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From the Director
On May 1, Peggy Elliott began her three-year term as a member of the Iowa Commission for the Blind. Appointed by Gov. Branstad, Elliott will take her seat at the next Commission meeting, June 21, along with her fellow commissioners Mike Hoenig and Steve Hagemoser. She replaces outgoing Commissioner Sandra Ryan, who served as Commission Chair for the past three years.
The Commission, which meets several times each year, is a policy-making body charged with oversight of the administration and activities of the Department.
As managers and supervisors, we don’t often get the chance to witness firsthand the incremental changes in skills and confidence that our standard training creates, even over the course of a single week. This year, IDB managers took the opportunity to return to our roots by teaching 10 students during a weeklong Orientation on the Road.
Using the model created several years ago by front-line staff, we went to Honey Creek in southern Iowa, rented cabins and taught the basics. Students came from the far corners of the state, bringing varying levels of skill and confidence with them. Throughout the week, we laughed, we talked, we learned from each other, and we all left with something we hadn’t come with.
For me, the week reinforced my belief in our short-term as well as our long-term training programs. It gave me intimate glimpses into the journeys that people face when they’re beginning to cope with vision loss. It reminded me how each person’s path is unique, and yet all needed to experience the challenges and their own successes to build enough confidence to move on to the next challenge.
I saw, too, the effects of role-modeling and the learning opportunities that come spontaneously not just teacher to student, but student to student. With a new network of friends created by this experience, students will be able to continue that peer-to-peer learning and sharing if they choose. They are also encouraged to come in for more extensive training in the Orientation Center. And at IDB, we will continue offering these short training experiences as well as the longer full-up Orientation Center training.
Sincerely,
