From the Director

Blind Iowans can and do work at nearly every kind of job in Iowa, from farmer to factory worker, dishwasher to director, teacher to telemarketer. They work in Iowa’s schools, businesses, hospitals and factories, and hold jobs at all levels of organizations large and small. They work on their farms, and own and operate their own small businesses. They hire others, and pay taxes. They create additional jobs in Iowa’s economy.
Ideally, a person losing his or her vision should be able to stay in the job he or she already has. Vision loss doesn’t take away the knowledge and skills acquired over years of work in a field. It may only take a few accommodations and some specialized training to get back to full productivity. But often the transition during vision loss includes a job change. People need to learn nonvisual techniques, acquire new technologies, and regain the confidence that vision loss often takes away. Getting back into the work force may mean going after a job similar to the one they left, or it may mean an opportunity to embark on a new career.
For over 50 years, the primary goal at IDB has been, and continues to be, to get blind and visually impaired people of working age back to work, or help them keep the jobs they already have, in spite of vision loss. We’ve provided the counseling, technology and skills training that teachers, accountants, auditors, bookkeepers, lawyers, and more need to keep the jobs they already know. And we’ve provided a full spectrum of training, technology, counseling and related services to help others re-enter the work force with a new set of skills and confidence.
In the following pages, you will see a list of the types of jobs our clients have either kept, or obtained, over the past three years. You will follow a few of them through their journeys and will see how our Vocational Rehabilitation, Orientation Center, Library, Access Technology, Independent Living, and Business Enterprises programs help support them on their way.
Sincerely,
Karen Keninger