CLARITY - Employment for Blind People
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| Abbreviation | CLARITY |
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| Formation | 1854 |
| Type | Charity |
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Chief Executive
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Jeremy Robinson |
| Website | http://www.clarityproducts.org/ |
CLARITY – Employment for Blind People is a charitable organization, established in 1854, that provides employment and training to blind and disabled people.
The organisation runs a factory in Highams Park, London, which makes a variety of toiletries and cleaning products, including soap, handwash, shampoo, body lotion, window cleaner and car cleaning kits. The products are manufactured in-house and are not tested on animals.
CLARITY products have featured in various magazines and newspapers, including the Sunday Mirror and Vogue (magazine).
Proceeds from the sale of CLARITY's products are used to fund the charity's work providing training and employment for blind and disabled people. The charity employs 80 people with a range of physical and mental disabilities in its factory and also employs blind people in telesales offices across the UK.
The charity runs workplace and "Skills for Life" training programmes to enable employees to progress within the organisation and move into open employment. Employees are given the opportunity to take NVQ qualifications in Manufacturing and Performing Manufacturing Operations, Customer Service and Team Leadership. Welfare and support services are also available to help staff with issues outside the workplace.
The charity was established in 1854 as "The Association for Promoting the General Welfare of the Blind" (GWB). The charity's founder was Elizabeth Margaretta Maria Gilbert, the blind daughter of English churchman and academic Ashurst Gilbert.
She established a workshop in Holborn where 7 employees made baskets. The organisation soon moved to larger premises in Brunswick Square, then Euston Road and finally, in 1893, a factory was opened in Tottenham Court Road. Over time, GWB started producing a number of other items, including brushes, brooms, upholstery, chair seats, divans and mattresses.
The charity has had many famous patrons. Queen Victoria became the charity's patron in 1859. Other early supporters included Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Charles Dickens, who is believed to have written an article in Household Words, entitled "At Work in the Dark".
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Wikipedia