News

October 15 is Blind Americans Equality Day, also celebrated as National White Cane Safety Day. This day is set aside to recognize individuals within the blind and visually impaired community for their declaration and pursuit of independence. IESBVI celebrations have been happening all month long, and all over the state! Check out the links to media and […]

Three IESBVI staff attended and presented at the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind & Visually Impaired conference July 24-28 in Charlotte, North Carolina. IESBVI regional directors Susan Brennan, Ph.D., Katy Ring, Ed.D. and Sara Larkin, IESBVI math consultant made group presentations. Larkin and Ring also gave individual presentations.

We’ve done the math and are proud to share some of our services numbers from school year 2023/2024. Every day, IESBVI staff are driven to ensure all students can participate and succeed in the classroom, regardless of their instructional level. During school year 2023/2024, IESBVI staff served 494 school buildings in addition to home and […]

Collaboration and learning flourished at this year’s Deafblind Summer Symposium, hosted by the Iowa Deafblind Project in Coralville. The June 10 – 11 event focused on the Communication Matrix, and left the 28 attending speech language pathologists, teachers of the deaf, teachers of the visually impaired, occupational therapists, special education teachers and others feeling eager […]

IESBVI families – you are not alone! All families experience struggles and successes. We see you, and we value you. IESBVI families will be highlighted regularly so other families can feel supported and connected. Meet the Spencers Meet Josh, Jillian and Jensen Spencer. This story is written from the family’s perspective. Jensen is our diamond […]

The IESBVI Rams forensics team is making a name for itself: Winner. 2024 marked the third time Rams Forensics enjoyed receiving a first-place trophy since 2020. That says a lot, because the Rams don’t have the benefit of being coached in person, and instead rely on Zooms with Sheryl Thomsen, IESBVI coach. Thomsen coaches students […]

The next superintendent for Iowa Educational Services for the Blind & Visually Impaired and Iowa School for the Deaf has been named. Information at this link.

You can provide feedback about the candidates after the forum on April 29 using these links: Rayburn Boland: https://www.videoask.com/fz79rjst9 Chris Kaftan: https://www.videoask.com/fsgd6zje9 Iowa School for the Deaf and Iowa Educational Services for the Blind & Visually Impaired Rayburn Boland and Christopher Kaftan will move on for final consideration.  The superintendent search committee for the Iowa […]

This fall, IESBVI participated in the first Abacus Bee, sponsored by American Printing House (APH) for the Blind. More information about the event at this link. Students from Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey and Washington participated in their own states and 30 students earned a spot to the National Abacus Bee Finals held late […]