[Nfb-idaho] This is one of the fact sheets for the legislative banquet. Please read in prreparation for the event.

[Dana Ard]

               FACT SHEET

The Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind (IESDB)

The Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind (IESDB) is the
state agency responsible for providing educational services for blind and
visually impaired children from birth to age 21. These services are provided
in two ways. The Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind, located in Gooding,
provides residential services to eligible blind and visually impaired
students from kindergarten through high school graduation. Currently the
residential school program serves approximately 40 blind and visually
impaired children. The majority of blind and visually impaired students are
served by the IESDB outreach program. Outreach teachers provide consultative
services for blind students who are being served by their local school
districts. Generally the IESDB consultants work with paraprofessionals who
provide instruction to the students. 

The National Federation of the Blind of Idaho requests your support for the
IESDB budget proposal. This proposal will

.        Provide funds for IESDB to hire an on campus teacher for grades
3-5.

.        Hire an assistive technology teacher to work both on campus and
with the consultants who work with the school districts.

.        Provide salary increases for teachers based on performance and
years of experience. 

Currently, students who are in grades 3-5, and who would benefit from
education in a residential setting, must be placed on a waiting list for
services, since there is not a teacher for those grades on the ISDB campus. 

An assistive technology teacher is needed to ensure that blind students
receive the most appropriate assistive technology for their educational
needs, along with the training to use it. This position will serve both the
on-campus and the regional programs. 

Many of the IESDB teachers should receive salary increases commensurate with
their performance and experience. Such salary increases will encourage these
excellent teachers to remain in Idaho, and save the state the costs and time
of finding and training new teachers.