Liberty installs mattresses made by Virginia Industries for the Blind at new residence hall, celebrates partnership

With the start of the Fall 2024 semester rapidly approaching, Liberty University is one step closer to housing students in the new Commons IV residence hall due to this week’s delivery of new mattresses manufactured by the Virginia Industries for the Blind.

The Virginia Industries for the Blind is the enterprise division of the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI), helping Virginians who are blind, vision impaired, or deafblind achieve their desired level of employment through the manufacture and delivery of quality products and services. The business employs 160 staff across 23 different facilities in the Commonwealth that produce mattresses, pillows, textile goods, shower curtains, fire extinguishers, and more. Clients include college campuses, Virginia correctional facilities, and the United States Navy.

Over 600 mattresses were produced for Liberty at the Charlottesville plant.

On Thursday, university leadership and DBVI officials, including Commissioner Rick Mitchell (’84, ’85), met near the new residence hall to mark the occasion and the start of the partnership. They were joined by Virginia Del. Wendell Walker (’84).

Commissioner Mitchell holds a bachelor’s degree in broadcast management with a minor in psychology and a master’s in general counseling from Liberty. Mitchell, who has been blind since the age of 14, uses his personal experience and passion for helping others succeed to spark positive change. He has spent the last 38 years working for the state of Virginia, first serving as a vocational rehabilitation counselor at DBVI. He was appointed to his current position by Gov. Glenn Youngkin in May 2022.

“Working with (DBVI) has been my life career,” Mitchell said. “For the individuals we serve, the greatest way for them to achieve independence is for them to be able to receive a paycheck,” he said. “The Virginia Industries for the Blind is creating jobs that individuals who are blind and visually impaired can do, giving them the independence that they want.”

Matt Koch, deputy commissioner of enterprises for DBVI, said he hopes to continue working with Liberty in the future.

“Liberty is a large university, and it has a great reputation,” he said. “VIB likes to be partnered with the best of the best, and I’m very proud that our salesperson Dave Showers was able to make inroads here. We are going to earn that trust and confidence and grow this business here.”

Liberty President Dondi Costin highlighted the incredible work done by DBVI and the benefit that the mattresses will provide to students.

“Today is about great people who make a great product at a great price for a great cause,” he said. “I’m so excited that 600-plus Liberty University students are going to be sleeping on these mattresses. But most importantly, it’s a reminder to every single one of them that every person is made in the image of God, and God has something special for them to do. How cool is it that a student who is attending Liberty and being trained as a Champion for Christ is going to know that the place where they sleep is evidence of the fact that God has something for everybody? I’m so excited about this partnership, and we will see what God does in the days ahead.”

While on campus, DBVI guests also visited Liberty’s Office of Disability Accommodation Support, which ensures equal access by providing individualized advising, advocacy, and reasonable accommodations to support students with disabilities and temporary medical conditions.

Commons IV is Liberty’s fourth Residential Commons high-rise residence hall, a 10-story, 166,908-square-foot expansion of Residential Commons III. The project features a 2-story connector to Commons III and adds 654 beds and two new resident director apartments. Residence halls open to students starting Aug. 14, and classes begin Aug. 19.