CHICAGO (WLS) -- A greeting card is a sure way to bring holiday cheer - and the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind is now offering a line of cards that spread joy and provide jobs.
These are not your average greeting cards. What makes them different is the message inside, written in English and embossed in braille.
"I create the design around the actual dots. So the dots then become camouflage, if you will," said Alisa Singer, an artist. "They could be stars for the holidays or Christmas ornaments, flowers for a sympathy card, but the principal design element is still the braille message."
Singer designed artwork to be used in the line of cards called inBraille. It helps support participants of the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind. Singer says it is important to her that the cards appeal to both the sighted and the blind.
"We're trying not to be stodgy. We're trying to make it more contemporary and visually aesthetic," Singer said.
The greeting cards are just one area of the non-profit's employment and revenue. The group's primary industry is making wall clocks that are sold to the government and other businesses. But there is always a need to create more jobs.
"Ninety percent of our workforce is legally blind and we're looking to diversify our product lines as much as possible and markets, and I think that our inBraille cards give us an excellent opportunity," said Jean Claude Kappler, Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind Industries.
Linda Audain says she could no longer perform her job at a local school after an illness caused her to become visually-impaired. This job offers her a second chance.
"When you become visually-impaired, you lose a lot of your confidence and your pride is shaken," Audain said. "And when I came here and got the training, and if you don't mind, I felt like I got my swagger back."
The cards are not just for Christmas. They have them for all occasions. They are sold in the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind's retail store and online.
For more information, visit http://chicagolighthouse.org/.