Sixty-nine thousand, four hundred forty-two hours of life-changing training. These four photographs introduce the skills behind that number: cane travel, cooking, technology, and home life skills. Students practice navigating streets, preparing meals, using computers, and managing daily routines. Each photograph opens a short description of that area of training.

1,485 lives touched

One thousand, four hundred eighty-five lives touched. Every dot represents one person. The field highlights four hundred sixty-four young people under eighteen, eighty-four people who received instruction at home, and one hundred seventy people referred by other programs. These highlighted groups are part of the larger total. The labels remain below as the full picture returns.

Real jobs

BISM employs more than five hundred people. One hundred sixty are blind, represented by the highlighted figures with white canes. The report also recognizes twelve leadership roles. This is another part of moving the needle: creating real jobs and opportunities to lead.

Made by BISM

Four hundred fifty thousand jackets manufactured. Seventy-five percent of the manufacturing team were blind, shown here as three of four figures with white canes. In 2026, BISM achieved ISO certification and was named Partner of the Year at the Clorox Purell State Use Partner Awards.

Thank you

Thank you for an amazing year. Funds raised increased by fifty-six percent. Behind the numbers are people, skills, and opportunities. Come see this work for yourself. Schedule a tour of Blind Industries and Services of Maryland, and follow the community at We Are BISM.