Current location:
Departments
- Independent Living: Tama woman battles vision loss and wins; Meet Liz and Lance, our newest IL teachers
- Vocational Rehabilitation: Billy Joe's proprietor blends fun and hard work
- Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped: Getting the most out of your Library service; Meet your Reader Advisors; Honoring our Volunteers; From the Librarian; Booklist
- Orientation Center: A student's journey from fear to confidence; Boosting confidence in the wood shop; Alumni give back; In Memory
- Youth Transition: Program is foundation for confidence and success
- Business Enterprises: Former mechanic finds success in food service biz
Independent Living
Tama woman battles vision loss and wins
By Barb Weigel
IL Project Specialist
Norma Albertson has faced challenges before. Prior to losing considerable vision from macular degeneration she battled cancer three times.
But it was the vision loss that threw the 83-year-old for a loop, and through the simple act of cutting a cantaloupe, Albertson realized she would overcome this battle as well.
In 2000, Albertson, who lives in Tama, began to notice her vision was worsening. She got new glasses and had cataract surgery, but nothing seemed to help.
As her vision continued to deteriorate, she began giving up the activities she enjoyed, such as baking, cooking, cleaning and participating in church activities, and she fell into a depression.
Her vision was getting “worse and worse all the time,” she said, and her depression grew as a result. Her husband, Ervin, began managing the day-to-day activities his wife had always done, and Albertson found herself dependent upon him. She spent her days sitting in a recliner while Ervin took care of everything.
In August 2007, Albertson’s son approached her about receiving services through the Iowa Department for the Blind. She said she was surprised when her son came to her, but she was ready to seek the help.
Albertson met with Independent Living teacher Julie Bergeson later that month. Bergeson helped Albertson sign up for library services from the Iowa Library for the Blind to get Albertson back to enjoying books. She is now an avid Library user, and she also uses the Iowa Radio Reading Information Service (IRIS) to access the newspaper. “There are a lot of books I really enjoy and can’t wait to get back to,” she said. “I have plenty to do now.”
In November 2007, Albertson participated in a Community-Based Training (CBT) in Marshalltown put on by the Independent Living program to provide hands-on training on skills for living with vision loss. She was one of three participants.
Albertson and Bergeson point to this event as the beginning of Albertson’s turnaround. Bergeson said: “Norma’s wheels were always turning. She was quiet but was always soaking in information.”
Shortly after this CBT, Albertson agreed to participate in a weeklong intensive training program for seniors held at the Des Moines office of the IDB. She said she was nervous about the idea and “worried about staying in a hotel. I knew I couldn’t see buttons on the elevator, and I worried whether I would find my room. But I didn’t have anything to worry about.”
The senior orientation was held in March 2008, and throughout the week she learned many things, including an introduction to Braille, using a computer non-visually, preparing meals in the kitchen and making crafts. Albertson said the thing she enjoyed the most was the group discussion. Each morning, the group of about 10 seniors and 10 staff discussed different aspects of vision loss. They talked about family reactions to their vision loss, the use of a white cane for safe and independent mobility in the community and one woman’s story of learning she was going blind and her adjustment to that blindness.
Although Albertson didn’t particularly care for working in the kitchen, one experience stands out. She was presented with the task of cutting up two cantaloupes, and said: “When they told me I was to cut up two big cantaloupes with the blindfold on, I just about dropped over. I thought I could never do that — I’d cut myself and maybe even cut my fingers off! I remember I just cut each cantaloupe in a quarter.”
She remembers being told she was wasting a lot and, as a result, “I realized I had to cut those quarters again. That’s when it started working and it wasn’t too bad. I got done and I couldn’t believe it. I had done it! I didn’t even cut myself. I was just amazed and proud of myself! It wasn’t until I got home though that I realized what had happened…that I had changed my whole life.”
Albertson recalls returning home and Ervin had errands to run. Their son was coming for the weekend, and they were going to make macaroni salad. Ervin left for his errands, and she sat down in her recliner, as this had become the routine. As she sat there, she recalled her cantaloupe experience and thought: “‘What am I sitting here for? I can do that. I can get ready.’ So I got up, got the dishes out, and I got the macaroni cooking. It was just like something new had happened. All of a sudden, I got my confidence back. And I have been doing just about anything ever since.”
Bergeson said she will never forget the day she knew Albertson’s outlook had changed. Albertson told her she no longer thought of her blindness all day, every day. Now it is part of her and not something holding her back.
“I know I can’t see very well, but I now try harder,” Albertson said. “I can do just about anything.”
She no longer sits in her recliner as Ervin takes care of things around the house. She is a contributing partner in their life together. They share responsibilities and manage their day-to-day tasks. As Bergeson says, she is “back to being Norma.”
Meet Liz and Lance, our newest Independent Living teachers
My name is Liz Soenen. I live in Goldfield with my husband, Greg. I have two sons, two daughters-in-law, three grandchildren, and we are in the process of adopting a nine-year-old girl. My undergraduate degree is from Iowa State University and master’s degree from University of Northern Iowa. I love working as an independent living teacher in north-central Iowa; the clients and co-workers are the best.
My name is Lance Blas. I live in Des Moines and serve central Iowa. I have lived in your beautiful community for just about three years. I moved here from Salt Lake City, Utah, in May 2008. I have met so many wonderful people and everybody has made me feel right at home. I love meeting people, getting to know them and working with them to be as independent as they want to be!
Vocational Rehabilitation
Billy Joe's proprietor blends fun and hard work
By Shoshana Hebshi
Editor
& Betty Hansen
DeafBlind Specialist
Tucked away off a side street in West Des Moines, a blind man is fulfilling his dream. He has always had the drive and the intention, but pulling together a fully operational bar with a loyal patronage and welcoming atmosphere combines all his professional and social skills and challenges him as a businessman.
Al Bickell, who lost his vision from retinitis pigmentosa, owns and operates Billy Joe’s Lounge on 25th Street. You will often find the 6-foot-5 Bickell behind the bar serving drinks to regulars or operating the karaoke console as customers test their pipes to popular tunes.
“I get to do a lot of the things I really enjoy doing, which is socializing with people, as part of my job. I also get to explore and participate in the whole music side of what I like doing,” he said.
While Bickell, 36, said he has always been confident and motivated, the time he spent going through IDB’s Orientation Center and Vocational Rehabilitation program helped him gain confidence in his blindness.
“Without the IDB I wouldn’t be doing this. I don’t know what I’d be doing,” he said. “I became a lot more comfortable with my blindness and less worried about what other people think about it. I also learned to educate others about it.”
While his blindness is part of him, Bickell does not let it define him. While many of his customers know he is blind, he says they tell him they often forget that detail after a while.
“I think that’s eventually the goal, that you hope to get to this point that you’re not judged on a characteristic. Hopefully I do that every day,” he said.
Bickell bought Billy Joe’s two years ago with resources he’d set aside for such a venture. The former bar—Billy Joe’s Pitcher Show--had been family-owned and came with an adjoining movie theater. The owners had been the first to operate a karaoke bar in Des Moines, Bickell said, and he did not want that novelty to change. But the movie theater was not profitable, so he decided to transform it into an events center. It now serves as a wedding venue each Saturday.
“Al was determined,” said VR Counselor Terry Osterhaus, who worked with Bickell. “He always had a desire to own his own bar or restaurant. He understands the business world, and has the confidence to succeed in it.” 
Bickell continues to add changes to the bar, and enjoys the creative aspect of this part of the job. He has integrated theme nights into the weekly routine.
Weekends are solely devoted to karaoke. Bickell is starting a new tradition this summer by bringing in local bands Sunday afternoons for live band karaoke. Monday nights are for Texas Hold’Em. Tuesdays are open mic singer/songwriter nights and steak nights. Wednesday nights the bar hosts an early karaoke, and Thursdays are reserved for the special needs crowd until 8 p.m. and then karaoke at 9.
“Things are definitely in flux, constantly, and it’s always the big struggle to keep things fresh,” Bickell said.
With a background in the food service industry, Bickell is accustomed to working with all types of people and working with numbers. He oversees the bar’s bookkeeping, using accessible software JAWS and Kurzweil and a KNFB mobile reader to get the job done. He contracts with an accountant to ensure that everything is up to par. He employs 20 people, most of whom are part-time, including two managers and a caterer. It’s a seven-day-a-week business that involves a lot of details that most people aren’t even remotely aware of. But, Al loves it. He also loves finding a balance between work and spending time with his 12-year-old son, Christopher, who enjoys coming to the bar for breakfast on the weekends.
“Normally, 90 percent of the time the people who are here are enjoying themselves and in a good mood, so you’re around happy people all the time, which you don’t get at most jobs,” he said. “That’s a big plus, to come into work and you have mostly happy people. If they’re not happy when they come in they’re usually happy when they leave.”
Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped
All you care to read, and more!
Getting the most out of your Library service
By Beth Hirst
Assistant Library Director
Ever been to one of those all-you-can-eat buffets? Whether it was Chinese, down-home country cooking or an elegant Mother’s Day brunch, you were free to choose whatever you wanted and to return to the bountiful spread as often as you liked.
Using the Library can be as enjoyable, varied and even “nutritious” as one of those hearty meals. The array of available media, titles, authors, programming, ordering methods and means of delivery allows the library patron to mold her service to her own tastes.
The patron (let’s call her Mrs. Reid) has taken control of her library experience in a number of ways. Choosing her own books and finding the most convenient way to order them has reinforced her independence and enhanced her reading satisfaction.
First, Mrs. Reid has made a point of getting to know her reader advisor, Susie Stageberg. They talk about authors and subject areas Mrs. Reid enjoys, and Susie is able to suggest other titles of interest. When Mrs. Reid hears a book recommended on the radio or by a friend, she asks Susie if it is available. She goes through the Talking Book Topics when it arrives, and she can call in her choices, mail the order form, email a list, or come in to the Library for immediate service. If Susie is busy with another patron, Mrs. Reid can speak to Rachel Bussan, the other reader advisor.
Sometimes Mrs. Reid wants to browse the collection when the Library is closed. She gets on her computer and looks up The Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC): opacnew.blind.state.ia.us/opacnew, which allows her to search for books by title, author, subject, or narrator. She can opt to have books sent to her now or later.
Another way Mrs. Reid exercises her independence is by using BARD, the Braille and Audio Reading Download. Having followed a simple sign-up procedure and obtained a personal digital cartridge and cable, she can choose from more than 20,000 titles in the National Library Service (NLS) digital download collection. Depending on the speed of her Internet connection, the downloads only take a few minutes. She can keep her own “virtual library” on her computer and transfer titles to her cartridge as she wants to read them.
Mrs. Reid takes advantage of other Library services as well. If she has print material she needs in an alternative format, the Production Unit can record or Braille it for her. She enjoys descriptive videos, and she takes part in a book discussion group that meets bimonthly via telephone conference call. Mrs. Reid receives several locally produced recorded magazines and looks forward to the day (coming soon!) when they will be circulated on digital cartridges.
Every patron can tailor his service to suit his needs, just as our fictitious Mrs. Reid has done. Library staff encourage each borrower to find the level of independence with which she is most comfortable.
Patrons who enjoy surprises and like a variety of reading material can use the Profile system. Subject areas and favorite authors are noted in the patron’s file, and the computer will send books automatically from those categories.
Get to know the Library staff and the assortment of services offered. Whether you fill your plate with mystery, romance, current events or travel guides, you will find the fare substantial and the discourse stimulating. And you can always come back for more!
Meet Susie and Rachel: Your Reader Advisors
Susie Stageberg
Serving Library patrons with last names (L-Z)
• Full Name: Susan E. Stageberg, but everybody calls me Susie unless they are annoyed with me.
• Born: Philadelphia, Penn.
• Lived in Des Moines area: 23 years.
• Has worked for ILBPH: For 10 years, 7 of those in the Library.
• Favorite Book(s)/Author(s): To Kill A Mockingbird or Gone with the Wind—hard to choose. Favorite author is Diana Gabaldon, who wrote a wonderful series of historical fiction/time travel romances called Outlander. I love the way historical fiction brings the names and dates of history to life.
• Favorite part of being a Reader Advisor: Every day I talk to somebody whose life is better, richer, because of the work we do. I get a kick out of connecting somebody with a “new favorite” author or series.
• Loves Libraries because: The Library is a place where you can be entertained, made to think, travel without leaving your chair.
• Words to Live By: To paraphrase Eleanor Roosevelt, “No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.”
Rachel Bussan
Serving Library patrons with last names (A-K)
• Full Name: Rachel Marie Bussan
• Born: Iowa City, Ia.
• Lived in Des Moines: 2 years.
• Has worked for ILBPH: 9 months.
• Favorite Book(s)/Author(s): My favorite childhood book was Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. Anne, the heroine, was a clever girl who never gave up and found beauty in everyday life. I love all kinds of books, from non-fiction, such as The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling, to Japanese graphic novels such as Otomen by Aya Kanno.
• Loves Libraries because: They provide me with an endless supply of free books and answer my questions, no matter how hard or how strange they may be.
• Words to live by: “The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough.”
—Randy Pausch: The Last Lecture
How fortunate we are! Annual volunteer workshop highlights important work
In April we honored our Library volunteers, who provide their time to produce audio and Braille books to our Library users, as well as fix talking book machines and perform other helpful tasks that keep the Library running smoothly. Several of our volunteers were given awards during our annual Elizabeth Perowsky Volunteer Workshop April 8.
Angela Graham, a Braillist from Clive, received the Elizabeth Perowsky Award for her 35 years of volunteer service to the Library. She started when her son was in preschool and continued ever since. Graham produces many of the Braille textbooks for the Instructional Materials Center, which provides school materials to youth around the state.
Charlotte Zeman, Tim Gracey and The Pioneers received the Florence Grannis Award, named after the Library’s first librarian.
Zeman, a music Braillist from Cedar Rapids, has been volunteering for the Library for 15 years. Music Braillists are a rarity; there are about 50 in the United States. Zeman produces Braille music for Library users around the state, many of whom are students in school bands. She has completed 38 pieces for the 2010/11 school year.
Tim Gracey, an audio book narrator from Des Moines, has been a volunteer for four years. He’s a retired vocational rehabilitation supervisor. He has completed 19 projects during his time as a volunteer and is faithful about coming in on a regular basis.
The Pioneers — a group of Des Moines volunteers who fix talking book players — also received a Grannis Award. The seven-member group has a combined 83 years of volunteer service to the Library. As the Library transitions to the digital talking book player, the Pioneers will also move into the digital age.
From the Librarian
“The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.”— Thucydides
I hope everyone’s appetites have been sated by the abundant smorgasbord of Library articles in this issue! The nutritive value of reading books is readily evident; it’s an activity capable of increasing one’s independence. I encourage you to make the effort this week to exercise your freedom—if this isn’t already a part of your diet—by choosing some of your own books.
You have “met” our Reader Advisors in this issue. Please call Susie or Rachel to tell them what you want to read. If it’s a subject area, ask them to provide you a diverse list to choose from, and you can pick out the exact book you need.
Also, don’t be afraid to search our online catalog (OPAC) for books. And if you hunger for even more books, Susie or Rachel can give you information about downloading NLS books from BARD.
That too is freedom, and ultimately that is what we want for you. Every time you decide what you want to read you increase your freedom, your independence. Once you have a taste of this freedom you will surely be coming back for a second, third and many more helpings.
Sincerely,
Booklist
This booklist features new locally recorded books, with a special option for readers who use IDB’s website. Go to www.idbonline.org/library/audiobooks to hear audio annotations and excerpts from the books. If you start to listen and find you are hooked, call or write your reader advisor with your order.
DB015342
Seeing in Darkness: A True Story of Friendship and Courage by Ann Wade. Narrated by Rick Stageman.
A fateful event on an April night in 1984 tested the character of three men. A collision of motorcycle and van at 70 miles an hour left friend Ron with a badly fractured leg, Stan blind, and brother Steve with an unexpected responsibility. 2010.
DBO15363
I Love It, I Love It, I Love It! (65 Years of Fun & Games), by Jim Zabel with Rich Wolfe. Narrated by Harlan Watson.
Autobiography of the man who was the voice of University of Iowa football and basketball broadcasts for over 60 years. 2010.
DBO15310
Montana Rose by Mary Connealy. Narrated by Mary Richards.
Montana Territory, 1875. Cassie Griffin’s husband dies, leaving Cassie no choice but to choose a new husband the same day she buries her first. Cassie reluctantly agrees to marry Red Dawson, who offers to marry her only to save her from a scoundrel who’s been stalking her for months. Cassie soon realizes how little she knows about life. In turn, Red realizes how brutalized his wife was by her first husband. First book in the Montana Marriages trilogy. Followed by “The Husband Tree.” 2009.
DBO15345
May I Walk You Home? (Courage and Comfort for Caregivers of the Very Ill), by Joyce Hutchinson & Joyce Rupp. Narrated by Melissa Chapman.
Walking a companion home is an old-fashioned custom, often lost in our modern era. But there was a time when walking someone home was a way of offering protection and guidance. The authors capture the spirit of that personal companionship for those who accompany the dying on their final journey. 1999.
DBO15145
Inside, Outside: A Retiree’s Peace Corps Journal from South Africa, by Sydney Kling. Narrated by Sue Smith.
The journal of a woman who, shortly after retirement at the age of 67, decides to apply to the Peace Corps. As she begins to document her thoughts in a journal, Sydney Kling details not only her new and baffling daily experiences as a Peace Corps applicant, but also the roller coaster of emotions she finds herself on, whether dealing with the application process or contemplating the reality of leaving home and family for two years in a foreign country. 2007.
DB015311
Once in Every Life by Kristin Hannah. Narrated by Anita Sundin.
Tess Gregory, a successful deaf research scientist, is killed before her time. She gets a second chance — in 1873. She’s now Amarylis Rafferty, wife and mother of three, and she can hear. Shocked and disoriented by her new surroundings, she is drawn into the savage heartache burdening the family, especially her husband, Jack, a man who fears himself capable of anything. 1993.
To request these or other titles contact your Reader Advisor at (800) 362-2587.
Orientation Center
A student’s journey from fear to confidence
My name is Hilary Mallet. I am currently a student in the Iowa Adult Orientation and Adjustment Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Five years ago I would never have imagined I would be participating in this program. At that time I did not know I had any problems with my vision, nor had I ever been to Iowa.
I am from the Silicon Valley area of California. In 2007 I was an accountant for a construction company. I began making mistakes in my work and could not understand why. Then, during a routine eye exam in December 2007, I learned I have keratoconus (a condition that affects the shape of the retina and causes vision loss).
The company I worked for tried to accommodate me. They got a bigger monitor for my computer. They allowed me to work from home when I was no longer able to drive. But I had no alternative techniques and no concept of how to function non-visually. Ultimately I lost my job and moved in with my family.
I decided I wanted to go back to school to become a teacher. When I checked into it, the school said they could set me up with a CCTV and put things in large print, but before doing that they suggested I talk with a rehabilitation counselor for the blind. I did and was eventually scheduled to begin training in the Orientation Center in Albany, Calif.
Then I met Robert. He’s a native of Iowa and has no desire to move to California or anywhere else. So, I moved to Iowa in May 2010 to be with him. His mother said she had a good friend she’d like me to meet and introduced me to Linda Ryerson, an alumnus of the Iowa Department for the Blind’s Orientation Center. Linda talked with me a long time and gave me a lot of good information about Orientation Centers in general.
One day, Robert’s son’s class had a presentation from IDB, and he brought home one of the Braille cards. Robert suggested I check into the program.
I contacted the Department and was sent some information. Not long after I was contacted by Rosie Thierer, a rehabilitation counselor with the Department. She and I met a few times and I let her know I was interested in the training program so she arranged for me to tour.
My tour guide, Jim Lohoff, couldn’t have been more encouraging or enthusiastic. That clinched it. I knew I wanted to be here.
It’s funny, I never was nervous about coming to Des Moines. I was a bit nervous about what I’d specifically be doing in my training, but I never had second thoughts about coming. I knew I was here to make my life better.
My experiences in the Center have fully supported my expectations. When I first came I worried about crossing streets. Now I don’t fear street crossings; my concern is focused on getting to my destination. Believe it or not, I’d never taken a city bus before in my life. Now it’s no big deal.
Since I started here in January, I’m learning every day and I know I will continue to learn and grow throughout my training. I’ve landed in the best spot I possibly could.
Read more from Hilary Mallet on the Cane Tracks blog at http://idbcomm.wordpress.com
Boosting confidence in the wood shop
Orientation Center students spend time in our wood shop building a project of their choice. In the process, they learn that working with power tools without using vision builds self confidence. Here are two students’ examples.
Brad Bergan, 23
Hometown: Mason City
Project: Entertainment Center
What did you learn from making this project?: “How to use the tools and make a project.”
Lisa Seley, 50
Hometown: Des Moines
Project: Hope chest for daughter
What did you learn from making this project?: “I increased my confidence in learning this new skill.”
— Kelsey Anderson
Alumni give back to Orientation Center
From time to time alumni express the desire to “give something back” for what the Center has meant to them. When staff had a week of meetings to attend in March we realized here was the perfect opportunity for alumni to give back Ken Murphy, a retired teacher from Cedar Falls, took over home ec. Jim Goff from Washington, Iowa, taught travel. Abe Sigler from Nevada, took computer class and Dave Barry, from IDB’s maintenance staff, stepped in for industrial arts.
Two college students graciously worked their calendars around to help out. Alicia Seedorff (Grand View) returned to teach Braille and Gloria Graves (Drake) covered computers. A big thanks to you all; your help was greatly appreciated
In Memory
James K. Crawford, a long-time staff member of IDB and focus of the Orientation section of the winter 2011 White Cane, passed away peacefully on April 19. He was dearly loved and respected and will be greatly missed. Good bye Jim. We’ll always remember “It’s a beautiful day.”
Read the interview with Crawford at www.IDBonline.org/publications/white-cane-magazine-winter-2011/ departments#Jim_and_Jim
Program is foundation for confidence and success
By Tai Blas
Transition Counselor
At age 14 Kaylee Hill was an anxious teen, shy in many situations because of her vision loss. She did not feel comfortable asking for help, accepting assistance or answering questions about her blindness.
In 2004, Hill began participating in IDB Transition summer programs, where she learned important living skills and connected with other teens with vision loss, which helped develop her social skills.
Now, at age 21, Hill assists customers at Wal-Mart in her hometown of Council Bluffs. She works 30 to 40 hours a week, and she credits the Transition program with helping her develop the confidence she needs to perform her job duties.
“I know for a fact that if I had gotten a job before the Transition program I wouldn’t have been comfortable approaching customers to assist them. I would have been too shy,” she said.
Before she began participating in Transition, Hill was not only uncomfortable helping others, but was also uncomfortable receiving help from others. “If someone asked me if I needed assistance or questioned me about my blindness, I would have felt like crawling in a hole and crying. Now, I am able to explain my blindness. I have no problem approaching customers who look like they need assistance.”
Initially, Hill only worked in the electronics department at Wal-Mart. At her first review, Hill’s supervisor asked her to double check her work because she sometimes picked up the wrong product. She had difficulty reading the UPC codes and product names because they were often very small. The IDB helped Hill purchase a Ruby handheld magnifier and handheld CCTV.
Hill’s job duties have since expanded to cover the electronics, photo and cell phone departments. With the Ruby and CCTV she reads through cell phone contracts with customers to make sure they understand the terms. Her managers are impressed with her use of this technology and have increased her hours. They are hoping to hire her on full time in the near future.
Hill is enjoying her work and the financial independence it provides. She plans to move into her own apartment in September.
Former mechanic finds success in food service biz
By Roger Erpelding
BEP Program Administrator
‘I love a business challenge. I like being my own boss and making money.” These were the thoughts that brought Jon Buffington to the Business Enterprises Program in 2000 and that in the years since have made him a successful and profitable manager.
Buffington, 58, currently manages a large vending operation in the Sioux City area. In Sioux City itself, his locations include the Woodbury County Court House, the Trosper-Hoyt Woodbury County Administrative Office Building, the Law Enforcement Center, the Sioux City Convention Center, Western Hills Area Education Agency, the main post office, the United States Court House, the Mail Processing Center postal annex, and the Ramada City Center Motel. In Sergeant Bluff his locations include two rest area roadside locations, and STREAM, which is a large call center. There are two additional roadside locations near Onawa.
Buffington grew up on a farm in Kossuth County, and his years of watching his parents run their farm gave him a business foundation. After graduating from high school, Buffington studied marine mechanics at Iowa Lakes Community College; which involved primarily small engine repair. This was followed by six years of work in the auto mechanics field, where he was eventually promoted to a service manager. Two years of construction employment, five years with K-Mart in the auto mechanics section, and two years as an auto mechanic in Bancroft were next on the list.
Buffington is blind due to Stargardt’s disease, a form of macular degeneration. By 1999, at age 46, his vision loss was interfering with his ability to perform in his chosen vocation. So in 1999, Buffington entered the Adult Orientation Center at the Iowa Department for the Blind. “I had no idea of what I was going to do with my life,” he stated. “I knew that I wanted to be self-employed, and thought about selling used cars.”
While attending the Center, Buffington and his fellow students were on a mission to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Part of this journey was to solicit staff for donations or to be walkers in an upcoming “Walk for the Cure” event. While walking around the building, Buffington encountered the staff of the Business Enterprises Program. After he collected his pledges and left, Mark West, B.E.P. counselor, came to me and said “That student belongs in B.E.P. Do you know him?” I didn’t, but had just learned his name, and that is all it took.
Buffington began B.E.P. training in June 2000 under three leading managers: Joseph Van Lent, Kevin Bodtke and Randy Criswell. “The training was difficult,” Buffington told me; but it was obviously effective, as he has successfully managed facilities in our program since May 2001.
Buffington’s first assignment was in Cedar Rapids, where he took charge of the main post office and several of its satellites. It was a small business, but perfect for Buffington to show his knowledge and acumen.
In April 2003, the Sioux City facility was up for bid, as its current manager was moving to a larger facility in Des Moines. “I wanted to move and I wanted more,” were his motivations to ask for a transfer and promotion. He was the successful candidate and moved to Sioux City in May.
In the last eight years, many of the locations listed above were added. “Having the Department establish three more roadside locations was my idea, and it has worked. STREAM called me. The motel also called me.” Western Hills A.E.A. was part of a department effort to place vending at several of these locations throughout the state. Mr. West, in doing some site surveys, found that the Convention Center needed vending.
Buffington also inherited another business aspect from the previous managers—the jail commissary. Each week, a jail staffer calls Buffington with orders from each prisoner; these items are selected from a list provided by Buffington. After each order is filled and sorted, the stock is returned to the jail by noon on Wednesday. Each person is allowed up to $10 in product per week. After staff checks the order for accuracy, he is issued a check for the merchandise.
In April 2009, the cafeteria in the courthouse was closed. The customer base had become so small that it was no longer profitable. There was already vending in the building operated by Buffington in conjunction with the cafeteria, so the vending machines remained.
Mr. Buffington has four employees, two of which are part time. One of the employees is blind. Six of his operations are 24/7 in nature, so he and staff can be found working almost any day.
On a recent Monday, Buffington discussed his typical day. The day begins with him organizing his lists of products needed that he has accumulated during the previous week; then he calls his wholesalers for delivery. Products are loaded and delivered to many of his locations later in the morning. While at the location, Buffington and his staff fill machines, test them for problems, check for refunds, and collect money. “Whatever’s thrown at me, I deal with it,” is how his schedule runs.
Buffington is pleased with the B.E.P. program. “It was the best choice I’ve made in my life. It can be seasonal like farming, and the winter can be tough. But you have to plan for this. It is all about money management.”
And the good news is that his customers concur.
“Jon is a wonderful guy and we enjoy doing business with him,” according to Dawn Braddy, General Manager, Ramada City Center. “He is always there if something is wrong, and responds to suggestions. He makes my guests happy.”
