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Alan Schneider interviewed for reappointment to Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Summary
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee heard from Alan Schneider of Garden City in a gubernatorial reappointment interview. Schneider described how services from the commission helped him after vision loss and said he serves as board chair; the committee will vote on the reappointment at its next meeting.
The Idaho Senate Health and Welfare Committee interviewed Alan Schneider of Garden City on a gubernatorial reappointment to the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Committee members heard Schneider describe his background and reasons for continuing service; the committee did not vote on the reappointment during the hearing and scheduled the vote for the next meeting.
Schneider told the committee he was a high school English teacher for 35 years and recounted seeking help from the commission after he began having difficulty after vision loss. "I remember thinking as my wife backed down the driveway alone, I just chickened out," Schneider said. He described an orientation at the commission that led him to change his view: "I came out of the men's restroom, turned right and ran into the drinking fountain. And decided, well, maybe, maybe I should give these guys a chance and they changed my life," Schneider said. He told the committee he now serves as chair of the commission and wants to "give back for all that they've done for me."
Senator Harris asked Schneider about lessons learned from a decade of service; Schneider said the staff and counselors at the commission had shown him the value of frontline workers, noting outreach during the COVID-19 pandemic when counselors called isolated clients. The committee chair explained that, per committee procedure, members interview nominees and then take a formal vote at the next scheduled committee meeting, which the chair said will occur tomorrow. No formal motion or recorded vote on Schneider's reappointment was taken during the hearing.
The interview closed with committee members thanking Schneider for his willingness to serve. The committee's action on the nomination—an official vote—was postponed to the committee's next meeting.
