Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired

07/31/2026

Dear Department of Libraries Partners & Patrons,

Throughout the summer and early fall of 2026, the Vermont Department of Libraries is conducting the federally required evaluation of our current five‑year Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Grants to States Program. We have engaged Stephanie Chase of Constructive Disruption to lead the evaluation. Community and stakeholder input is essential, and your perspective as department and public library partners is especially valuable.

First and foremost, we ask that you take our survey, which is available at https://bit.ly/VermontLibraries. The survey is open through Monday, August 3. Please share the survey widely with your co-workers, teaching colleagues, Board members, and friends and neighbors — the more who respond, the better!

In addition, we would like to invite you to take part in our virtual town hall for partner organizations. This town hall is scheduled for Wednesday August 12 at 4pm. You can register to participate at https://bit.ly/VermontLSTA. Even if you have been invited to take part in one of our interviews or focus groups, we encourage you to take part in a virtual town hall.

Thank you so much for your work serving our community and thank you for considering being part of our planning process.

Best,
Janette
Janette Shaffer | Assistant State Librarian for Advancement
IMLS-LSTA Coordinator
Vermont Department of Libraries
60 Washington Street; Suite #2 | Barre, VT 05641

07/28/2026

07/27/2026

As a Vermonter who is blind or visually impaired, what are some of the biggest obstacles you deal with on a daily basis?

07/27/2026

Happy Monday!

Artificial intelligence is touching nearly every aspect of life, including assistive technology for vision-impaired individuals. And just like in other arenas, the AI used to assist them is good, but far from perfect.

07/24/2026

Happy Friday and Beautiful Weekend Ahead! Thank you, Heather & Zedna!

07/24/2026

Thank you for your coverage My NBC5 !

Pomeroy Park in Burlington reopened on Tuesday, giving families a new space where kids can play, explore and be more independent.

07/23/2026

Barre Heritage Festival kicks off this Friday, and VABVI in partnership with the Barre Lions Club and UVMMC eye doctors, will be offering free vision screenings and White Cane information between 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM on Friday evening and 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM on Saturday. The booth will be near the library, marked with the star on the map below. The vision screenings test near and distant vision, and for Cataracts, Glaucoma and Dry Eye.

07/23/2026

Check out this recent webinar on Food Security Resource Programs in Vermont!
Join Mariana Sears of Hunger Free Vermont to learn about the many programs and resources available across our state to support food access for all. No one should worry about where the next meal comes from! Mariana will review how you and those you love can access food support in your local area. We will also discuss opportunities to get involved in the cause through volunteering, donating, and joining in the conversation. Learn how we all can improve food security throughout Vermont.

Mariana Sears of Hunger Free Vermont to learn about the many progra...

07/23/2026

In VABVI's 100th year of operations there are many exciting things going on and taking shape! One of them being the revamping and remodeling of VABVI's podcast, "I See What You Hear" . The podcast pilot project took place over the last year, and now we are working on creating a dedicated podcast studio in our South Burlington office. There will be more news about our progress on the studio in the near future, but this post is to express our sincere gratitude to the incredibly generous Shure company who kicked off the equipping of our new studio with this amazing in-kind donation of 3 sets of SRH440A professional studio headphones, AND, 3 MV7+ podcast kits that include MV7X Mic, XLR Cable and Gator Desktop Mic Stand! We could not be happier! Shure thank you for your support and becoming our first podcast sponsor! We are honored!

07/21/2026

Congratulations to City of Burlington, Vermont 05401 USA Burlington Parks, Recreation & Waterfront for the grand opening of the newly upgraded, accessible, beautiful, and loads of fun Pomeroy Park! A more accessible city is only good for everyone! VABVI is a member of the Burlington Accessibility Committee, and we were asked to be on the subcommittee formed to advise on the accessible park features proposed for Pomeroy Park. VABVI is honored to have played a role in the process and happy for our friends at the City who saw their vision and hard work pay-off today as happy kids ran joyously into the new space. Kudos to you all!