News

The 2025 North Dakota Legislative Session is in full swing. Every odd-numbered year, starting in January, the North Dakota Legislature meets for a maximum of 80 days to pass new legislation and approve the state’s budget for the next biennium, which begins July 1.

Legislative activities are followed closely by state agencies, including North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind, as agencies’ budgets for the next two years are set by appropriations bills. Each agency plays an active role in the budget bill process, with the leader of each agency often making multiple trips to Bismarck, either virtually or in-person, over the course of the 80-day session to propose and defend their agency’s budget request. But preparations for the legislative session begin months before the legislature convenes in January.

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NDVS/SB Financial Assistant

Capable. Kind. Flexible. People who end up working at ND Vision Services/School for the Blind seem to always possess these traits. Our newest hire, Tallena Thom, is no different. Tallena is the Financial Assistant at NDVS/SB, but her duties go beyond accounting. Her title, she says, “doesn’t justify everything I’ll be doing. I’m excited to learn different roles and wear many hats like everyone else.” Her supervisor, Business Manager Paula Solheim, has full confidence in Tallena’s abilities. “She is very adaptable. She is not afraid to take something on to help make sure everything will run smoothly,” Paula says. Paula and Tallena have worked together before, which made them both even more certain this job would be a perfect fit. “Tallena is always willing to help with whatever anyone needs,” Paula says. “If she doesn’t know something, she will certainly find out and make it happen. I am so glad she is here with us!” Read on to learn more about Tallena.

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NDVS/SB Maintenance Supervisor

Arik Solheim wasn’t expecting to change jobs this winter. And he certainly wasn’t expecting to end up working alongside his wife, Paula Solheim, Business Manager at NDVS/SB. “When you’re happy at your current job, you’re never really looking for a new job,” he said. But when Paula told him that the Maintenance Supervisor position would be opening at NDVS/SB, he knew he better jump at the chance. “I knew some of the people there and the dynamic of the team, and that really appealed to me. I applied, and here I am,” he said. In just a few short weeks, Arik has made himself right at home at NDVS/SB and has kept up its reputation for its well-cared for grounds. “I oversee our maintenance and housekeeping, which means making sure we keep up this building’s great appearance inside and out,” he explains. With Arik’s experience in facility management and his hobby as a DIY-er, the building is sure to shine. Find out more about Arik by reading on.

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by Tracy Wicken, Project Chair, NDVS/SB Technology and Lions Club Member

There is an exciting project underway, and your support is needed to make it happen. We hope to be able to install a life-size bronze statue representing the service and support that NDVS/SB provides to persons of all ages with vision loss throughout North Dakota. The statue also represents Lions Clubs and their members and the service and support they give to vision-related projects as well to people with vision loss in North Dakota and around the world. We are calling this project “Statue of Service.”  This bronze statue, along with a resting area, will be placed on the grounds of NDVS/SB in Grand Forks to represent that service as well as inform people of the location of NDVS/SB.

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by Ken Dockter
NDVS/SB Adult Program Coordinator

1. A timer. This could be a talking timer, a tactual timer, a smartphone, a large print timer, an Alexa, or a Google home. (“Alexa, set a timer for 20 minutes.”)
2. Long oven mitts. These prevent burning of the hands and forearms as a person is placing items in or taking items out of the oven.
3. A variety of sharp knives for different tasks in the kitchen
4. Good kitchen scissors for opening packages, cutting food, etc. Sometimes using a scissors is easier and more convenient than using a knife (or your teeth!).
5. Tactual or high contrast labels on appliances. These will help you continue to be independent and safe while using them. For example, you can mark the start button on a microwave, where 350 is on an oven, or where medium is on a stove.

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by Cindy Williams
NDVS/SB Coordinator of Student Programs

The first semester of the school year seemed to fly by faster than usual. During this time, we had a full house for our numerous student programs. This included our middle school program in September, “The World Around Us – Learning Through Exploration,” themed around exploring the community; our elementary program in October, “Falling into the ECC,” themed around all things fall; and our teen program for 10^th - 12^th graders focused on career exploration and skills of independent living. Our last program of the semester, for our 7^th - 10^th grade students, included venturing to the Metigoshe/Bottineau area where we collaborated with Annie's House at Bottineau Winter Park. While there, our students participated in some outdoor fun and adventures the first weekend of December.

What exactly happens when students attend our short-term programs (STPs)? Well, read on, and I will explain! 

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by Paul Olson
NDVS/SB Superintendent

As we reflect on 2024, I can confidently say that it has been both an eventful and impactful year at NDVS/SB. The spring and summer months were filled with dynamic programming weeks for both students and adult clients at our headquarters in Grand Forks. Our regional coordinators, who are dedicated Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TSVIs), traveled tirelessly across the state, visiting students in their homes and schools. During these visits, they provided crucial assessment and instruction in all areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC). At NDVS/SB, we are deeply committed to the ECC, which encompasses the specialized skills and knowledge that individuals who are blind or have low vision need to thrive.

One of the primary areas of focus within the ECC is Access Technology (AT), which is essential for navigating today’s technology-driven world. While technology offers incredible benefits in making life easier and more efficient, significant barriers to access still exist for individuals who are blind or have low vision. At NDVS/SB, we are passionate about ensuring that our students and adult clients can harness the full potential of technology to level the playing field. We have a long history of providing expert assessment and training in access technology for both students and adults, but we must increase our focus in this area to meet new demands.

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NDVS/SB Maintenance Supervisor (and soon-to-be retiree)

This month, Maintenance Supervisor Greg Roufs is retiring after nearly 16 years at NDVS/SB. Taking care of the entire building at 500 Stanford Road means that Greg has worked with two staffs – NDVS/SB and Community High School, which leases half of the building. Both places have meant so much to Greg. “Such caring people work on both sides of the building. I’m going to miss it,” he says. And they’ll miss him. “Greg is simply one of the most hard-working people I have met in my life,” says NDVS/SB Superintendent Paul Olson. “He has bent over backwards for both staff and students alike and has cared about the mission at NDVS/SB every day of his work.” Terry Bohan, the principal at Community High School, concurs. “Greg gets the job done, no matter what that job may be. It has been my honor working with him for the past 16 years,” he says.

Greg almost didn’t apply for the job. “I wasn’t sure I met the qualifications. I had taken a night class to work with a low-pressure boiler, but I figured I’d need to know how to work with a high-pressure boiler,” Greg says. He called an old classmate, Brian Purcell, whose wife, Tami, was the business manager at NDVS/SB at the time. She reassured him that he would indeed meet the qualifications. “The high-pressure side is from UND, and I only needed to know the low-pressure boiler,” Greg explains. “So, I went for it.” Sixteen years later, Greg shares his memories from his time at NDVS/SB and what he’s excited about as he enters retirement. 

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Have you ever wondered what a TSVI does all day? Some TSVIs are employed by one school district so work in one building every day, or only travel within the district. But some TSVIs cover large areas. Those TSVIs are called itinerant, meaning they serve multiple students in multiple districts, and may work with children of all ages, from babies to 21+! The TSVIs employed by NDVS/SB are all itinerant, meaning they spend lots of time in their cars, lots of time writing reports, and lots of time with many different kiddos! Get a taste of what a day in the life of a TSVI is like by reading about NDVS/SB's Outreach Coordinator Erin Storhoff's day on Thursday, December 12, 2024!

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NDVS/SB Region 3 Outreach Coordinator

The month of August often brings big changes – cooler weather, new school year, and new beginnings. Our newest employee, Breanne Welk, began her new position at NDVS/SB this past August and is looking forward to all the things a new job brings. Here, Breanne shares her goals and a bit about herself!

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