The new year brings fresh opportunities, renewed energy, and a commitment to our mission. It is a time for reflection upon our past and anticipation for the possibilities ahead. Reflecting on our purpose, along with our firm belief in one another, I am reminded of all that we have accomplished together.

Highlights of this last year include but are not limited to:

• Advocating for accessible websites, medical devices, and absentee ballots, helping to ensure that essential information is accessible to everyone.

• Awarding a $2,500 scholarship to a high school student and presenting a Perkins Brailler to a fourth grader through the Marie Hoenig Perkins Brailler Award, empowering young individuals to pursue their educational goals and enhance their literacy skills.

• Efforts to have a voice in the selection of the new IDB director, underscoring our commitment to the delivery of quality services.

• Creation of the Slayton, Stratton, and Seliger Long-Term Service Award, honoring our legacy and celebrating individuals whose enduring contributions and commitment have enriched the lives of blind individuals in Iowa.

• Launching ICUB Conversation, our new list serve, enhancing our community by keeping members connected and informed.

As we move forward, we will continue to build on our accomplishments, and I am excited about the opportunities and direction in which we’re headed as an organization. One of the most exciting developments is the formation of multiple committees, each led by a different chair and including members from around Iowa who are not on ICUB’s State Board. This demonstrates the growing engagement of our membership and the willingness of more individuals to serve.

In March, ICUB members will represent our organization at the Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. and again in July at the American Council of the Blind (ACB) National Convention in Dallas. We will continue to actively seek opportunities to strengthen our national presence and keep our members informed about these opportunities.

Our ICUB Annual State Conference and Convention, scheduled for August 22-23, 2025, will focus on the future with themes centered around innovations in AI technology, medical advancements regarding blindness, and estate planning. More information will be shared in the coming months.

Most importantly, I want to remind you that this organization is truly ours. Every member has a voice and a role in shaping our future. Let’s make 2025 a year of action, growth, and engagement.

ICUB Founding Mothers

At the 2024 Convention, ICUB initiated the Seliger-Slayton-Stratton Long-term Service Awards honoring three founding mothers of ICUB. They each agree that ICUB’s history is complicated, but in the end we have a unified and functional organization meeting today’s needs for advocacy, communication and fellowship. In the following interviews, they share some of their experiences as consumer group and ICUB members over the past 70 years.

Donna Seliger

There are lots of reasons to join consumer organizations of the blind, and Donna Seliger did not mince words when asked why she joined her first one in 1963. “I joined because I heard they had a good time at the national conventions.” She was just out of high school, and says, “I was not interested in politics then. I was just interested in having some fun and going to new cities.” Through the years, she said, the most fun part of conventions was seeing old friends, making new ones, and catching up on all the news.

Regarding ICUB, Donna says the most valuable aspect of belonging is the camaraderie and working toward shared goals to make life better for blind people economically and socially. She laments the fact that young people are less interested in joining organizations today than they used to be.

Donna recounts her role in the formation of the Iowa Council of the United Blind. In 1983 when a segment of the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa (NFBI) split from the Federation, she helped form a new organization called the United Blind of Iowa (UBI). She attended meetings with groups from other states that had left the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), and after four years searching for the right organizational structure, members of UBI joined the Iowa Council of the United Blind to form ICUB. The membership of the new organization voted to join the American Council of the Blind (ACB), and in 1987 Donna attended the ACB convention and accepted the charter for Iowa’s membership. She hasn’t missed an ACB convention since.

Donna has been a faithful member of ICUB as well. She has served in several leadership positions over the years. She held the office of state president for six years and served as both president and secretary of the Des Moines Chapter. She served for a short time as state treasurer and has been an elected member of ICUB’s Board of Directors for many years.

Donna says that the legislative work that ICUB and ACB have done over the years has been some of their best work. Getting to know the legislators in Iowa and Washington helped promote issues for blind people, such as adding eye glasses to Medicare coverage. “We got to spend time with Senator Harkin and Senator Grassley and our representatives in their offices in Washington. The benefit that we gained was being there, making legislators aware that blind people are out there and we need legislation to make our lives better.” In time, her interest in politics grew. In 2001 she was elected Secretary of the American Council of the Blind and served in that capacity for three two-year terms.

Donna graduated from the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School in 1962. She studied medical transcription at Gates Business College in Waterloo, and then landed a job in the insurance industry where she worked until her son was born. Later she joined the Randolph Sheppard Program and retired in 2003 from her latest post at the cafeteria in the Iowa Department for the Blind building. Referring to the membership fee for ICUB, she says, “I believe that $15 isn’t a lot of money, and it’s a benefit for anyone to join ICUB.”

Jo Slayton

Jo Slayton has been involved in activism on behalf of blind people for over sixty years. “People don’t realize what it was like back then,” she says, referring to the 1960s and 1970s. “Blind people were being turned down for insurance, bank loans, and housing just because they were blind. Blind people weren’t allowed to ride the rides at the State Fair or bring a dog guide into a restaurant or a shop. Blind people were denied entry into college programs, including teacher training, because University personnel didn’t think a blind person could teach or get hired.”

Jo tells about her own experience when she took and scored very high on civil service exams and state merit tests. Her scores were not forwarded to potential hiring authorities because the state officials didn’t think anybody would hire her anyway. In time, with support and advocacy by Commission staff, she did get a job as a secretary with the Veterans Administration (V.A.). “You think all these things are behind us,” she says, “and then something else crops up. We have become complacent here in Iowa.”

None of the changes we know today happened by accident. Members of Iowa consumer groups were active writing letters, demonstrating and making personal contacts with legislators and other officials. “We got the White Cane law passed in Iowa so they couldn’t discriminate against a blind person using a dog or a cane,” she says. “We have to remain focused,” she says. “There is always something coming up that requires diligence on our part as consumers to make sure that we’re getting equal treatment.”

Jo sees the role of ICUB as a watchdog. “We need to spread the word, and we need to know what’s going on at the national, state, local and city levels.” She goes on to say, “If we don’t sit at the table with other people when issues are being discussed, our needs will not be addressed—which will be what we deserve for not participating.”

Blind consumer groups have been active in Iowa since the 1920s. The first organization was known as the Iowa Association of the Blind (IAB). The group was largely made up of graduates of the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School (IBSSS). Conventions were held at the school a few weeks after graduation each year. It was kind of a reunion but also a consumer group. The name was changed to the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa (NFBI) in the 1960s, and the group became more proactive in legislative issues at that time.

Jo served as secretary for many years in the organization. She also held offices in several chapters, including chapters in Davenport, Clinton, Cedar Rapids, and Iowa City, as well as a student chapter and an alumni chapter. She has attended both state and national conventions regularly during those years.

In 1969, disagreements over the administration of IBSSS arose among NFBI members and caused a split in the membership. At this time, the Iowa Council of the Blind (ICB) was formed. In 1977 more of what Jo calls “Iowa’s colorful history” caused further division among NFBI members and another break-away faction left to form the United Blind of Iowa. In time, members felt that affiliation with a national organization would be beneficial to Iowans. In order to join the American Council of the Blind as the Iowa affiliate, the United Blind of Iowa and the Iowa Council of the Blind decided to merge into what is known today as the Iowa Council of the United Blind (ICUB.)

Jo and Creig Slayton in UBI and Rose and Bob Stratton in ICB joined forces to advocate for and finalize the merger after passing resolutions at both conventions to do so. Jo continued to serve in leadership roles, including a long stint as ICUB’s state secretary for many years. She served at both the chapter and state levels in officer and board positions as well.

Jo started attending the ACB conventions and quickly found herself in leadership roles at the national level. She served as press liaison, managing the press room at the ACB convention, arranging radio and television interviews to highlight the convention activities and distributing press kits. She organized tours for ACB conventions and, with Donna Seliger, founded the Visually Impaired Secretary and Transcriber Association within ACB. “I always learned so much from people at convention,” she says. “Different ways of doing things, using new technologies and other things I never would have thought of. I also realized how fortunate we were in Iowa to have had the training we did.” In recent years, she has continued to work from home on ICUB letter-writing campaigns and other behind-the-scenes work.

Jo grew up in Winterset, Iowa and attended IBSSS, graduating in 1961. After “some arm-twisting,” she attended the Orientation Center at the Commission for the Blind. She married Creig Slayton in 1964. Jo worked in secretarial positions throughout her career, and together she and Creig raised two children and cared for their elderly parents as well.

When asked about progress, Jo says, “We’ve come a long way since I’ve been involved with the consumer groups, but there’s still a long way to go. There’s something new all the time. We have to keep our ear to the ground all the time, because there’s always things we need to monitor and be aware of.”

Rose Stratton

Rose Stratton, now 89, can’t remember for sure exactly when she joined the Iowa Association of the Blind, but it was probably 70 years ago or so. Throughout her long career, she was active as a member, board member and officer of the consumer organizations she belonged to, including the Iowa Association of the Blind, the Iowa Council of the Blind, and ICUB. One of her favorite roles, she says, was writing and editing the newsletter, The Trumpet’s Voice. She wrote and compiled the issues, typed them out on her large-print typewriter, got copies made, Brailled several copies for members needing braille, and packaged, addressed, and mailed them out. She also recorded the content of each issue, and her husband Bob duplicated the recording onto cassettes. “We did it all, and we enjoyed every minute of it. We felt like we were doing something good.”

Rose recalls the Iowa Council of the Blind’s efforts in the late 1960s to keep the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School under the Board of Regents. “We believed that the School should function the way it had been doing, and we fought and fought to keep the school the way it was. It’s gone now,” she says, “and that’s sad.”

A decade later, as affiliations changed throughout the state, Rose took a major role in working to join the Iowa Council of the Blind with the United Blind of Iowa to form the Iowa Council of the United Blind. She is reluctant to speak in detail about the events surrounding some of the changes that spurred the decision to combine the groups. “These two groups believed in the same thing,” she said, “So we decided to join them.”

Rose was born the ninth of ten children in Richmond, Iowa. She started school at IBSSS when she was seven and says those were the best twelve years of her life. She laughs when she talks about some of the pranks she and her classmates pulled, and believes that she learned leadership and independence as part of her education there. She graduated in 1954, moved to Cedar Rapids, and for the next few years, she babysat for the neighbor’s children. Around 1960, she got a job at Troy Laundry in Cedar Rapids transferring clothes from the washers to the dryers and folding and packaging the folded clothes. “And I made a whole 80 cents an hour,” she laughs. Two years later, with the help of the Iowa Commission for the Blind, she got a job at Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids deburring parts. “I loved that job,” she says. “I worked in that job until I got married in 1960. And gee, when I quit after six years, I was making $2.35 an hour.”

Rose’s husband, Bob Stratton, also a graduate of the IBSSS, lived in Maquoketa and worked at Clinton Engines, so Rose left her job at Collins and moved to Maquoketa. There she opened a day care service in her home, taking six children at a time. She developed methods for taking them all on walks and keeping track of them while they played in the yard. Over the years, she says, she cared for 32 children and loved every one of them.

Rose moved to a nursing home in Dubuque some time ago but has remained active in ICUB throughout the years, serving on the board, joining the Across Iowa Chapter calls, and staying in close touch with her friends. “You have to make your own life,” she says, and clearly she has done just that.

Iowa Council of the United Blind Scholarship

For the second year, ICUB is offering a $2,500 scholarship to a legally blind Iowan graduating from high school in 2025. The funds will be available for the 2025-2026 academic year. The scholarship will be awarded to a graduating high school senior planning to attend, on a full-time basis, a fully accredited community college, college, or university. The ICUB membership invites eligible students with a broad range of academic, business, professional, skilled/technical, or service career aspirations to apply. All application materials should be submitted to the ICUB President by April 15. The Scholarship Committee will select the recipient. The winner will be recognized at the annual ICUB Convention luncheon on Saturday, August 23. More information is available at www.icublind.org .

Selecting ICUB as a Beneficiary

If you or a friend would like to remember the Iowa Council of the United Blind in your will, you may do so by using the following language: “I grant, devise, or bequeath unto the Iowa Council of the United Blind, a non-profit charitable organization, the sum of ______ dollars, ____ percent of my net estate, or the following stocks and bonds (please list them) to be used for its worthy purposes on behalf of blind persons.” If you have questions or your wishes are more complex, you or your attorney can contact ICUB by calling 866-436-0141 or through the webpage at: www.icublind.org .

Ready, Set, Bingo!

by Mary Haupt

Do you like getting together with people but not having to go somewhere or entertain guests to do it? Do you like to play games of chance? Do you like to yell out loudly when you're successful at winning?

If you answered "yes" to these questions, ICUB has just the game for you—Bingo! For the past year, twice a month at 7 p.m. on Zoom, a number of us have been meeting and having a great time.

We have a fun-loving bingo team that keeps everything running smoothly. Mary Haupt announces the bingo numbers and quiets those players who complain when she doesn't draw the numbers they want. Carrie Chapman includes our bingo dates on the ICUB calendar, writes and sends the email announcements, hosts the Zoom calls, and keeps score for us. Jane Haupt, Mary's mom, marks the numbers on the bingo call board and checks players' cards to determine if they have a good bingo when they yell that they have won. Carol Flickinger makes our team look fantastic because she designed colorful bingo t-shirts for us.

What Bingo games do we play? Of course, we play the traditional Bingo game in which players mark a row, column, or diagonal line of numbers, but we also create Bingos with other patterns: a postage stamp, Braille cell, four corners, various print letters, blackout, etc. Violet Haverland, a long-time bingo player and one of our frequent participants, suggested many of these games to Mary.

Can you win a prize playing Bingo with us? Absolutely! For each game you win, you score one point. Carrie keeps track of each player's points for either a one- or two-month period. On the last night, the player with the highest cumulative score receives a $10.00 gift card, ICUB swag, or a 10-dollar bill.

How can you join in the fun? Each participant can play one Bingo card at a time. This can be a Braille, large-print, or computer-generated card. If you would like information about ordering cards or if you have questions, please email Mary at maryhaupt@icloud.com , or call her at 225-615-4738. Come give Bingo a try. Good luck!

Out in the Community

When ICUB member Carol Flickinger learned that third graders at Wilson Elementary in Cedar Rapids where her daughter works were learning about blindness, she saw an opportunity to teach them about Braille. Through ICUB’s Ambassador Program, Carol arranged for each child in the third-grade classes to receive a Braille bracelet and a Braille alphabet card to go along with the classroom activities. The children were fascinated with Braille and some learned to spell their names. Carol received a packet of thank-you notes from the children written on construction paper with markers and decorated with lots of hearts.

Teaching the public about blindness can take many forms. Carol has done another type of teaching recently without even meaning to. She took the lead on an idea she had to organize a group of “grandmas” to take their turn on High Five Friday with the Rockwell City schools. Usually, she said, “It’s the fire department, or the police, or some of the businesses in town that get the privilege of greeting the children with high fives when they arrive at school. They never opened it up to regular people.” Due to Carol’s initiative, she and several other “grandmas” took their place on a cold January morning to greet the children. “We got a lot of hugs,” she said. “It was fun.”

2024 ICUB Convention Recap

The 2024 ICUB Annual Conference and Convention was held on Friday and Saturday, August 23 and 24, at the Courtyard by Marriott in Ankeny. With the theme, Honoring Our Past and Building Our Future, the Convention started out with two historical break-out sessions. Touch and Go with the Iowa Historical Society showcased touchable artifacts from the Iowa Historical Museum. Technology Timeline gave participants a hands-on opportunity to review blind-related electronic equipment from the past, and in some cases, try to guess what it was used for. As summarized below, the Convention agenda was packed with informational sessions.

President’s Report

President Bettina Dolinsek provided a summary of ICUB activities during the past year. These included:

• Initiating a new $2,500 ICUB scholarship for blind students graduating from high school. This year’s winner was Jacob Longmire of Coralville. He was honored at the luncheon on Saturday.

• Implementation of a finance committee to oversee ICUB budgets and fundraising.

• Advocacy efforts for accessible absentee ballots. This is an ongoing effort which, she says, moves forward a little bit each time it comes up. This year the bill made it out of Committee during the last legislative session, but did not reach a floor vote.

• Initiating a partnership between ICUB and Jonathan Carley and the Iowa Education Services for Blind and Visually Impaired Students (IESBVI). Activities included a zoom conference with ICUB members and parents and teachers of blind and visually impaired students. Bettina hopes to continue and strengthen the relationship between ICUB and IESBVI for the benefit of the students and their parents.

• A larger-than-usual group of ICUB members attended and participated in the ACB annual Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. and President Dolinsek also attended her first ACB Convention where she discovered excellent opportunities to network with other ACB members.

President Dolinsek also announced that she would not seek reelection but would continue as Past President to work on behalf of ICUB.

IRIS

IRIS Executive Director Maryfrances Evans reported on IRIS activities both past and upcoming. She said IRIS was not planning any significant changes in its programming and that over 300,000 downloads of IRIS programming occurred during the year with podcasts gaining in popularity. IRIS is currently narrating eleven Iowa newspapers.

The IRIS audio description project “exploded” this year with 37 events being described. The schedule for 2024-25 lists 39 performances to be described, including events at the Des Moines Civic Center, Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City, and the Des Moines Playhouse. Plans are to hire an additional person to work on the audio description projects.

Audio description of the State Fair was rained out this year but is planned again for next summer. The State Fair Board is committed to making the fair more accessible and has developed a tactile map of the fairgrounds as well as implementing wayfinding technology for blind and visually impaired fair-goers.

IRIS partnered with the Central Iowa Council for Independent Living (CICIL) to host an accessible voting opportunity for residents of the Des Moines area again this year. Last year 187 individuals took advantage of the opportunity.

Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council

Iowa Developmental Disabilities (DD) Council Executive Director Brook Lovelace reported on goals and activities of the Council. She stressed her desire to partner more closely with ICUB, recognizing that there were a lot of overlaps in the issues and advocacy of both organizations. The mission of the DD Council is to create change with and for people with developmental disabilities at work and at home. Their agency receives federal funds to carry out their advocacy work.

The DD Council is an advocacy organization. One major topic recently has been voting rights and access. The latest round of new laws surrounding voting in Iowa has made it harder for people with developmental disabilities to vote.

Capacity-building to improve the ability for people with developmental disabilities to live independently in their chosen communities and increased options for transportation and a concentration on employment were topics she discussed. More information is available at www.iowaddcouncil.org .

Importance of ICUB History

In keeping with the Convention theme, Dr. Robert Martin and Dr. Cody Dolinsek presented a conversation on the importance of ICUB’s history titled “The Benefits of History and Why It’s Important for Blind Iowans.” They pointed out that the past and the present are a continuum, not separate, and that the history of blindness in Iowa is no exception. Schisms, they said, are always going to happen, but we can learn from our history. Our history can also generate creativity and be a platform on which to build our future. Later the next day, Sandy Tigges, retired Director of the Orientation Center, and Mary Clarke, retired teacher in the Orientation Center, reflected on the history of blindness in Iowa in the context of personal and professional experiences.

Seliger Slayton Stratton Long-term Service Awards

The Seliger Slayton Stratton Long-term Service Awards were awarded to Rose Stratton, Donna Seliger, and Jo Slayton For their more than 15 years of continuous service educating the public, advocating for blind people, and providing dedicated state and chapter organization work to improve the lives of ICUB members and all blind individuals throughout Iowa and the nation. The award will be given annually as appropriate.

ACB Update

David Trott, ACB First Vice-President, provided an update on ACB activities. The 2025 ACB National Convention will be held in Dallas July 7-11. ACB’s Executive Director Eric Bridges has moved on to head the American Foundation for the Blind. Dan Spoon stepped up as interim Executive Director while ACB undertakes its search for a new Director.

ACB’s advocacy work has impacted several major companies. He noted that Apple representatives attended the ACB National Convention. He added that all ACB members need to help with fundraising. He mentioned fundraising walks, Monthly Monetary Support, ACB’s auction, the gala honoring leaders in audio description, and two thrift stores which raise about $400,000 each year. Convention sponsorships provide some funding, but obtaining grants is more difficult than it used to be. ACB has four major funds, including a general fund, a reserve fund, a scholarship fund, and an endowment fund. The ACB budget is approximately $2 million per year. He added that they had a clean audit recently.

Iowa Department for the Blind Updates

Connie Mendenhall, Chief Information Officer, reported that, on April 22, 2025, the Iowa Department for the Blind will celebrate its 100th anniversary. A centennial logo and programming are being planned for that date, and volunteers are welcome to help with the preparations. Shared and individual experiences will be showcased in the celebration, and IDB will be reaching out to a wide variety of individuals who helped to build the agency. The celebration will also be a vehicle for spreading the word about the current services the Department provides through its various programs.

Sarah Willeford, Regional Librarian and Interim Director, reported that there was no date set for when the Governor would appoint a permanent director of IDB. She reported that the youth library services had drawn in a record number of young people with guest speakers, craft and stem activities, and stories and story prompts. Library staff plan to develop a book reviewing all the programming throughout the summer. A fall after-school program is being developed, and the Book Bundles program is ongoing. The Instructional Materials team connections with schools is saving districts’ time and money with their staff assistance and collection of instructional materials. The instructional materials team also supports volunteers working on Braille certification. The library continues to highlight its services on its blog and on the IDB website.

Keri Osterhaus, the Vocational Rehabilitation Program Administrator at the Department, stressed that the goal for each person served was high-quality sustained employment. Individuals, she said, have choices throughout the program to tailor their services to their own needs and preferences. The VR team is working on marketing services to partner agencies and providing training to agency personnel as they expand services to IDB clients. She expects between 40 and 50 closures in Fiscal Year 2024.

Matt Nemmers, Program Administrator for the Business Enterprise Program at the Department, ran through a history of the BEP program in Iowa. He explained the rules for entering the BEP program, including being legally blind and a U.S. citizen. Applicants go through a training program at the Department and shadow other vendors. Details are available at www.iowa.blind.gov.

Karly Prinds, Program Administrator for the Blindness Empowerment and Independence Center, reported that twelve students and nine staff were currently in the Center learning through the structured discovery model. Students live in apartments in the community and participate in a variety of volunteer activities and field trips that reinforce the Center’s training. The Center also support specific programs for youth and for independent living clients.

Disability Rights Iowa

Charlene Jones spoke to the assembly about Disability Rights Iowa and the work they are doing to advocate for people with disabilities. Issues include helping people with intellectual disabilities understand their options, including their right to live in the community in a residential setting. Another focus is voting rights for people with disabilities. Established in 1984, the organization is largely funded by grants. She emphasized that their services are free and that they serve people with all disabilities.

Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Jonathan Carley, Chief Education Officer of the Iowa Educational Services for Blind and Visually Impaired (IESBVI) introduced Chris Captain, the new Superintendent of IESBVI. Captain told the assembly about his background, including that he has been deaf since the age of two. He attended a residential school for the deaf and went on to college where he studied history and economics. His first job was teaching at a school for the deaf. He then moved into administration after seven years of teaching. He said that Iowa has 38 itinerant teachers of the visually impaired and twelve mobility instructors and that there are 786 students being served with 88 learning/using Braille. In the spring, he said, a two-day family conference will focus on parents’ needs, offering them information on how to support their children. He commented that ICUB’s involvement in the workshops demonstrates how important consumer organizations are as models for young persons and as resources for parents.

The Braille Revival League Celebrates World Braille Day

January 4 is Louis Braille’s birthday. It is also World Braille Day. For the second year in a row, the Braille Revival League (BRL), a division of the American Council of the Blind, sponsored a zoom conference titled, “Why Braille Matters,” to celebrate the use of Braille throughout the world.

Presenters discussed the state of Braille in several countries, including the Netherlands, England, Samoa, Canada, Jamaica and the United States. Bart Simons, Chair of the Braille Authority for the Dutch Language, talked about the European Blind Union’s (EBU) year-long celebration of the 200th anniversary of the invention of Braille. He announced that they would be collecting and publishing an essay each day of the coming year written by a Braille user addressing some aspect of Braille. He encouraged non-Europeans to apply and said the details for submission and for a contest could be found at www.livingbraille.eu . Topics listed include daily life, Braille devices and tools, Braille displays, software, teaching, Braille resources, libraries and book services, digital resources, tactile children’s books, and Braille codes for different languages, music, math, contracted Braille, chemistry, chess, knitting and more.

Several speakers reported on Braille in public places like elevators, train and bus stations and room signage in hotels. The quality and placement of Braille signage is getting better but is not ubiquitous. The European Union (EU), the U.S., and Canada have standards for the quality and placement of Braille. Braille on consumer packaging can be found in Europe, although it is seldom available in the U.S.

A representative from the independent island of Samoa reported that they need Braille paper and writing devices for students to use for learning and reading Braille. She said Braille is found on signage, and Braille menus and disaster preparedness documents are available in Braille.

Online and zoom-based Braille training programs are available in a variety of places. The Braillist Foundation in England offers a variety of correspondence and online classes, as well as discussion groups and sessions for group reading aloud. Professor Vileen Shah, director of Braille education, East Bay Center for the Blind, discussed his organization’s Learn-at-home Braille Project. A teacher from the Florida School for the Blind discussed the need for students to move from Braille notetakers to laptops to keep up with internet advances and mainstream techniques. A representative of the American Printing house for the Blind, (APH), discussed APH offerings, ranging from slates and styluses to three refreshable braille devices: the Mantis, with a QWERTY keyboard and 40-cell Braille display; the Chameleon, with a 20-cell display and Braille keyboard; and the recently released Monarch, with a multiple line and graphics Braille display.

ICUB member Mary Haupt discussed the evolution of the Braille Revival League and some of their benefits. She encouraged people to join and noted that annual dues were only $10. Information is available at https://www.acb.org/affiliate-BRL .

Library Corner

By Sarah Willeford

We want to take a moment to share an important update about our Library blog. As part of our ongoing efforts to improve and enhance your experience, we are currently undergoing some exciting renovations behind the scenes. This means that, over the past few weeks, we have not been adding any new blog posts. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to make our blog better than ever. In the meantime, feel free to explore our past posts and the information on the site. Stay tuned for some exciting new content coming soon. We can’t wait to share the new and improved blog with you later this month!

Save the date! This year’s Iowa Regional Braille Challenge will be held Saturday, February 22, 2025, at the Iowa Department for the Blind. Braille readers in grades 1-12 from Iowa will gather to test their Braille skills in five categories: reading comprehension, Braille spelling, charts and graphs reading, proofreading, and Braille speed and accuracy. Winners of the Iowa Regional Braille Challenge may go on to compete in the national finals in California! The theme for 2025 is “Blast Off with Braille.” This year following the competition there will be an ice cream social and birthday bash for the Iowa Department for the Blind who celebrate its 100th birthday in 2025. Join us in making your own ice cream, karaoke and more!

Also, during the month of January we are highlighting all things Braille in celebration of Louis Braille’s birthday and World Braille Day! On January 4th, the library honored Louis Braille with a Braille Bash where patrons could attend in person or via Zoom. It was a good morning of snuggling up with a favorite book and also exploring the world of Braille. Stay tuned for more Braille highlights throughout the month!

The Library is hosting several winter programs:

Explore everything that the NLS eReader has to offer with our bi-monthly Q&A and training program, eReader Essentials. This program will be hosted every two months on the first Thursday of the month from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Zoom by the Service Specialist for the IMC, Leland Smith. For more information and to register, go to the iowalibrary.blog under Adult Programs.

The Crafting Your Story After School Program is designed to bring joy and creativity to your week. Join us for an unforgettable experience that combines learning and laughter, creating a perfect blend of education and entertainment for everyone. The program is held virtually on Zoom each Tuesday, September 17, 2024 – April 15, 2025, from 4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. For more information and to register, go to the iowalibrary.blog under Youth Library.

Finally, Makerspace Monday Workshops are designed to get your creative juices flowing while inviting the whole family to participate. All ages are welcome! It is held on the second Monday of the month beginning at 6:00 p.m., October through May. It is offered in-person at the Iowa Library for the Blind and Print Disabled (524 Fourth Street, Des Moines), or you can register and request that the activity kit and link to the activity video be sent to you to participate via Zoom. Registration is required. For more information and to register, go to the iowalibrary.blog under Youth Library.

Programming Reminders from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled

By Sarah Willeford

You can contact the library to get information for all the NLS programs.

• Many Faces of BARD will be held on the second Thursday of the month at 6:00 p.m., CST, via Zoom. Each monthly event covers one aspect of BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download service) and is open to all.

• That All May eRead, the monthly NLS program that focuses on the NLS Braille eReader will be held on the last Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m., CST, via Zoom.

• The Collections Division of the National Library Service has a new monthly newsletter that can be delivered right to your email inbox! Collection Connections is a monthly e-newsletter that contains books of note curated by the NLS Collections Division. Each issue contains book lists to spark your curiosity and interests. To sign up, send an email to: connections@loc.gov .

• The Music Section has a blog on the Library of Congress website called NLS Music Notes at https://blogs.loc.gov/nls-music-notes . The blog highlights the NLS music collection, presents newly added titles, profiles musicians who are blind or visually impaired, and features Braille music transcribers and their work, along with a variety of related music topics and activities. New posts appear every Thursday.

Reflections

By Don Wirth

The holidays got me thinking about my life journey. For the first 43 years, I could see. I could drive. I could do a number of things that are difficult or impossible for me as a blind guy to do. I denied I needed to use a cane until I ruined at least 2 pair of pants ripping out the knees while falling off the edge of a sidewalk. For the last 30+ years I have been living and learning to live blind. I have done it in fits and starts. I got assistance from the Iowa Department for the Blind with tools and technology, but only learning what I needed at the moment and not really taking full advantage of the training.

Finally, I couldn’t keep up with my work and took disability. Then two great things happened.

I signed on with IDB for rehabilitation training and started learning. As part of that training, I went to a state park for a week’s Orientation on the Road conducted by the co-editors of this newsletter in their professional roles at IDB. It was a brief introduction to mobility training, technology, cooking and Braille, among other topics. It also introduced me to working with and interacting with other blind folks.

The second event was attending state conventions of ICUB and NFBI. Because I was starting so late in life to learn how to live as a person who is blind, I thought I needed all the help wherever and whenever I could get it. But the most education I got was through interacting with other blind folks. The first ICUB state convention I attended was at the same Holiday Inn in Des Moines where the 2025 State Convention will be held. I can still remember meeting Rose Stratton, Jo Slayton and Shirley Wiggins sitting and gabbing away outside the meeting room. They greeted me and made me feel welcome.

I don’t remember much about the information that was presented at the Convention. But I do remember so many of the people and our conversations. Arlo and Elsie Monthei managing the hospitality suite Mike Hoenig and I standing at the elevator bank for nearly an hour after midnight. Who could have believed that Yankees and Cardinals fan could be so cordial? I also remember thinking how could these blind people be so accomplished and confident in what they were doing? I felt intimidated--not because of what they were doing and saying, but because I wasn’t sure I could meet the standards they set.

That first State Convention was about 12-14 years ago. Since then, I have learned a lot about living blind--Mostly by listening, discussing and learning with other blind people. A lot of them are smarter than me. A lot are more confident. A lot have accomplished so much more. But they have all given me models and goals to live up to. I continue to enjoy and learn from this blind community called the Iowa Council of the United Blind. You have all taught me so much! THANK YOU!

Donating Your Vehicle to Benefit ICUB

Do you need to dispose of a used vehicle? ICUB's Used Vehicle Donation Program offers a perfect solution. Your vehicle will be picked up from your home and sold at auction. A portion of the proceeds go directly to ICUB. You can claim a tax deduction equal to the dollar value of the vehicle. Call 800-899-4925 for more information.

News You Can Use

By Norma A. Boge

Hy-Vee’s customers in Iowa can now call 1-866-217-7011 for assistance in placing an Aisles Online order. This number will connect you directly to Hy-Vee’s customer service call center. You no longer need to call a specific store to place your order.

AI by landline has arrived! Just call 1-800-242-8478 (1-800-CHATGPT) to give this new experimental service a try. No account is needed, and callers enjoy 15 minutes of free calling per month. ChatGPT can answer questions about almost any topic, including health, finance, technology, and current events.

There are key points to remember when using ChatGPT. Be specific: The more detailed your prompt, the better the response. Provide context: If necessary, include background information to help ChatGPT understand your question. Experiment with different prompts: Try asking the same question in different ways to see how AI responds. Fact-check answers! While ChatGPT aims to provide accurate information, always verify important facts independently.

The library at the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) has curated a Spotify playlist of a selection of artists in their Blind Musicians Collection. Consisting of a whopping 238 songs and 51 artists, this collection covers a number of genres, including jazz, rock, country and classical. You’ll need a Spotify account to listen, but it’s free to sign up. Go to: https://tinyurl.com/452z8t5p .

Can the Seeing AI app from Microsoft possibly get any better? Yes! Microsoft has added another amazing feature to the scenes channel of the app. Seeing AI can now describe short (less than 5 minutes) Videos.

Follow the steps below to get an audio description of a short video:

First make sure the Seeing AI app is updated to the latest version.

Open the Seeing AI app.

Navigate to the scenes channel where you will find a browse photos button. Tap on it.

Now your photo library will appear. Find a video and open it.

Then tap on the describe button and you will hear a processing tune and a message from voiceover telling you “Processing. Please wait while descriptions for the video are generated.” This will take a couple of minutes.

Finally, your video will start to play automatically with some great audio description commentary on what’s happening in the video.

The National Library service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) has added six new magazines to its collection. Contact your NLS network library for more information or to subscribe. Washington Council of the Blind Newsline is available in audio format. You can get the following magazines in Braille:

Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Animal Wellness Magazine, Crossword Extravaganza, and Laine and Piano Technicians Journal.

Blind Café, a website that connects blind and visually impaired people from around the world, offers real-time chat, trivia contests, games, and resources on living with blindness or low vision. For more information and to participate in the community, visit www.blindcafe.net .

The NLS Collections Division has launched a new e-newsletter called Collections Connections. This is a subscription-based newsletter for patrons and network librarians highlighting works of diverse interest that can be downloaded from BARD. In addition to titles focused on a theme, a section called “Quick Picks” highlights books that are newly available on BARD. Collections Connections will be emailed to subscribers monthly. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, please send your email address to connections@loc.gov .

Did you know you can put a wooden spoon across a boiling pot of water to keep it from boiling over? This is probably one of the most well-known life hacks for the home, and, it does work! Why? Well, a few reasons. Wood is a natural repellent which (for chemical reasons) causes the bubbles to stop rising. Also, the spoon is at a cooler temperature than the water, meaning that once the bubbles reach the spoon, the steam and bubbles condense back into the water.

Director’s Report, Iowa Department for the Blind

By Sarah Willeford, Acting Director

On Monday, November 18, 2024, a listening session with staff from the Governor’s Office, the Iowa Department for the Blind Commissioners, and Consumer Group Presidents was held virtually. Insights, priorities and concerns to help inform the selection of a candidate who aligns with shared goals and values were shared and discussed. There is still no exact timeline regarding the search for a new IDB director. We are in regular contact with the Governor's office and will make sure communications are sent out once we have information.

The IDB budget has been submitted and we are early in the budget process. I met with the Governor regarding the Department's budget request in October.

Plans are underway for the Iowa Department for the Blind’s Centennial celebration, which will take place throughout 2025. One of the highlights will be an Open House event scheduled for the afternoon of April 2, 2025. Be on the lookout for "Save the Date" notices and additional details. The Library is preparing a display that will be available for public libraries and other organizations to showcase, focusing on the Department, its Library, and Braille. To help spread the word about our Centennial, services, and programs, we're developing information kits for organizations, consumer groups, and other agencies. In collaboration with the Des Moines Partnership, we’ll also be installing banners along Grand Avenue (from 2nd to 6th Street) in March and April, as well as placing signage in the downtown Des Moines Skywalk system, to raise awareness of the Department’s mission. If you have any questions, please reach out to Connie Mendenhall, Chief Information Officer, at 515-981-8397 or at connie.mendenhall@blind.state.ia.us .

Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

By Carrie Chapman

Ingredients:

32 oz. package frozen tater tots

2 cups diced ham

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

8 large eggs

2/3 cup milk

1 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp dry mustard powder (optional)

Chopped parsley or green onions, for topping

Instructions:

Spray a 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray. If baking immediately, preheat the oven to 375°F.

Assemble the casserole. Spread the frozen tater tots evenly across the bottom of the prepared dish. Layer the diced ham and shredded cheese on top of the tater tots.

Make the egg mixture. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sour cream, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and mustard powder (if using) until smooth and well combined. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the tater tot, ham, and cheese layers.

Refrigerate or bake. If preparing ahead of time, cover the dish with foil and refrigerate overnight or until ready to bake. Allow it to sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, and then bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes. If baking immediately, bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown and the eggs are fully set.

Garnish with chopped parsley or green onions and serve. Enjoy!

Notes: I omitted the dry mustard and used a combination of ham and cooked bacon instead of just ham. After baking, I added the shredded cheese on top and returned the casserole to the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

Across Iowa Chapter Report

By Don Wirth, Chapter President

The Across Iowa Chapter meets the first Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. via the ICUB Zoom link. All are welcome to join us.

In November, Carrie Chapman and Bob Martin led a discussion on AI equipment and applications that are helping the blind community. We discussed Be My AI as a phone app and for computers. We also discussed the Meta Ray-Ban glasses that allow hands free data gathering as well as contacting either Be My Eyes or AIRA. Both systems are opening many doors to greater independence for blind people.

In December we had our holiday social call. Participants shared holiday memories with an emphasis on what our favorite and most memorable foods were, past and present.

In January we discussed what was upcoming in 2025 for ICUB, ACB and the blind community. Some of the topics we discussed were the State and National Conventions and the Washington Leadership Seminar. We also commented on the hiring of a new Director of the Iowa Department for the Blind, as well as IDB’s centennial celebration in April.

Des Moines Chapter Report

By Cody Dolinsek, Chapter President

The Des Moines Chapter finished out the year with our Felix and Oscar’s Trivia Bowl in November and our holiday party in December. In spite of the cold weather on December 14th, several people made it out for some food and fellowship.

In addition to our fun events, we held our elections during the November meeting. We elected a new board member, Sarah Baebler-Hall. She brings to the Board her experience as a rehabilitation counselor with the Iowa Department for the Blind and her first-hand experience lobbying legislators for the rights of the blind at the national level.

During the coming year, one of our goals is to increase our public presence within the city of Des Moines. This will involve more social events, and it will likely involve more collaboration with the State ICUB president around State ICUB initiatives as well. We look forward to another exciting year.

To obtain a current list of State Board members and Chapter Presidents, including their contact information, go to our website, icublind.org, and click on the “Who We Are” link. You can also get this information by emailing us through the form at the bottom of our website page.

The ICUB Bulletin is available in large print, via e-mail, and on an NLS-compliant digital audio cartridge. To subscribe to the cartridge edition, please contact the Iowa Department for the Blind Library at 515-281-1323 or 800-362-2587, option 2. Please direct other questions about format choice and address changes to Co-Editor Sandy Tigges.

ICUB offers a BIG thank you to Catherine Witte for so meticulously proofreading each issue, as well as to everyone else who plays a part in producing the Bulletin.

ICUB BULLETIN Winter 2025

President’s Report

ICUB Founding Mothers

Donna Seliger

Jo Slayton

Rose Stratton

Iowa Council of the United Blind Scholarship

Selecting ICUB as a Beneficiary

Ready, Set, Bingo!

Out in the Community

2024 ICUB Convention Recap

President’s Report

IRIS

Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council

Importance of ICUB History

Seliger Slayton Stratton Long-term Service Awards

ACB Update

Iowa Department for the Blind Updates

Disability Rights Iowa

Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired

The Braille Revival League Celebrates World Braille Day

Library Corner

Programming Reminders from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled

Reflections

Donating Your Vehicle to Benefit ICUB

News You Can Use

Director’s Report, Iowa Department for the Blind

By Sarah Willeford, Acting Director

Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

Across Iowa Chapter Report

Des Moines Chapter Report

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