Upcoming Events & Notes

Upcoming Events

Jan. 20
Legislative Open House
Legislative Dining Room, State Capitol

Staff members from the Iowa Department for the Blind will host an early morning open house at the Capitol to meet and greet state legislators and their staff. Visitors can munch on tasty breakfast items and sip on hot coffee while learning about the many services offered to blind and visually impaired Iowans through the IDB. They can also receive information on how IDB programs work to save the state money and get Iowans back to work. From 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Open to the public.

Feb. 12
Iowa Braille Challenge
Callanan Middle School
3010 Center St., Des Moines

Youth from across the state will travel to Des Moines to compete in the annual Iowa Braille Challenge, testing their reading, writing and comprehension skills against peers in their age groups. Winners will have an opportunity to compete at the national Braille Challenge in the summer held in Los Angeles. The Challenge is a great way to celebrate Braille literacy and support the youth and their families who use it daily. More information on the Challenge is available at http://brailleinstitute.com. Registration for the event begins at 9:30 a.m. Photos from last year’s Challenge can be found at www.facebook.com/IowaDeptartmentfortheBlind.

More upcoming events and details at www.idbonline.org/news

Notes

Director Karen Keninger

Deputy Director Bruce Snethen

Commission for the Blind
Next meeting: Jan. 20, 10 a.m.
Sandi Ryan, commission chair
Steve Hagemoser, member
Mike Hoenig, member

Mission:
The Iowa Department for the Blind is the means for persons who are blind to obtain for themselves universal accessibility and full participation in society in whatever roles they may choose, including roles that improve Iowa’s economic growth.

• We would love to come speak about blindness at your club or organization’s next meeting.

• We also provide training workshops on blindness at your school or office.

• If you’ve never seen our building and want to learn more about our services and what we provide in our building, we’d love to give you a tour.

Email us at information@blind.state.ia.us or call us at (800) 362-2587 for more information.