U.S. AbilityOne Commission
The AbilityOne Program is administered by the U.S. AbilityOne Commission, the operating name of the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled. The Commission is an independent Federal agency composed of 15 Presidential appointees: 11 represent Federal agencies, and four serve as private citizens who are knowledgeable about employment barriers facing people who are blind or have significant disabilities.
U.S. AbilityOne Program
The AbilityOne Program facilitates the use of government procurement to provide employment in the United States for people who are blind or have significant disabilities. More than 36,000 individuals, including more than 2,500 veterans, are employed nationwide at approximately 450 nonprofit agencies from Maine to Guam. AbilityOne provided nearly $4 billion in products and services to approximately 40 Federal government agencies in FY 2022.
U.S. AbilityOne Commission Office of Inspector General
On December 18, 2015, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 (P.L. 114-113) amended the Inspector General Act of 1978 (IG Act) and created the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at AbilityOne as a designated federal entity IG. The OIG is responsible for conducting audits and investigations, recommending policies and procedures that promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of agency resources and programs, and detecting and preventing fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement. The IG Act requires the IG to keep the Commission and Congress fully and currently informed about problems and deficiencies in the Commission’s operations and the need for any corrective action.