 Brighter Days, Stronger Voices
March ushers in the arrival of the spring equinox, giving us equal amounts of sunlight in the day and darkened skies at night. As Minnesotans, we relish the promise of longer, brighter, and warmer days. Across the state, we gain between 90 and100 minutes of daylight by month’s end!
The return of longer days invites us to recognize both the brightening of our natural world and the progress we continue to make toward greater inclusion. As the light grows, so does SSB's shared commitment to ensuring Minnesota is a place where everyone can fully participate and thrive.
SSB Department Spotlight – Workforce Development
Minnesota State Services for the Blind’s Workforce Development Unit (WDU) assists people who are blind, low vision, or DeafBlind find a job, advance their career, and keep meaningful employment. “Our mission is to help our customers prepare for, find, and maintain employment,” says Supervisor Courtney W.
To make this mission a reality, WDU offers a wide range of services tailored to each person’s goals and needs. These include adjustment‑to‑blindness training, assistive technology assessments, post‑secondary and job readiness training, job‑seeking skills development, job search support, and on‑the‑job assistance once employment is secured. “Too many [services] to name!” Courtney adds, highlighting the breadth of support available.
Partnerships with employers are another cornerstone of the unit’s work. WDU has staff dedicated to strengthening these relationships by educating employers about the skills and value people with vision loss bring to the workforce and by helping them provide effective accommodations. “Every engagement WDU has is an opportunity,” notes SSB Deputy Director Jon, emphasizing that collaboration is woven into every part of the team’s approach.
Jon also points to barriers rooted in bias and misunderstanding. “We address this by sharing, educating, challenging, and never giving up on our mission.”
Both leaders see powerful transformations. Courtney highlights customers who discover they can pursue meaningful work: “It’s amazing to watch their confidence grow.” Jon recalls helping a real estate broker stay in a career he loved. The customer later said that support “literally saved him.”
Together, these stories highlight what makes SSB’s Workforce Development Unit exceptional: a commitment to possibility, partnership, and people. Through unwavering support and a belief in every individual’s potential, WDU helps Minnesotans move forward with confidence toward the careers—and futures—they deserve.
New Men's Low Vision Support Group
Support groups organized through State Services for the Blind (SSB) are helping people with vision loss find encouragement, practical strategies, and community. Next month, SSB is launching a new men's low vision support group. The group will meet once a month. Come join us for helpful tips, new techniques, laughter, and support.
Date: Starting April - Dates to be announced
Time: 1:00 pm
Location: SSB's home office - 2200 University Avenue West, St. Paul
Contact: Register with stacy.shamblott@state.mn.us
SSB Wraps Up 2025 with Gains
Minnesota VRS and SSB exceeded all five of our vocational rehabilitation performance goals for Program Year 2024 (July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025).
Our overall state score was 105.37%
- Measurable skill gains: 100.4%
- Employment Rate 2nd Quarter: 100.4%
- Median Earnings 2nd Quarter: 107.3%
- Employment Rate 4th Quarter: 101.3%
- Credential Attainment: 117.6%
SSB 2025 Annual Report
SSB's 2025 Annual Report highlights our commitment to making connections with customers, businesses, service providers, communities, and advocates throughout the state. Click here to read the 2025 SSB Annual Report.
Thank you, SSB Counselors!
National Rehabilitation Counselors Appreciation Day is observed annually on March 22 to honor the dedication and contributions of rehabilitation counselors who help individuals with disabilities achieve personal, social, psychological, and vocational goals.
We extend our deepest appreciation to all of SSB’s counselors for their unwavering dedication and tireless commitment to serving blind, low vision, and DeafBlind Minnesotans. Your expertise, compassion, and steadfast advocacy make a profound difference in the lives of the individuals and communities you support every day.
Get Involved - Join the SRC-B Council
The State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind (SRC-B) acts as an advisory body to provide recommendations and a perspective from the community of the low vision, blind, and DeafBlind to State Services for the Blind on programs and services they provide to qualified Minnesotans.The council must have a majority of members who are blind, low vision, or DeafBlind, and who are not employed by SSB. Meetings are currently using a hybrid model with in-person and on Zoom on a bimonthly basis. Per diem reimbursement is available.
Current SRC-B seats open for application:
- American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Projects Representative
- Department of Education Representative
- Industry Representative #2
- Member #1 – Recipient of Vocational Rehabilitation Services
- PACER Representative
Be part of the advisory body to provide recommendations for SSB services and programming. Click this link to complete and submit an online Open Appointments Application on the Secretary of State website.
Other Announcements:
Many Faces of BARD - Thurs. March 12th
The topic for the National Library Service (NLS) Many Faces of BARD program will be Automatic Downloading on the DA2. After a presentation and demonstration, NLS will take your questions about all things BARD for the remainder of the hour. NLS will record this program.
Date: Thursday, March 12th
Time: 6:00-7:00 pm central time
Location - virtual on Zoom: https://loc.zoomgov.com/j/1606945179?pwd=EH2KEjihYhALNg5ttf816aKuPGgndc.1
NFB Scholarships - Apply by March 31st
Every year, the National Federation of the Blind awards more than $300,000 in cash and prizes to blind scholars in recognition of their achievements and professional aspirations. This year, there are thirty $10,000 merit-based scholarships currently available. All scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic excellence, community service, and leadership.
Click this link to learn more about the NFB scholarship application program.
Volunteers Needed - MN Cane Quest
The first Minnesota Cane Quest is coming up quickly! The MN Cane Quest is an Orientation & Mobility (O&M) program designed for blind and low vision students in grades 3-12. The event focuses on developing skills to navigate the environment safely and independently.
The teams at SparkPath, State Services for the Blind, Minnesota Department of Education, Minneapolis Public Schools, and the Region 11 Low Incidence Project at BrightWorks are busy planning for a fun day. They already have 12 students signed up to show off their O&M skills.
Organizers are looking for volunteers and donations to help make the day successful.
Volunteers: There is still a need for plenty of help. They are looking for:
- O&M Specialists to watch/evaluate the older students as they perform their skills.
- TBVIs, O&M teachers in training, and other low vision community members to watch/evaluate the younger students.
- Volunteers to serve as route monitors to shadow students and ensure safety throughout the event.
There will be training for all volunteers, so you don't have to be an expert in O&M skills to join us!
Donations: Monetary and in-kind contributions will support event expenses such as venue rental, student T-shirts, food and beverages, competition supplies, printing, and student prizes (gift cards or other fun giveaway items).
Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026
Location: Edison High School – 700 22nd Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418
Schedule: 1:00 – 4:00 pm (Volunteer training begins at 11:30 am)
If you are interested in volunteering/donating or have more questions, please contact Madi Ericksen at madi.ericksen@brightworksmn.org or 612-638-1514.
NFB of Minnesota Scholarships - Apply by April 15th
Attention Students! The National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota announces the Joyce and Tom Scanlan 2026 scholarship program is now open. This year NFB - MN will be awarding two scholarships for $3,000 to qualified applicants. In addition to the monetary award, winners will have the opportunity to attend the Annual Convention of the National Federation of the Blind in Austin, Texas on July 3rd-8th with expenses paid by NFB of Minnesota.
Applications must be received by April 15th. Click here for information on the NFB - MN scholarship application program.
Registration Open - Blind Birder Bird-a-Thon
Registration is officially open the 2nd Annual Global Blind Birder Bird-a-Thon happening May 3 and 4, 2026. This global celebration is designed with and for birders who are blind or have low vision. It centers birding by ear, community connections, and the understanding that birding is for everybody and every mind.
Participants who are blind or have low vision can bird anywhere in the world during at least two hours of a 24-hour window on either May 3 or May 4. Birding can take place in a backyard, park, balcony, accessible trail, neighborhood sidewalk, or wherever listening to birds is possible. Count the species you detect by sound or sight and submit your list to the Bird-a-Thon Compiler so your birds can be part of the global total.
You may also consider organizing one or more outings throughout Minnesota in coordination with local bird clubs who can provide expert guidance on identifying birds by ear.
There is no cost to participate. The focus is community, joy in birds, awareness, and access.
Full details and registration are available at:
https://www.birdability.org/blind-birdathon
Registration Open - NFB BELL Academy
The NFB BELL Academy—which stands for National Federation of the Blind Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning®—helps blind and low vision children develop the literacy skills that will empower them to achieve their academic goals and live the lives they want.
NFB BELL Academy will take place at the Minnesota Waldorf School (70 County Road B, Saint Paul) July 13-24, 2026
Click this link to register or learn more about this summertime opportunity for blind and low vision youth.
Cheer on Minnesota Paralympians
The 2026 Winter Paralympics held in Milano/Cortina, Italy, started March 6th and runs through March 15th. 665 athletes will compete in 79 events across six sports. With eight athletes competing, Minnesota is the state with the most representatives in the U.S. Paralympic team!
Access Press writes of three Minnesotans who will be there:
“For Park Rapids native Aaron Pike, the road to Milano Cortina is familiar territory. Pike is a six-time Paralympian who competes year-round, transitioning between wheelchair racing in the summer and para-Nordic skiing and biathlon in the winter.
At the other end of the spectrum is Liam Cunningham, a young sled hockey player making his Paralympic debut at seventeen-years-old. He is currently a student at Saint Thomas Academy and a member of the Minnesota Wild Sled Hockey Team.
Returning for her second Paralympic appearance is Burnsville resident Oyuna Uranchimeg. She has been named to the Team USA Wheelchair Mixed Curling team, a testament to her strategic mind and precise touch on the ice.
Uranchimeg is a graduate of Hamline University and hopes to earn gold in the sport that many describe as, “chess on ice.””
This MPR story includes the forty or so Olympians and Paralympians with MN connections.
Celebrate Women's History Month
March is Women’s History Month. It's an opportune time to recognize the many low vision, blind, or DeafBlind women whose contributions have shaped and continue to influence our world. These women exemplify how vision loss does not preclude excellence—in sports, science, healthcare, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Here are just a few remarkable examples:
Harriet Tubman (c.1820–1913)
- African-American abolitionist and leader of the Underground Railroad.
- Sustained a head injury in her youth causing lifelong visual impairments and seizures.
- Escaped from slavery and guided 300+ enslaved people to freedom.
- Served as a Union spy.
Laura Bridgman (1829–1889)
- First DeafBlind person to gain significant education in the English language (before Helen Keller).
- Educated at Perkins School for the Blind; mastered subjects like math, writing, and philosophy.
- Influential enough to be written about by Charles Dickens.
Adelia M. Hoyt (1865–1966)
- Librarian and author who lost vision from childhood illness.
- Worked at the Library of Congress reading room for the blind.
- Co-authored and published Braille Transcribing: A Manual, to guide the volunteer transcribing efforts of the American Red Cross after World War I.
- Helped found the Iowa Home for Sightless Women in Des Moines, and served on its board.
- Served as president of the Iowa School for the Blind Alumni Association.
Helen Keller (1880–1968)
- American author, political activist, and lecturer, both deaf and blind from 19 months old.
- First DeafBlind person in the U.S. to earn a college degree (Radcliffe, 1904).
- Wrote 14 books and hundreds of essays, co‑founded the ACLU, and campaigned for disability rights, women’s suffrage, and labor reforms.
Marla Runyan - Contemporary Athlete and Advocate
- American track and field athlete, runner, and cyclist.
- Six‑time Paralympic medalist.
- First legally blind athlete to compete in the Olympics (1500 m, Sydney 2000).
- Only American to compete in both the Olympics and Paralympics.
- Top American finishes in the Boston, Chicago, and New York marathons.
- Taught at Perkins School for the Blind and Northwestern University.
- Advocacy work includes promoting inclusion and accessibility in sports and other areas of life.
Dr. Mona Minkara – Contemporary Chemist & Accessibility Champion
- Earned a Ph.D. in chemistry, now assistant professor of bioengineering at Northeastern University.
- Gradually lost her vision due to childhood macular degeneration and cone-rod dystrophy.
- Former SSB customer while working on postdoctoral research at the University of Minnesota’s Chemical Theory Center.
- Co-founded ALLIED (Allies for Leading, Learning, Inclusion, and Education of Disabilities) at Northeastern, a cross-campus initiative advancing accessibility through community.
- Served on the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Committee on Chemists with Disabilities
- Creator and host of the YouTube travel series Planes, Trains, and Canes, where she navigates global cities alone as a blind traveler using only public transportation.
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