Not seeing is believing at foundation event

It was all lights out at the recent Dining in the Dark event where the Foundation Fighting Blindness recognized Northrop Grumman chief executive Wes Bush for his corporation's policies that provide jobs and opportunities for people with limited vision.

Under Bush's leadership, the corporation has hosted a career expo for the disabled, worked with a mentoring program for employees with disabilities and parents of special needs children and created an initiative that provides career transition support to injured military service members, of which the company employs 4,000.

"Northrop Grumman has been supportive of the foundation for the last seven or eight years but Wes Bush has taken it to a new level since he has become chief executive," said Bill Carty, vice president and general manager of the defense and government systems division of Northrop Grumman Technical Services.

Carty was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa shortly after joining the company in 1987.

"I've taken my career to higher and higher levels, and my experience at Northrop Grumman is that I was always given the same chance," he said.

At the dinner, nearly 200 business people, foundation members and people with limited vision dined on a roasted chicken entrée at the Ritz-Carlton in Tysons Corner in complete darkness, the foundation's way of demonstrating the realities of living with blindness.

"It's always interesting listening to people's reactions when the lights go up," said Bill Schmidt, the foundation's chief executive. "People really understand that we take vision for granted. Imagine trying to travel or navigate a busy street."

Exit signs were covered and a maze was constructed in front of the doors so that no light would enter the ballroom. Servers, who were all visually impaired, used a rope system to navigate their way through the room.

The foundation, which funds research that provides treatments and cures for people with limited vision, raised $300,000 through sponsorships, ticket sales and contributions from attendees.

Corporate sponsors included Northrop Grumman, SAIC, Federal Financial Analytics, Oracle, Deloitte, Honeywell, Mythics Inc., SRA, DLT Solutions, McKinsey & Co. and URS.