Fit 2 Stitch

- Today, we will travel to Envision Dallas where people who are blind or visually impaired are taught to sew.

We all want a job that's more than just a way to make money, a job that makes a difference.

At Envision while sewing articles for the US military, workers develop a sense of independence and accomplishment.

As a sewer, I love it that a sewing machine can provide that opportunity.

Join our field trip, today on "Fit 2 Stitch."

(bright music) - [Announcer] "Fit 2 Stitch" is made possible by Kai Scissors.

Bennos Buttons.

OC Sewing, Orange County.

Vogue Fabrics.

Pendleton.

Imitation of Life.

And Clutch Nails.

- So I want to start off by just really, truly thanking you for letting us come in, letting us tell your story.

- Absolutely, and thank you for being here.

- Thank you.

I didn't realize you were in Dallas, Texas.

- Yeah, we're one of the best kept secrets in Dallas.

- You are, and I don't want it to be a secret anymore.

- No, we wanna tell our story to everyone.

We've got such a great mission.

- It's great.

- And so, the Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind had been in this community, now we're 90 years.

And three years ago, we became part of the Envision Family.

- So I had heard of Lighthouse for the Blind.

This is the same company?

- Same company.

- Okay.

- Was going through some struggles, and so they became part of the Envision Family.

Envision acquired them to help grow the mission.

And our CEO and our board understood that there was an incredible opportunity here in Dallas.

And there's 150,000 people, 150,000 people... - In north Texas?

- In north Texas who are blind and visually impaired.

And so they knew that with the systems and processes and team that we had in Wichita that had worked for generations, that they can bring those same things here to Dallas and make an incredible impact here.

There was a hundred people, a hundred blind individuals who were gonna be without jobs and tens of thousands of people who were gonna be without services.

- [Peggy] Because the previous company was struggling?

- It was struggling.

- But out of those 150,000 that are blind, how many of those would you say are not employed?

- So 70% of individuals who are blind are unemployed.

- [Peggy] 70%?

- 70%.

And so we have an amazing opportunity to change that.

- [Peggy] Yes you do.

- And so we look at our business in two very distinct areas.

We have our mission services business, which provides services for people who are blind or visually impaired.

And all of that is funded by our mission margin business, and that's gonna be our manufacturing business.

So we get to make profits from that and generate a strong return and put that into providing services for folks who are blind or visually impaired in this community, regardless of their capacity to pay.

- Okay, so let me just make sure I understood what you just said.

So I'm gonna make products so I can make money, so I can take care of the people who make the products.

- [David] Exactly.

- And you've got a large percent who are blind or visually impaired.

- [David] Correct.

- And that way it enables them to go to independent living.

- So 75% of the people who work in direct labor in my manufacturing plant are also blind or visually impaired.

And so we're making products with blind folks and then using that profit to fund services for individuals who are blind.

- [Peggy] So it's almost like an employee owned business on some level.

- That's a interesting way to present it.

- Because they are getting the proceeds and the harder they work, the more pride they have and it helps them.

- Yeah, as a nonprofit community organization, we take great pride in making sure that we're taking care of the people who work for us and taking care of the people in this community who need our services.

- And I think it's interesting as I've talked around to the people, to work for a company that is so supportive of their doctor visits, their time down.

I know I was here one day and some people were out and you guys just keep going and you understand.

You provide transportation.

There's so many levels that you all take care of.

Has that just evolved over the years?

- It has to, right?

And so we make sure that all of our people are well taken care of.

So we provide competitive wages for all of our folks, a very generous retirement plan, and that they have all the benefits they need to be able to be successful.

- All these corporations are cutting out retirement, they're cutting out pay, they're cutting this, they're cutting that.

And you guys are insuring that that stays for not only now, but for the future.

So let's talk about how you do that now.

What are the products that we can see that you're manufacturing currently?

- Yeah, absolutely.

So a vast majority of our revenue comes from providing services and manufacturing for the federal and state governments.

We're based in Dallas.

The state of Texas has a very strong state use program.

And so between those two entities that makes up a majority of our business.

- What percent of all the capital raised would you say does sewing account for?

- Yeah, about 20% of our revenues is sewing and it's growing tremendously.

- [Peggy] It is?

And you want to grow that side of it?

- [David] Absolutely.

- Or does it matter which side you grow, as long as you're helping the blind?

- We're growing actually in every single business unit that we have, and so we're incredibly proud of that trajectory.

It's been a great turnaround situation since Envision acquired the Dallas Lighthouse.

Every single area of our business is growing.

And there's an excitement here.

As you walk through our spaces.

- Well, you can feel it with the employees.

- The energy is amazing.

But we see textiles as a primary driver for our growth.

And so the federal government is one of our biggest customers and they're required to buy products that are made in America for their clothing and textiles.

And so we believe we have a competitive advantage there, that we can sew and produce garments that are incredibly high quality at an affordable price, in a great speed.

In this area, we make a nine millimeter ammunition pouch for the United States military.

- So literally their ammunition is gonna be in here.

- Literally their ammunition is going to go in there.

- [Peggy] Wow.

- And this part of the Molle system.

And so it has a button snap on here, and so it'll snap onto their uniform.

- This is very detailed.

- Very detailed.

18 steps in here.

14 different people will touch this.

- [Peggy] Wow.

- And so we modify all of our equipment so people who are blind or visually impaired can be a part of it.

We use a lot of automatic sewing machines that are programmable, so he can put his equipment in here, get it set up.

- [Peggy] And he's doing this touching.

- [David] Tactile, feeling his way through it all, getting it in there.

We have a group of people who make the jigs so we can have all of these set up here.

Flips it in, sets it in there, and the machine does all the work from there.

- [Peggy] He just has to get his hands out of the way.

- [David] Just has to get his hands out of the way.

And so we're able to modify all of our machines to make sure that they're safe for people who are blind or visually impaired, and that they work for people.

And so each and every one of these has different modifications that are made to them so that they can do all of the work that each sighted person could do, all being done by blind people.

- [Worker] I have three pedals down here that do different things.

So the machine doesn't start until I pick my foot up and put it on that pedal.

(sewing machine whirring) - It's incredibly intricate.

And look at that, the quality on this is perfect, right?

There's no loose threads.

There's nothing you would say, "That's less than perfection."

And so all this is being done to this front section, all the folks who are blind or visually impaired.

- So she's putting it on this side here?

- She's putting in right here for the strap.

- Oh, I see.

- And so she'll do 800 of these, 800 of those, and 800 of those every single day.

- So someone created and broke it down into every step that was sequential?

- Every single step.

And the specifications for the military are very exacting.

We have an eighth inch seam allowance on these.

Everything has to be in the exact same spot, every single time.

So he could put the eyelets on there, feels his way through e process.

Doesn't have to be able to see.

We're able to modify the machine.

- [Peggy] So right now he's putting in the little bottom part.

- Putting in the bottom part.

Will feel his way through, getting the exact right position.

Take the fabric.

Feel he's at the end, then he moves his hands out of the way.

- [Peggy] And he has to have both fingers out of there.

- Safety precaution, both fingers.

And feel this fabric.

I mean that's thick.

That is not easy to work with.

And so the force coming out of that machine is very, very intense.

- So can you actually feel the right side?

You can.

You can feel one side from another.

- Yep.

And so you can tactile feel which way is which.

And so as we go through this process then, each and every one of these systems at each and every one of these stations is designed to be able to work with folks who are blind or visually impaired.

And then we have sighted people who do the finishing work down here.

- The little details of the threads, whether they're there or not?

- Yeah.

Everything is cleaned off and they're doing all the finishing work here.

And then every single one of them is tested.

- And she's only doing an eighth of an inch seam allowance here?

- [David] One eighth of an inch.

- I don't think there's any sewers on the planet who deal with an eighth of an inch.

- You can't put someone who's not incredibly skilled in this area.

And if you think about it, this is for the military.

It has to be perfect.

Every single one of them has to be perfect.

- And they know it's for the military?

- And they know it's for the military.

- So it's a great sense of... - We take incredible pride in supporting our war fighters.

And we wanna make sure that every single product we make is perfect.

And so we test every single one of them down here.

We use a mock ammunition in there.

And so we have two individuals down here who are blind or visually impaired.

- Who are testing these?

- Who will test every single one of them.

- Really?

- Test every single one of them.

- So you actually put the ammunition, or blank or something?

- It's a blank.

Yeah, no live ammunition in the house.

- No, no, no.

I got it.

- But we put blank ammunition in there.

And then he does a shake test on them.

And so you can see if they're too tight or if they're too loose.

- So you put it inside and shake?

- [Worker] Yes.

- [Peggy] Oh, so you don't want it to fall out?

- [David] You don't want it to fall out and you don't want it to be too tight that it doesn't go in.

So it's gotta be absolutely perfect.

- [Worker] Like that.

One, two, three.

- Oh, so it has to stay in with the three shakes.

- Right.

- Awesome.

And if it clunks on the table, you know it's not right.

Is this a reject pile?

- [Worker] No.

- This is a good pile?

- Yes.

- It's a good pile, pretty good.

(both laugh) - So on this side, we're making an entrenching tool carrier for the United States Army.

And so our team will make about five to six hundred of these a day.

We've got 24 people that are working on these lines.

70% of them are blind or visually impaired.

And so this is a shovel carrier, essentially, that gets sent to all of our soldiers.

And so men and women in the army will receive these.

So in this product alone, which is a very small product, 38 pages of specifications, and every single one of them has to be perfect.

- 38 pages?

- Yeah.

- On one pack?

- But think about it, if a soldier is reaching for his shovel carrier, he's in trouble and we're gonna make sure every single one of these is perfect.

And so you can see fits right in there, snugly snaps, a hundred percent perfect.

- You don't even have to adjust it?

- Nope.

- It just goes right in.

Oh my gosh.

I want one, but you have to be in the military.

- [David] You have to be in the military.

(Peggy laughs) - We also do do commercial work though.

We do commercial sewing for different manufacturers here in town who need outsource labor, but we've got this great product lineup.

We also make markers.

From start to finish we make this marker right here in house.

So we make about 7 million markers a year for the federal government primarily.

We make eyeglass cases for the United States Air Force.

Check that out.

We make about half a million of these a year.

- Yeah this is interesting to me.

A half a million?

- [David] A half a million.

- Wow.

How many square feet would you say all these areas are?

- Yeah, we have about 130,000 square feet.

- Okay, so you're talking quite a bit.

- [David] It's big.

It's big.

- And how many employees do you say you have here?

- We have just under 200 employees, almost a hundred blind individuals.

Think about this, 70% of blind individuals are unemployed and our folks are doing things to help the people who are defending our freedom.

When we were going through the shutdowns with the Coronavirus last year, we're an essential business.

We manufacture for the military.

- You were an essential business?

- [David] Yeah, we were open.

We never shut down a single day.

- Oh, interesting.

- And our team took tremendous pride to be able to say that, "We're here, we're showing up and we're essential, when 70% of my peers don't even have a job.

So we also make all of the safety gear for the state of Texas.

- The whole state?

- The whole state.

So we make our shirts, vests, trousers for the Texas Department of Transportation.

So Texans serving Texans.

- So again, high standards of quality?

- Oh, absolutely.

If someone's on the side of a road working in a construction zone, you've gotta make sure that they're seen and we're keeping them safe and protected.

- [Peggy] Look at these colors.

I love them.

Bright yellow, bright orange.

- Bright, vibrant, gonna keep people safe.

(Peggy laughs) - This is really nice.

And then the reflection is all put on prior to the shirt being made?

- Correct.

- Except in this case, except in the pocket, maybe?

They put the pocket on and then?

- They put the pocket on and sew it on there And then you can see here, we've got visually impaired folks working through this entire line and she can get the logos up there.

The laser tells her exactly where to go on the seam, on the fold every single time.

She knows exactly where to put it.

- [Peggy] And this machine is actually putting the logo on?

- [David] This is putting the logo on.

So you can see right on the arm, she knows on the crease, that's exactly where she needs a lineup.

- And she can't start that machine without both of her fingers being out of the way?

- Both of her fingers being out of the way.

And so every single one of those will go in the exact same spot every single time.

We modified this machine to be able to work, so that folks who have low vision can still be able to be part of the process.

- [Peggy] So this is a great revenue production also?

- [David] Great revenue production.

- [Peggy] Just a combination.

- [David] Absolutely.

And to be able to support our state, we're very proud that we're supporting Texas.

They're out there and they're working.

It's a very dangerous job, a very difficult job.

And so we want to make sure that those folks are safe and protected.

- But you're also using equipment that's really high end.

You're not using cheap machines.

- In order for us to do what we do, it takes an incredible capital investment.

We have top of the line equipment.

We have to have programmable and automatic machines so that our blind individuals can work with them.

Everything has to have guards on it to make sure that they're healthy and safe, no chance of hurting a finger or a limb.

And so it takes the best equipment, and we make sure that our team has that.

So this here is our Gerber cutter.

This is some of the most advanced equipment in the entire industry.

- This is my favorite, because this is used in pattern making all over the world.

- World renowned.

This is the standard.

- This is impressive.

- And so this is Reggie.

He's been on our team five years and he does all of our cutting for all of our textiles.

- And you're visually impaired?

- Visually impaired.

- I'm impressed.

- Thank you.

- [Peggy] Oh my gosh.

- Reggie, show people how it's done, man.

- [Reggie] Everything is set and ready to go.

- There's the marker.

- Now showing it on this screen and also the big screen and then I can make it as large as I want.

[Reggie] Let's do this.

- I have to tell you that I'm jealous you know how to operate the Gerber, cause that Gerber is just really beautiful equipment.

- You know what?

When I came in 2016, I came the same time the Gerber came.

I used to just walk by it.

- Oh, so it was new when you were new?

- Yeah, and my supervisor, when I was helping him, it was two things he asked me, "Can you see this?"

And it was some letters on a paper.

It was the sizes.

And I was like, "Yeah," cause I had a magnifier.

He said, "Okay, good.

You can help me."

- Wow.

- Yeah, and that pretty much was it.

And I mean, I asked him question after question, but he never got tired of answering.

- That's nice.

- Cause after a while, he just left me by myself.

It's just like a puzzle.

It just fit and here I am.

From the jump, I feel amazing once I walked in the door.

So when I come in, I gotta be right on point.

Cause I'm dealing with measurements and I'm dealing with math, and it's a lot of people depending on me, because once it leaves my area, it goes to somebody else.

So I love what I'm doing.

I like the products that I make.

Before I came to work at Envision, because I was born with my vision this way, I had to try to compete with people that are sighted.

Not in a negative way, but I just didn't want the stigma of "Okay, well he's blind.

He can't keep up."

So working here one, I don't have to deal with that.

I can just do a good job and be appreciated for the job that I'm doing.

Nobody's looking at me because I'm holding the paper close.

It's all about the job that I did.

- So Reggie has been on our team for about five years and think about this.

This is one of the most complex machines in any sewing environment.

And here he is, as a visually impaired individual, running that machine.

And I talked to clothing manufacturers... - Yeah, that's a marker and a cutter.

- [David] It's impressive.

- Yeah, it is.

- And I talked to clothing manufacturers across the country and when I tell them I've got Reggie running my machine, every single one of them was blown away.

- [Peggy] I'm sure they don't believe you.

- But he does it and he does it well.

- That's amazing.

So I'm a sewer and I can see, and I've run my finger through a sewing machine.

(David laughs) So it would be extremely frightening for me to come in and know that I was gonna now do this for a living when I had no vision.

So talk to me about the process that goes on when you assure their safety and you get them to love what they're doing because they do.

- [David] Absolutely.

- [Adriana] I want you to get familiar with the machine first.

- So we have folks that come in here that maybe have never sewn, maybe never have viewed a machine in their life.

And our team will work with them and be able to find out what they want to do, what their goals are for their career.

And then we'll be able to help them and say, "All right, here's a machine we can teach you how to use," based on their dexterity.

Some of our folks are fully blind.

Some of our folks have a little bit of vision.

And so we'll work with them through a testing and training process and get them set up on machines that can work for them.

- So just try to keep your fingers there so you can feel your material, okay?

Just keep it slow.

Go soft, soft.

You're not gonna hurt your fingers, okay?

(both laugh) As long as that material is moving, you can move your fingers.

- At first it was really challenging for me because I was a stay at home mom for 20 years.

And so a work environment was really hard for me to adjust to, but once I got used to it, it was exciting cause each day I feel like I'm learning something new and it makes me feel very accomplished to know that I'm making a difference by working.

My husband works here.

Both of us moved up here from West Virginia.

Two of my kids have special needs.

So I stayed with them for the past 20 years, in and out of hospitals and that kind of thing.

And for me to work is a really rewarding experience now.

- And so we're giving people pride in what they do.

Folks that have the opportunity to provide for their families and be able to create opportunity for their children because of the work that they get to do here.

- So the training of getting them to a sewing machine, does it take a lot of time?

And are they cross-trained on all the different machines?

- Yeah, our goal is to get people working on as many machines as possible.

And now that's not going to be the case for everybody, but we try to work on as many machines as possible so that if we have people we need to shift around.

- [Peggy] And they probably like that.

- And they like that.

It's not the same thing every day, but it can take 12 weeks to train someone how to be successful in some of these areas.

We have a very robust outreach team.

who's making sure that folks in this community who need our support are able to hear about what we're doing.

We're very engaged in the local community, sharing our story.

And so that everyone who's looking for our service and support knows exactly where to find us.

- I tell my husband, I want to work.

I need to do something, And he finds on the internet this place.

- And did you know how to sew before you came here?

- [Silvia] No.

- Okay.

(laughs) So they taught you to sew?

- Yes and also I like it because we are all working together as a team.

We help each other to do a good job.

(Silvia speaks in foreign language) - You know if I think about some of the stories that really bring that fulfillment to what we do, I'm thinking about this one guy that came on our team, right?

And hadn't had a job in a very, very long time, visually impaired loneliness, depression, anxiety.

And you think about that.

You don't have a paycheck coming in.

What does that do for you?

Now has a job is working, is successful, has been able to move his himself up through the company over a series of promotions, is now helping lead a team.

Our people come to work, they're excited, they're engaged.

They know what they're doing and they know the mission that they're helping move forward.

But we know that even though we're making a huge impact, currently, there are so many more people out there who need a job.

So many more individuals who are blind or visually impaired that are looking for fulfilling work opportunities.

- That 70%.

- 70%, and so we're growing tremendously.

We're bringing on new products, new business, hiring more blind people because we know that they need it.

And that's why we're here.

That's why we come to work every day.

And so we wanna make sure that we're continually growing and investing in the future so that they never have to worry about where their job is gonna be and where their paycheck is gonna come from.

- It's incredible.

Thank you so much.

The stories are great.

I just loved meeting the people.

Everything is wonderful.

- And thank you.

We really enjoyed having you out and we really appreciate your support.

- Thank you.

This series, "Behind the Seams: Your World of Fabrics," has introduced me to so many people I would now call my new best friends.

The world around a sewing machine is filled with individuals who have so many things in common.

One is a love of producing items from that machine.

And then the gift of helping and sharing those items with others.

When the pandemic struck people asked, "How can my machine be of service?"

They invested not just their time, but the money to get the job done.

Picasso has said, "The meaning of life is to find your gift.

The purpose of life is to give it away."

For those of you watching, the spirit of your donation is impressive.

From all of us in the studio, behind the cameras, our graphic designers, our supportive families and in this series, reaching all the way to outer space, thank you for watching "Fit 2 Stitch."

Happy sewing.

(bright music) - [Announcer] "Fit 2 Stitch" is made possible by Kai Scissors.

Bennos Buttons.

OC Sewing, Orange County.

Vogue Fabrics.

Pendleton.

Imitation of Life.

And Clutch Nails.

To order a four DVD set of "Fit 2 Stitch" Series 10, please visit our website at fit2stitch.com.