In 1946, the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services was established as the state licensing agency for the Randolph-Sheppard Vending Stand Act with the mission to “enable qualified blind individuals to achieve independence through self-employment.”
Currently, the Alabama BEP operates more than 110 small business employing more than 400 Alabamians in a diverse range of retail businesses including, snack bars, delicatessens, vending machine facilities, commissaries, cafeterias, and military dining halls.