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Sandpoint resident speaks to reappointment to Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Summary
Bridal Raukenheimer, a longtime member of the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, addressed the Senate Health and Welfare Committee in support of her gubernatorial reappointment and described how services from the commission preserved her employment and independence after sudden vision loss.
The Idaho Senate Health and Welfare Committee heard from Bridal Raukenheimer of Sandpoint on a gubernatorial reappointment to the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired. The committee did not vote on the reappointment; the chair said a vote is scheduled for the following day.
Raukenheimer told the committee she lost vision suddenly about 20 years ago and credited the commission with training and technology that allowed her to continue working. “Staff from the commission traveled to my home and taught me to use the technology I would need to be able to continue my work,” she said. “I now have a computer that talks to me. I have a smartphone that talks. I have audible cues on GPS to travel around new areas.”
Raukenheimer said the commission’s services included cane training and assistance that led her to obtain a guide dog. She described how the training preserved her employment and independence and said those experiences inform her work on the commission. “I think my experience with managing budgets and program evaluation will continue to be useful to the board and to the commission to help blind and visually impaired Idahoans retain employment,” she said.
Committee members asked about the cause of her vision loss and about her personal activities. Raukenheimer described optic nerve atrophy and said her remaining sight is a narrow central dot that allows her to perceive light and color but not detailed images. She also said she skis with the assistance of a guide and described recent snowfall at Schweitzer.
Senator Harris thanked Raukenheimer for her service; the chair said the committee will take the reappointment up with a vote the following day.
Raukenheimer has served on the commission for the past 18 years and said she hopes to continue contributing budget and program-evaluation experience to the board.
