The Iris Network
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 Iris Network main entrance sign | |
| Formation | June 23, 1905 |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Vision Rehabilitation |
| Location |
|
President | David Barnwell |
| Website | www |
Formerly called | The Maine Center for the Blind |
The Iris Network is a private non-profit agency located in Portland, Maine.[1] The agency provides vision rehabilitation and other services to blind and visually impaired adults.[2]
Formerly known as the Maine Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the agency was originally incorporated as the Maine Institution for the Blind in June 1905, with support from deaf-blind activist Helen Keller.[3] Maine Civil War General and Governor Joshua Chamberlain assisted with its founding and served on its first Board of Directors.[4]
The agency opened for services in October 1909, and is located in the Parkside neighborhood of Portland. The campus features two early 20th-century brick buildings and includes administrative offices, a residential Rehabilitation Center, a Low Vision Center, and private residential apartments specifically designed to be accessible to the blind. The agency was renamed the Iris Network in 2000.[2]
Early history[edit]
The founding of the organization was largely due to the efforts of Portland native William J. Ryan (1864-1936). Ryan was visually impaired and ran a small business caning chairs in the Portland City Hall building on Myrtle Street.[5] The building was named for Ryan after his death in 1936.[clarification needed][5]
The second structure on the campus, known as the Barker House, was built for $12,000, funded by the efforts of the Gorham Dames and Mrs. Virginia Jordan, in memory of her mother, sister and brother. It was used as an administrative building and women's dormitory.[4][not in citation given]
In 1920, with an appropriation of $35,000 from the Maine Legislature, and contributions of an equal amount from friends, a men's residence was purchased at Deering and Park Avenues. This was sold in 1942, to the City of Portland.[3][not in citation given]
Community rehabilitation services[edit]
In 1974, the Maine Institution for the Blind (MIB) applied for a block grant funding through the Social Security Act Title XX for creating a community-based rehabilitation program in Southern Maine.[6][not in citation given][non-primary source needed] Known as the Field Program, it was designed to teach adaptive daily living skills to visually impaired individuals in their homes, schools and workplaces. Initially, four rehab teachers were hired by MIB, and one more was placed with the Maine Department of Labor's Division for the Blind & Visually Impaired (DBVI).[7][not in citation given]
From 1978 to 1979, the Field Program moved to Catholic Charities Maine, then known as Diocesan Human Relations Services, due to cash-flow problems at MIB. The agency's financial situation stabilized under the leadership of Director Robert Crouse.[8] The program returned to MIB in 1980 and was renamed Community Services.
Throughout the 1980s, the Community Services Program expanded to cover 15 of the 16 counties in Maine. The program began serving Maine's northernmost region, Aroostook County, in 1992. Over time, the teaching staff became professionally-certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapists, many of whom hold a master's degree in Education.[9] [10]
In 2016, the Community Services contract was temporarily awarded to Catholic Charities Maine by the Maine Department of Labor (DOL).[11] The Iris Network appealed the decision to the state Department of Administrative and Financial Services, claiming that "several unlawful and fundamentally unfair errors" were made by the DOL in selecting Catholic Charities, and that the bid from The Iris Network was more than $200,000 lower.[12] The appeal was a success, and the contract was awarded to the Iris Network in 2017.[13]
Today, the agency employs 11 Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapists that work throughout the State of Maine, and it continues to partner with DBVI and the Department of Labor to fund this program.[14]
Assistive technology and job services[edit]
By the late 1960s, the factory had closed and after a brief foray into textile manufacturing in the 1970s. The agency, now known as the Maine Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, decided instead to focus its training programs on the assistive technology (AT) skills needed in the modern information-based workplace.[15]
Today, the Iris Network offers customized individual or class instruction in AT to adults with vision loss. The program assists its clients with placement and support services and also serves as a resource for businesses interested in hiring or retaining employees with visual impairment.[3]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Search the database of Maine tax-exempt organizations".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.guidestar.org/profile/01-0196359/
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Platt, John (March 2018). "The Iris Network: Maine's Lifeline for the Visually Impaired". Lion. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chamber of Commerce Journal of Maine. 1909. pp. 290–. Search this book on
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Barker, Matt (2017-07-19). "The Maine Institution for the Blind". Maine. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ↑ https://www.theiris.org/uploads/pdf/100th%20anniversary%20booklet.pdf
- ↑ Vittorioso, Laura. "Marj Awalt, a Pioneer in the Vision Rehabilitation Field". Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ↑ Hoey, Dennis (2011-04-12). "Feature obituary: Robert Crouse, 71, innovative champion of the blind". Portland Press Herald. Portland, Maine. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ↑ "Trio of Iris Network employees earn national awards". The Forecaster. Falmouth, Maine. 2018-08-22. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- ↑ Roberts, Peggy (2006-04-27). "Sights set high". Lakes Region Weekly. Windham, Maine. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ↑ Harry, David (2016-06-22). "Iris Network contests award of state bid". The Forecaster. Falmouth, Maine. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ↑ Harry, David (2016-08-30). "Maine panel hears Iris Network appeal on lost contract". The Forecaster. Falmouth, Maine. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ↑ "Iris Network in Portland wins DOL contract for services". The Forecaster. Falmouth, Maine. 2017-07-17. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ↑ "APH Directory of Services".
- ↑ Stoltzberg, Jessica (1992). "Maine Center for the Blind". Salt. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
External links[edit]
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