Iowa official register

143 

EXECUTIVE BRANCH AGENCIES 

 

 

Michael Persia, Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University................Serves at Pleasure of 

 

Turkey Federation Board 

 

Karey Claghorn, designee of Secretary of Agriculture .............................................................Statutory 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL 

See DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 

OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR OF STATE 

Ch 11 

State Capitol, Des Moines 50319; [phone]; 

http://auditor.iowa.gov 

DAVID A. VAUDT, CPA, Auditor of State 

Bernardo Granwehr, Chief of Staff 

ADMINSTRATION DIVISION 

Warren G. Jenkins, Chief Deputy Auditor of State 

FINANCIAL AUDIT DIVISION 

Andrew E. Nielsen, Deputy Auditor of State 

PERFORMANCE INVESTIGATION DIVISION 

Tamera Kusian, Deputy Auditor of State 

DEPARTMENT FOR THE BLIND 

Ch 216B 

524 Fourth Street, Des Moines 50309-2364; [phone] or [phone]; 

TTY [phone]; www.blind.state.ia.us 

Karen A. Keninger, Director....................... Serves at Pleasure of Commission 

Bruce K. Snethen, Deputy Director 

The Department for the Blind, established in 1925, provides services to Iowans who are blind 

or severely visually impaired that support their rights and aspirations to participate fully, produc-

tively, and equally as first-class citizens in society.  These services are provided through the de-

partment’s four divisions:  the Adult Orientation and Adjustment Center; Field Operations, which 

provides vocational rehabilitation and independent living services; the Library for the Blind and 

Physically Handicapped; and the Business Enterprises Program.  The department maintains a 

registry of blind Iowans and provides valid information about blindness through speaking engage-

ments, in-service training, informational materials, and a fully accessible website. 

The Adult Orientation and Adjustment Center is a residential training program where blind 

adults learn the blindness techniques and develop the self-confidence they need to live independ-

ently and work competitively.  Through classes in travel with the long white cane, home and per-

sonal management, industrial arts, braille, and computer access, they come to understand that it is 

okay to be blind and that they can become fully contributing members of their families, work-

places, and communities. 

The department’s Vocational Rehabilitation Program is the key to the funding that blind Io-

wans need to compete on terms of equality in institutions of higher learning and the labor market.  

It provides the counseling and guidance that encourage blind Iowans to achieve their maximum 

potential, the funding needed to help blind students pay for the blindness-specific services and 

technology they need to succeed while receiving training at postsecondary institutions, the advo-

cacy and information that encourage the development of attitudes and policies that provide equal 

opportunity for blind students and workers in training, and the equipment and technical expertise 

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IOWA OFFICIAL REGISTER 

 

that enable blind students and workers to operate virtually the same information technology as 

everybody else. 

Through its Transition Program, the department provides blindness skill and attitudinal training 

to Iowa’s transition-age youth who are blind or severely visually impaired.  At fall and winter 

retreats and two summer camps, young participants learn new, positive ways to think about them-

selves and to deal with their blindness. 

Through its Project ASSIST (Accessible Step-by-Step Instructions for Speech Technology 

With Windows) Program, the department developed a wealth of computer training techniques and 

training materials that directly benefit individuals who are blind, visually impaired, or deaf-blind.   

The department now has available numerous tutorials for individuals who would like to learn 

how to use popular applications and for trainers who would like materials for their organization’s 

computer training program. 

Through the department’s Independent Living Rehabilitation Program, elderly or multiply dis-

abled persons who are blind learn the skills they need to live independently and participate ac-

tively in family and community life. By learning the alternative techniques of blindness, they can 

choose the privacy and independence of living in their own homes over moving into expensive 

care centers. Independent living teachers and service coordinators travel throughout the state to 

provide training and other services aimed at bolstering the independence of the individual.  Train-

ing is offered in a variety of forums, including small-group sessions held in communities through-

out Iowa and in the home on a one-on-one basis.  Visual loss has been identified as one of the 

four most significant contributors to the loss of independence in older Americans. Time and ex-

perience have proven that even basic training in nonvisual techniques increases an individual’s 

level of independence and self-sufficiency. The average direct expenditure per consumer is ap-

proximately $700. This small investment effectively postpones or prevents the need for costly 

long-term care that can average $3,600 a month in most nursing homes.  Vocational and inde-

pendent living rehabilitation services assist blind persons in realizing their maximum potential of 

independence and self-support. Independent living services are primarily provided to older indi-

viduals who have experienced a severe loss of vision.  Rehabilitation teachers work with these 

individuals in their homes and communities to provide instruction in the skills and techniques of 

blindness necessary to maintain or increase personal independence.  Rehabilitation counselors 

work with blind persons to develop vocational goals and receive appropriate vocational training 

and employment. 

The Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped provides books and magazines in the 

alternative media of braille, described video, cassette tape, and large type to eligible Iowans. Indi-

viduals who are blind include those with a vision loss that does not constitute legal blindness but 

is sufficient to prevent use of standard print with ease. Physically handicapped or reading-

disabled persons qualify for library service. The library also distributes machines on which re-

corded books may be played. 

The Business Enterprises Program enables blind Iowans to operate food service facilities on 

federal, state, municipal, and private property. The provision of initial and ongoing food service 

and management training, as well as beginning inventory and purchase of equipment, means that 

blind persons in the program can become self-sufficient, taxpaying citizens. 

The department makes available a variety of specialized aids, appliances, and recreational 

items that can be purchased by blind Iowans at cost or furnished as part of some individual reha-

bilitation plans. White canes for independent travel, braille and electronic watches and clocks, 

specially marked games, braille and print-writing devices, various types of measuring equipment, 

and miscellaneous aids are among the items available. 

Approximately 400 blind children are enrolled in regular public schools throughout the state. 

Upon request, the department works with the Bureau of Special Education of the Department of 

Education to procure books and specialized material for those children and to provide counseling 

and guidance. 

A registry of the blind in Iowa showing cause of blindness, age, and other statistical informa-

tion valuable in program evaluation and planning is maintained by the department. It is estimated 

that there are more than 57,000 blind Iowans and that 25 Iowans become blind each week. 

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