Actually, it has worked so well it is still in use by all of the U.S.Government and about everyone who has worked for the government has stolen one. Or two. Or a box. Or two....
The story of the pen began in 1965 when the General Services Administration (GSA) wrote a 16-page federal specifications document for a retractable ballpoint pen with a replaceable ink cartridge. After receiving a shipment of 13 million defective ballpoint pens from the original supplier in 1967, then-GSA Commissioner Heinz Abersfeller sought a new supplier and offered NIB the opportunity to produce the pens. On April 20, 1968, the SKILCRAFT U.S. Government Pen was added to the federal procurement list, making it available to federal purchasers through the AbilityOne® Program.
The quality of the government pen shifted perceptions about the capabilities of people who are blind and NIB and its associated agencies. The project paved the way for the introduction of dozens of new SKILCRAFT products in the following decades, creating hundreds of new jobs for people who are blind. Today, more than 5,000 quality SKILCRAFT products are available to government customers through the AbilityOne® Program.
A little more about Skilcraft – it’s the trade name of the National Industries for the Blind, employing those who are blind or visually impaired. Let me just link to the Tiger Pens Blog post about Skilcraft, which has a fantastic and fascinating write up about the company that makes these pens.
More than 100 people who are blind manufacture nearly 8 million SKILCRAFT U.S. Government Pens each year. Pen production sustains meaningful employment for individuals like Susan Kasten, who assembles pens at Industries for the Blind in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Lynn Larsen, a machine operator at Industries of the Blind, Greensboro, has been making the SKILCRAFT U.S. Government Pen for nearly 40 years. For Larsen, it’s more than a job: “I think about all the soldiers who use them and what they are doing in service to our country. It makes me feel honored and proud to make these pens.”
I am still trying to find the 16 page document.
The story of the pen began in 1965 when the General Services Administration (GSA) wrote a 16-page federal specifications document for a retractable ballpoint pen with a replaceable ink cartridge. After receiving a shipment of 13 million defective ballpoint pens from the original supplier in 1967, then-GSA Commissioner Heinz Abersfeller sought a new supplier and offered NIB the opportunity to produce the pens. On April 20, 1968, the SKILCRAFT U.S. Government Pen was added to the federal procurement list, making it available to federal purchasers through the AbilityOne® Program.
Early Production
Pen production provided employment for 133 employees who were blind working at four NIB associated nonprofit agencies across the country: Industries of the Blind in Greensboro, NC; Alphapointe in Kansas City, MO; Industries for the Blind in Milwaukee, WI; and Arizona Industries for the Blind in Phoenix, AZ (later transferred to the Lighthouse for the Blind in St. Louis, MO).
Precision-Manufactured
SKILCRAFT U.S. Government Pens are produced and tested according to specifications outlined in a 16-page document written by GSA in 1965. Among dozens of other performance requirements, the pen must be capable of writing continuously for one mile in temperatures ranging from 40 degrees below zero to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Its original design has changed little over the decades. Click here for an infographic highlighting some of the pen's specifications.PAVING THE WAY
The quality of the government pen shifted perceptions about the capabilities of people who are blind and NIB and its associated agencies. The project paved the way for the introduction of dozens of new SKILCRAFT products in the following decades, creating hundreds of new jobs for people who are blind. Today, more than 5,000 quality SKILCRAFT products are available to government customers through the AbilityOne® Program.
A little more about Skilcraft – it’s the trade name of the National Industries for the Blind, employing those who are blind or visually impaired. Let me just link to the Tiger Pens Blog post about Skilcraft, which has a fantastic and fascinating write up about the company that makes these pens.
More than 100 people who are blind manufacture nearly 8 million SKILCRAFT U.S. Government Pens each year. Pen production sustains meaningful employment for individuals like Susan Kasten, who assembles pens at Industries for the Blind in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Lynn Larsen, a machine operator at Industries of the Blind, Greensboro, has been making the SKILCRAFT U.S. Government Pen for nearly 40 years. For Larsen, it’s more than a job: “I think about all the soldiers who use them and what they are doing in service to our country. It makes me feel honored and proud to make these pens.”
I am still trying to find the 16 page document.
