Iowa Dept. for the Blind ranks 2nd in job placement PR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                              Contact:       Shoshana Hebshi
Oct. 12, 2009                                                                                                        515.281.1338

Iowa Dept. for the Blind ranks 2nd in job placement

Blind Iowans have a better chance of landing competitive employment thanks to the work of IDB’s vocational rehabilitation and employment programs
 
DES MOINES, IA – As President Barack Obama signed a proclamation declaring the month of October Disability Employment Awareness Month, Jeff Helgren was heading to his job at as an occupational therapist at Woodward State Hospital. Helgren is legally blind, and as his vision worsened he contacted the Iowa Department for the Blind and was able to remain working.
 
Obama’s proclamation states that fair access to employment is a “right of every American, including the 54 million” disabled citizens. The Iowa Department for the Blind has been recognizing that claim for 50 years, as it strives each day to provide blind and visually impaired Iowans, like Helgren, with the training and skills to return to the workforce or keep the job they had when they began losing their vision. Through state and federal support, most services are offered at no charge. 
 
Helgren received training from the IDB in using the long, white cane for traveling and mobility, and he was trained with assistive technology, such as screen-reading software on his computer to help him throughout the day. “I’ve been absolutely blown away by the department since I got involved with them,” Helgren said. “The library services, the technology assistance, it’s all been good. Without their help my job would be extremely difficult. I would not be here without the Department.”
 
Nationally, the IDB ranks second among all blind vocational rehabilitation programs in placing people into competitive employment. During Federal Fiscal Year 2008, the IDB closed 124 cases, and of those, nine were homemakers and 115 were placed in a job earning an average of $15.61 an hour – 91 percent of the $16.50 an hour average wage earned in Iowa.
 
The IDB’s highly trained vocational rehabilitation counselors have expertise in matching a person’s skills and abilities with an employer’s needs. Through partnerships with Iowa’s employers, the IDB trains and places only qualified applicants. 
 
In the last 50 years, the IDB has worked with all types and sizes of Iowa businesses all across the state. Our clients represent an equally diverse group of professions and occupations, including physicians, attorneys, teachers, drywallers, IT specialists and customer service reps. 
 
“Clients like Jeff Helgren benefit from the Department’s services every day,” said IDB vocational counselor Toni Reimers. “We work hard to ensure that all blind and visually impaired Iowans who can and want to work find or keep great jobs.”
 
The IDB celebrates 50 years of integrating its many services and providing Iowans with exceptional vocational rehabilitation and independent living services. The milestone will be honored Oct. 30 and 31 with an Open House and Transportation Forum in Des Moines.
 
For more information about this event or the Iowa Department for the Blind’s vocational rehabilitation services, contact Shoshana Hebshi, communications specialist, at (515) 281-1338 or Shoshana.Hebshi@blind.state.ia.us
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