About
Iowa Educational Services for Blind and Visually Impaired (IESBVI) is Iowa’s provider of educational services for children and adolescents ages birth to 21 who are blind and visually impaired. IESBVI contracts with the state’s area education agencies and serves most of Iowa’s school districts through an itinerant model. Staff travel to schools, homes and other locations as needed. Our employees consult with local school district employees working with students who are blind or visually impaired. Sometimes staff work one-on-one with students, focusing on the expanded core curriculum.
Some unique services provided by IESBVI’s specialized teachers of the visually impaired or orientation and mobility specialists are:
- Direct student services
- Consultation/collaboration with educators
- Family support
- Sports and activities
- Post-secondary transition program
Our Mission & Goals
Mission Statement
Our mission is to enable Iowa’s students who are blind or visually impaired to function as independently as possible in all aspects of life by providing appropriate educational opportunities, resources and support services.
Goals
- Provide equitable access to a continuum of high quality services for all students in Iowa who are blind and visually impaired, including those with multiple disabilities
- Assure an adequate supply of highly trained teachers and orientation and mobility specialists
- Assure adequate and professional supervision, ongoing professional development and equitable job assignments for professionals working with blind and visually impaired students
- Eliminate duplication in service delivery by creating a seamless coordinated system of services to blind and visually impaired students across multiple funding sources and agencies responsible for this population
- Maintain a center of excellence in Iowa for discipline specific expertise