News
Categories: All News Items, Adult Programming News, Spotlight
The first time Chawnteeka Cooper attended an adult program at NDVS/SB, about 15 years ago, she was nervous. But the staff and instructors quickly made her feel comfortable. “They are all so encouraging,” Chawnteeka says. Over the years, she’s worked on cleaning techniques, cooking, braille, and technology skills during the weeks she’s attended adult programs and when NDVS/SB staff have visited her home. After she had her daughter, certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist Paul Olson, who also serves as Superintendent of NDVS/SB, taught her how to use her white cane while pushing a stroller. Now, she has a new goal – to get a guide dog. But that is no small feat. “I’m working hard to get my dog,” she says. “I have to pass a test to get one,” and Orientation & Mobility Specialist Margo Lentz is helping her learn what she needs to accomplish that goal. “I feel safe with her,” Chawnteeka says of Margo. “I know she’d jump in front of a car for me, for any of her students.”
Categories: All News Items, Employee Spotlight
NDVS/SB Data Administrative Assistant
Amy Bohlman has suddenly found more time in her day. After 10 years of commuting from her home in Hatton, ND, to work in Fargo, the hour-plus drive – each way – is something she doesn’t miss. Her drive to 500 Stanford Road is a lot shorter. But she does occasionally miss her companions from some of those drives. “Transporting animals for the rescue was one thing that made commuting to Fargo bearable,” she says. Amy is a volunteer for Journey Home Animal Rescue, which finds foster homes and forever homes for strays and surrendered animals across the region. With her long commute, she was able to bring many animals to their new home. “Over several years, hundreds of passengers, and thousands of miles, I’ve met plenty of great animals and selfless volunteers,” she says. Less time in the car may mean less furry passengers, but it does give her more time for other volunteer tasks with the organization, and more time for her hobbies. Learn more about Amy by reading her answers below.
Categories: All News Items, Spotlight
With the Olympic games underway this month, and the Paralympic Games coming up, we have been thinking about what it takes to be an Olympian or a
Paralympian. So why not ask the athletes themselves? Quincie Mattick, who spent much of her school years in North Dakota, was a member of the Paralympic Judo team, and made a run to compete at the Paralympics. While she ultimately decided to leave the sport before competing at the Paralympics, she learned a lot from her experience on the world stage. Read about her experience and the lessons it taught her, as well as her advice for young athletes today.
Categories: All News Items
by Paul Olson, NDVS/SB Superintendent
In an attempt to share some highlights of the year, here are my Top 10 Takeaways from 2025.
1. The staff at NDVS/SB are dedicated, fun, smart, hardworking and lots of other really awesome, cool and accurate adjectives.
2. We served a whopping 534 students and adults throughout the last biennium. Woo-Hoo!
3. We had another successful legislative budget proposal leading to an appropriation to carry out our mission to serve the great citizens of North Dakota for the next 2 years.
Categories: All News Items, Instruction, Student Programming
by Cindy Williams, TSVI and Coordinator of Student Programs
Greetings all!
Each year at this time, in my role as Coordinator of Student Programs, I reflect on and summarize the learning and educational experiences offered through our student short-term programs. This year, I am doing something a little different. Instead, I am writing about who we are and what we do as it relates to both our short-term programs and outreach services. This topic came to mind after receiving an email from the Council of Schools & Services for the Blind national listserv asking: How are services provided by schools or agencies that offer short-term programs along with outreach services? I realized this is likely a question shared by parents, educators, and even individuals we already serve. So, here we go—how do we incorporate student short-term programs with outreach services?
First, I would like to reiterate our mission, which was updated this past fall:
To provide specialized and individualized services for people of all ages who are blind or have low vision by partnering with families, educators, and agencies to empower them in achieving their goals.
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NDVS/SB prides itself as an agency that serves people from birth to death. We help those who are experiencing vision loss due to aging find solutions to maintain their independence and happiness. We help those in mid-life find hope and employment solutions, and help them relearn daily living skills like cooking and cleaning after vision loss. We help students learn in new and different ways by determining what accommodations they may need in order to be successful in school and in life. And we serve infants and toddlers, as well as their families, as they navigate sight loss while taking their first steps and their first bites. Just like the students and clients we serve, the babies we serve are all different – they have different diagnoses, different needs, different personalities. But knowing what our babies are experiencing now can help us, as an agency, as a state, and as a country, prepare for the future.
Categories: All News Items, Adult Programming News
by Ken Dockter
NDVS/SB Adult Program Coordinator
If you are blind or have low vision, you may feel intimidated by exercise or self-conscious about performing the activities correctly. But with a few simple adaptations, you can start moving and take advantage of all the benefits of exercise, leading to a more fulfilled life.
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Not many teens would say that the highlight of their summer was attending a conference, but that’s exactly how 16-year-old Ryder Schlafman-Hieb feels.
Ryder, who is starting her junior year at Carrington High School this month, attended the CHARGE Syndrome Conference in Phoenix, AZ, at the end of July with her mom, her TSVI Lanna Slaby, and Lacey Long, the Director of the North Dakota Dual Sensory Project. Ryder was born with CHARGE Syndrome, which stands for Coloboma, Heart defects, Atresia choanae, Retarded growth and development, Genital and/or urinary abnormalities, and Ear abnormalities and deafness. These characteristics vary widely among individuals and not every person will have all the features that make up the acronym. In Ryder’s case, CHARGE Syndrome has caused vision loss, hearing loss, and other physical issues, but, more importantly, she said, “it has offered me opportunities to meet new people.” This summer was no exception, as Ryder met hundreds of individuals of all ages who have CHARGE Syndrome, as well as professionals, including those who are researching CHARGE Syndrome and people working for the CHARGE Foundation.
Categories: All News Items, Student Programming
by Cindy Williams
NDVS/SB Coordinator of Student Programs
Welcome to the 2025–2026 school year, and a warm welcome to Student Short-Term Programs at NDVS/SB! I hope you and your family are settling smoothly into your new school routine—or will be soon. I am honored to be the Coordinator of Student Programs and am excited about the year ahead. Our Short-Term Programs (STP) are designed to offer individual and small class instruction through collaboration with families and local schools. While attending our STPs, students share similar experiences unique to the world of low vision and blindness and take away self-awareness and confidence through this shared experience.
NDVS/SB offers students in North Dakota with low vision or blindness opportunities to come together in the summer to interact socially, learn new skills, experience lessons in the Expanded Core Curriculum and have fun. We had an exciting summer at NDVS/SB through the following programs.
Categories: All News Items
by Paul Olson
NDVS/SB Superintendent
Dear Families, Partners, and all Citizens of North Dakota,
As we begin another exciting school year, I am thrilled to welcome you all back. It is a time filled with anticipation and enthusiasm as we look forward to the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
At North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind, our commitment to being responsive to the needs of those we serve and providing the highest quality service is of utmost importance. The reputation of our organization, as well as the reputation of each individual within it, is built on trust. We strive to earn and maintain that trust every day.