• The Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School, built in 1862 educates visually impaired students ages 10-21. Students from across the state of Iowa live in dorms during the school week. During the 1960s, as many as 160 students attended the school. Today there are only 34 students, many with multiple disabilities. Students must be legally blind to attend Iowa Braille. There is no cost to attend the school.
• Ben Anderson, 18, puts his face against a silk flower arrangement during art class. Art teacher Carrie Cimarrusti-Erickson passed around the flowers so that the students would have a better understanding of the art project. The class was working on making pictures of flowers using construction paper and paint.
• Jesse Stelken, 20, (left) takes a tandem bike ride with adapted physical education teacher Jay Wilson around the school’s track. The buildings in the background are all part of the campus that was built in 1862.
• Amber Bushbaum, 20, plays piano and leads a sing-a-long for some of the younger, more disabled students every Friday afternoon before being bussed home for the weekend. Amber is in her last year at Iowa Braille and after graduation has a job lined up in her hometown.
• Sierra Wendling, 13, (right) resists while working with para-educator Donna Walker on separating the blocks from clothespins and putting them in separate bins during class. Sierra is both visually and hearing impaired.
• Jesse Stelken, 20, (left) and Joe Beem, 20, share a laugh while visiting together after dinner in Jesse’s dorm room. Jesse and Joe live in the Working to Improve Needed Skills, or WINS, dorm program that teaches transitional living skills such as cooking, cleaning and doing laundry, in addition to personal and social skills. The program helps students make their transition from school to an adult-living environment.
• Adapted physical education teacher Jay Wilson (from left) helps guide Andrew Detmer, 17, and Joe Beem, 20, back to the locker room from the school’s swimming pool after physical education class. The boys have gym class every other day. Their activities range from swimming to lifting weights to horseback riding.
• Jerad Nylin, 12, reads his e-mail in the dorms after school. The computer has a program that reads the text out loud as well as displaying the large lettering. It is Jerad’s first year at the school. Since transferring to Iowa Braille, Jerad has improved his reading skills because of the extra personal attention he receives as well as the available technology.
• Amber Smith, 14, (center) feels the felt lettering of her prom court sash after the prom royalty was announced during an assembly in the auditorium at the school. Behind Amber is Nick Jentz, 21, (bottom left) and prom king Jesse Stelken, 20. Carla Morrow (far right) is the school's residence dean.
• Josh Jostad, 21, reaches into the dryer to carefully put in his clean wet clothes. Josh is learning life skills while living in the WINS dorm program. Josh plans on moving into an independent living group home after graduation.
• Suzanne Erickson talks with her son, Chris Erickson, 21, before Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School’s graduation ceremony. The school had four graduates. Many of the students will go on to live in group homes and work for a living.
• Alyssa Crowe, 15, plays with a sensory board filled with items that have different shapes and textures to touch and explore in the lounge in the girls' dorm at Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School.
• Quinn Baughman, 16, (from left) Kaylee Hill, 15, Heather Cummins, 15, and Amber Smith, 14, hang out together in the recreation room as the school prom winds down for the night. Students over 14 are allowed to stay the weekend at school for the event. Teachers, administrators and parents also stay for the weekend.