Photo: Dana Ard GEM STATE MILESTONES
Allan Schneider, Editor • Dana Ard, President •
aaschneider@hotmail.com pres.nfbidaho@gmail.com
(208) 870-4831 (208) 345-3906
President’s Address
Dana Ard, President, NFB of Idaho
As I write this, January is almost over!
Our new year brings new energy, and excitement to our affiliate. The first big event is our Washington Seminar. We have four enthusiastic, capable federationists, who are attending the seminar and educating our senators and representatives. Cindy and Joe Grover are returning for a second year, and Shane Ostermeier and Nicole Hill are attending for the first time. They will be presenting on three initiatives: “Protecting Education, Employment, and Independent Living programs for the Blind”, “Access Technology Affordability Act”, and “Americans Return to Work Act.” You can read the fact sheets on these initiatives on NFB Newsline, or www.nfb.org/washington-seminar. Be sure to type this web address accurately.
We held our winter board meeting on January 19. Following the death of our beloved vice-president Sandy Streeter, Shane Ostermeier was automatically moved to the first vice-president position, in accordance with our affiliate constitution. The board confirmed Joe Grover to serve as 2nd vice-president until elections take place at our state convention April 23-25 in Boise. The board also voted to name our scholarship program for Larry and Sandy Streeter. The name will be The NFB of Idaho Larry and Sandy Streeter Scholarship Program.
Sandra Kay Streeter
1948-2025
Sandra Kay Streeter, of Blackfoot, Idaho, passed away Wednesday, December 17, 2025 in Idaho Falls, Idaho at the age of 76, of a brief but acute battle with cancer.
Sandra was born December 19, 1948 in Dallas, Texas, the daughter of Winnie Fae Stevens and Thomas Walter Taylor. She grew up in the Dallas area where she received her education, graduating from Grady Spruce High School.
On June 14, 1980, Sandra married the love of her life, Larry Edward Streeter in Dallas, Texas. They were married 31 years when Larry suddenly passed away April 25, 2011. Sandra and Larry had an adventurist life living in Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, Nebraska, Idaho, and Indiana.
Having lost her sight at an early age, she became an active member of the National Federation of the Blind and was President of the Idaho Falls chapter. Sandra ran several summer camps for children that are blind. Sandra has always been an advocate for the blind community.
Sandra was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served faithfully in any capacity that was asked of her. Sandra joined the church in 1981. Sandra and Larry were sealed for eternity to each other and to their daughters in the Denver Temple on April 20, 1990.
Sandra's focus was her family and she loved being a homemaker. She loved audiobooks, playing cards and riding her tandem bike with her friend, Becki Stucki. She also loved birds, especially cardinals.
Sandra is survived by her daughters, Erin (Jeff) Wells of Payson UT and Jennifer Kylean Keep of Forney TX; five grandchildren, her siblings Patricia Williford, Malinda (Ray) Jones, Tommy (Debbie) Taylor, Don Taylor and Doug (Brenda) Taylor; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Larry Streeter, and two of her granddaughters, Madison Kamden and Tennessee Fae.
Funeral services were held at 2:00 p.m. Monday, December 22, 2025 at the Blackfoot Stake Center under direction of Hawker Funeral Home. The family met with friends for one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment was in the Woodside Cemetery in Grand Saline, Texas.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
We also voted to name a scholarship for our deceased member Jordana Engebretsen, who won the National Distinguished Educator of Blind Students at the 2021 National Convention. You can hear a recording of the presentation with Jordana’s comments in the Braille Monitor, August-September 2021, located in Archives under Resources. Jordana also developed the “My Environment” program for children in Northern Idaho.
Our state convention is back in Boise. It will be held April 23-25 at the Boise Best Western Vista Inn, 2645 Airport Way, phone 208 336-8100. Rooms are $129.00 with 6% sales tax. Our board dinner will be $20.00, and our banquet will be $35.00. We will have a Saturday luncheon for our students and young adults. Our theme is “Who Are We, NFB.” Our treasurer, Don Winiecki, will develop the registration form. Tom Page, NFB president from Kansas, will be our national representative. Tom’s affiliate is similar in size to ours. He also is a musician and I’m sure will contribute to our Friday evening open mic. We will have a Rookie Round-up, to acquaint newcomers with our organization, and BINGO on Thursday. We will be bidding on theme baskets during our convention and at the banquet. We will dedicate a time to honor Sandy Streeter. Nicole Hill will be developing a google form for you to put your remembrances. You will also be able to submit them in braille or other forms. Details are being worked out. All memorial comments will be read during the specified planned time.
Our national convention is in Austin, Texas, July 3-8. The Jernigan Scholarship for first-time attendees is open. Read the January Braille Monitor for details. As always, if you have comments, ideas or suggestions, please contact me by phone or email.
Book Club Update
Joe Thompson
I hope everyone is doing well and anxious for a new year with a long list of good books to read.
We are still meeting on the second Wednesday of the month at 6:00 PT/7:00MT. We are sticking to the new format of meeting with the idea of sharing the books we have been reading and would like to recommend. It's pretty easy. Read some good books and get on the call and give us a synopsis of what you're reading and recommending. It's fun and Lisa has volunteered to compile .the list for each month.
See you Wednesday.
The Guide Dog Alternative – The Wearable Mobility Aid
Ken Pyle
For the millions of people worldwide with severe visual impairment, independent mobility often relies on tools that haven’t changed much in decades: the white cane and the guide dog. While effective, they have limits. Guide dogs are expensive to train and rare—there are only about 20,000 guide dogs globally, leaving millions without advanced assistance.
French startup Kapsys is stepping into this gap with KapX. KapX is a wearable AI device that promises to digitize the experience of having a sighted guide. KapX is a lightweight headset that utilizes air conduction to deliver 3D spatial audio. This “binaural” sound system creates a virtual sound source in the real world. If the user needs to turn right, they hear a sound coming from their right. If there is an obstacle, the audio instinctively guides them around it. It creates a “sound corridor” that the user follows, reducing the mental load of navigation.
The device solves a critical problem for wearable tech: latency and connectivity. The KapX processes data locally on the device rather than in the cloud. This means it works without an internet connection and reacts instantly to dangers. It scans the environment to detect overhead obstacles (like tree branches), ground-level hazards, and traffic. Users can also ask the device to describe their surroundings, identifying elements like crosswalks, benches, or shop signs.
Snake River Valley Chapter Elections
Vickie Bateman
The results are as follows
President: Lynn Kneip First vice president: Nicole Hill
Second vice president: Quincie Mattick
Secretary: Jasmine McCandless Treasurer: Vickie Bateman
First board seat: Kristen Ward Second board seat: Wanda Jolley
Heard Birds Winter 2026
Steve Bouffard – Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History, College of Idaho
Now is a good time to listen for winter birds especially around bird feeders. Near feeders, you can hear a variety of seed-eating birds. You aren’t likely to hear mating or territorial songs, as these are given during the breeding season. What you will hear are various calls, such as flock and alarm calls. The usual birds heard around feeders include Red-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee, House Sparrow, House Finch, American and Lesser Goldfinches, Dark-eyed Juncos, Black-billed Magpies, American Crows, Mourning and Eurasian Collared Doves, and Song and White-crowned Sparrows. Less common species that are winter migrants that could be heard are Rosy Finches, American Tree Sparrow and Common Redpoll. All these seed eating birds attract bird eating predators, Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks, and Merlins. These hawks are silent when hunting, but you can hear them occasionally when they are not hunting. Just keep an ear out for them. I heard a Cooper’s Hawk calling from my neighbor’s yard last week. Along the Greenbelt and on ice free ponds you may hear ducks, geese, American Coots, Ring-billed Gulls and Belted Kingfishers. Near open water you may also hear Bald Eagles giving, a totally uneagle sounding twitter, or the prehistoric sounding ‘crawk’ of Great Blue Herons. In Eastern Idaho you may hear the whoops of Tundra Swans or the deeper honks of Trumpeter Swans. At night you might hear Great Horned Owls; they are starting their breeding season. Where there is fruit available, such as juniper, crabapples, mountain ash, or even Russian
Great Blue Heron. photo:
Larry Thackery olive, you may hear American Robin, Cedar and Bohemian Waxwings, and Townsend’s Solitaires. These birds will stay around as long as fruit is available.
This month’s ornithology lesson is how birds keep warm during cold weather. Birds have very light body weights, lower than most mammals. And birds are also warm blooded; their normal body temperatures are a degree or 2 above that of mammals. So how do they survive the winter? It’s the feathers primarily. Feathers originally evolved in the age of dinosaurs (Jurassic Period) and were used initially for temperature regulation and then for social signaling. Only later were feathers adapted for flight. By fluffing up their body feathers, birds can create a thermal barrier between their body and the cold air (think down jacket). The only nonfeathered areas on birds are their beak and legs. When sleeping or resting they reduce heat loss from these areas by tucking their beak under the wing feathers. When roosting they stand on one leg, with the other leg tucked up in their belly feathers. And they use some
circulation tricks to save heat loss in their standing leg. Some species use behavioral methods to save heat, by roosting in tree cavities, either alone or with others of the same species. Ruffed Grouse use a different method. They burrow into the snow, using the insulative property of snow to stay warm.
PS: Check out the Merlin APP; it identifies most bird calls.
Get out and listen for the winter birds
2025 TVC Christmas Party
Lisa Baker We held our annual Christmas party on December 13th at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. We had around fifty chapter members and friends. The food was great with Al and Anna picking up the ham and turkey, and members bringing potluck items. TJ and Leslie coordinated fun entertainment. We had games, musical performances, and a couple of poem readings. Thank you to the committee for putting together another great Christmas party!
Photo:
Shane Facer reading his original poem
Northwest Association of Blind Athletes Winter Events
Rock Climbing Snowshoeing Skiing & Snowboarding
Dual sports, Goalball and Bowling
For more information and scheduling for these NWABS events,
Contact Stacey Gibbins at SGibbins@nwaba.org
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Reach Our Goal of Personal Independence.
The National Federation of the Blind provides advocacy, training, and access to opportunities that help individuals
with disabling vision loss become independent. Your tax-deductible donations help us to help our members "live the lives they want!"
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