Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School

The Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School is located in Vinton, Iowa. Students from all over Iowa are housed and educated there. Students must be legally blind to attend Iowa Braille. Students in special education are entitled to educational programming until age 21. Students may attend the school for short-term enrollment for specialized skill development and training. Students attend classes that meet individual educational needs. Some students attend select classes at the local public school. Instruction is provided in specialized areas of core curriculum for students with visual impairments, which include compensatory skills, orientation and mobility, social interaction skills, independent living skills, career education/work experience, use of assistive/adaptive technology and visual efficiency skills.

The school was opened in 1852 as the Iowa College for the Blind. Mary Ingalls, sister of Laura Ingalls Wilder (author of the Little House on the Prairie series), attended the school.

Recently, changes by the State of Iowa Regents (who oversee all Iowa public universities, the Braille School, and a school for the deaf in Council Bluffs, Iowa) have brought into question the future of the institution. School officials and others who previously attended the Iowa Braille school are fighting to keep the school open.