LEAP
Leadership Education Advocacy Program
Iowa Department for the Blind

June 11, 2023 – August 12, 2023

LEAP is a residential program providing youth ages 14 – 21 the chance to connect with friends, learn blindness skills, build confidence, and prepare for their transition to higher education or to enter the workplace with confidence. Students may attend all or part of the summer as their schedules allow.

Participants will learn how to be successful with braille, technology, travel, home management, college preparation, job readiness training, independent living, and gain a positive philosophy through training with blind role models. Participants and staff reside on a college campus and continue to work on skills as they travel around campus and the community.

It’s not all work at LEAP – Participants experience a wide variety of activities such as canoeing, camping, attending an Iowa Cubs game, rock climbing, going to the movies, hanging out at the mall, jumping around at a trampoline park, Adventureland, playing Goalball, grilling, swimming, and much more!

And on Thursday afternoons, participants join the Thursday Summer Library Program: STEM in the Library. Each afternoon features a guest speaker centered around STEM careers, activities and communities. Some of the guest speakers include; a fire chief, a crime scene investigator, an aquaponics expert, the Iowa Reapers, and NASA.

In addition, each participant has the choice to attend either the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) or the American Council of the Blind (ACB) conventions held in July. These conventions offer participants a wide variety of resources from across the country and even the world, including career-driven divisions, divisions specifically for students, technology workshops, job fairs, networking opportunities, and advocacy opportunities.