Iowa official register

453 

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 

 

STATE SCHOOLS 

IOWA BRAILLE AND SIGHT SAVING SCHOOL 

Patrick D. Clancy, superintendent; Vinton 52349; [phone] 

www.iowa-braille.k12.ia.us/ 

The mission of the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School is to provide direct and indirect edu-

cational services in collaboration with other service providers to the children and youth of the 

State of Iowa who are blind or visually impaired.  The school provides leadership and resources 

statewide to meet the needs of children who are blind or visually impaired.  This mission is car-

ried out through cooperative efforts with appropriate state agencies, area education agencies 

(AEAs), and local education agencies (LEAs). 

The purpose of the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School is to enable Iowa’s students who are 

blind or visually impaired to function as independently as possible in all aspects of life by provid-

ing appropriate educational opportunities, resources, and support services. 

The educational programs of the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School are consistent with the 

philosophy, reflected in federal and state legislation, that children and youth with disabilities will 

be educated together with nondisabled peers, to the greatest extent possible, and that a continuum 

of services must be available to children with disabilities.  All programs and services provided by 

the school support the need for instruction for children who are blind or visually impaired in the 

following expanded core curriculum skill areas:  compensatory skills, orientation and mobility, 

social interaction skills, independent living skills, recreation and leisure skills, career education, 

use of assistive technology, visual efficiency skills, and self-determination. 

The scope of the educational programs includes provisions for serving children from early 

childhood through age 21.  Options available for students to receive services regionally include 

but are not limited to direct services in local schools; consultative services in local schools; sum-

mer school opportunities; and extended school year services.  Short-term services are available on 

the campus in Vinton, with a dormitory program component as needed.  Other resources available 

to children who are blind or visually impaired include but are not limited to such services as low 

vision clinics; instructional materials production and loan; library services; and assistive device 

technology loan, assistance, and production. 

The Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School provides leadership in the field of vision in the state 

through collaborative efforts with the state Department of Education, Bureaus of Student and 

Family Support Services and Early Childhood Services, the AEAs, LEAs, the Iowa Department 

for the Blind, and other related service providers.  Through these collaborative efforts, profes-

sional development, parent and family services, and other services to professionals and parapro-

fessionals are provided. 

Future programs to be offered by the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School are determined 

collaboratively and by analysis of the developing needs of students, families, and professionals 

throughout the state.  Programs are developed, implemented, evaluated, modified, continued, 

suspended, or eliminated based on the assessed needs of students and the effective and efficient 

use of resources.  The school remains flexible and will respond quickly to meet the needs of the 

children and youth of the state who are blind or visually impaired. 

IOWA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF 

Jeanne Glidden Prickett, Ed.D., superintendent; Council Bluffs 51503;  

[phone] (voice or TDD) 

www.iadeaf.k12.ia.us/ 

The Iowa School for the Deaf (ISD) is a special school that serves eligible Iowa and Nebraska 

students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.  The school is governed by the Iowa State Board of 

Regents and is funded through tax support.  

ISD has been located on a 120-acre campus in Council Bluffs since 1870.  Its programs are 

designed to provide maximum educational benefit to students whose needs can be met most effec-

tively in a specialized school setting.   

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IOWA OFFICIAL REGISTER 

 

Each ISD student is provided a highly individualized, structured program that emphasizes liter-

acy skill development, which often is delayed as a result of hearing impairment.  Social and emo-

tional skills and concepts in all school content areas often are developmentally delayed as well 

and, therefore, are priority areas for ISD students. 

ISD provides a “free, appropriate public education” instructional option for deaf or hard-of-

hearing students under state and federal special education laws.  Families are not charged for 

school tuition, transportation, and boarding, and students receive limited medical and dental care 

through the school. 

ISD personnel work in cooperation with schools in the area to provide itinerant resource ser-

vices for students in regular school settings, or interpreter services for ISD students who attend 

specific classes at Lewis Central public schools in Council Bluffs.  A “reverse mainstream” pro-

gram allows Lewis Central students to attend specific classes on ISD’s campus. 

ISD personnel also work closely with vocational rehabilitation personnel to ensure effective 

transition to adult living, working, or postsecondary education when the students graduate.  ISD’s 

highly qualified, specialized personnel strive to prepare all ISD students for successful participa-

tion as adult citizens in their communities. 

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