An organization that provides jobs and education for the blind and visually impaired, Bosma Enterprises has its origins in the State of Indiana’s Board of Industrial Aid for the Blind, founded in 1915. In 1984, the state named the organization after Charles E. Bosma, a member of the Indiana General Assembly and advocate for the disabled. In 1988, Bosma Industries for the Blind, Inc., became a private nonprofit organization and no longer received state funding.
Operating independently of state funding and control brought financial challenges for Bosma Industries. Although a nonprofit organization, Bosma Industries also produces goods such as linens and packaged foods for government facilities and hires blind or visually impaired people at competitive wages. Finances improved when Bosma became a agency in 1992. In 1999 the organization secured a contract to supply medical gloves to Veteran’s Affairs hospitals. This contract became the main source of Bosma’s revenue and helped provide the organization with financial stability.
In 2006, Bosma Industries took over rehabilitation services for the blind from the state of Indiana and became Bosma Enterprises to reflect a wider focus. The was created in 2009 to raise funds to sustain Bosma Enterprises.
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