Iowa blind advocates protest shift from mandatory to recommended sleepshades in training program.

Protesters in Des Moines, led by the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa, are opposing changes to the state's 60-year-old blindness training model, specifically the shift from requiring sleepshades to making them "highly recommended." The Iowa Department for the Blind says the change aims to expand access to vocational and independent living training for more visually impaired Iowans. Critics, including IDB employees and advocacy groups, argue the policy shift undermines a proven training method and raises concerns about the department's direction under new leadership.