2024 Gala Red Carpet

2024 Gala Party

2024 Gala Dinner

2024 Gala Corvette Photos

2024 Pre-Dinner

2024 VIP Portraits

Adaptive Kitchen

Building the First Adaptive Kitchen for Youth Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision in the State

The Indiana Blind Children's Foundation (IBCF) is leading the fundraising effort and working alongside the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI) to build the first adaptive kitchen and culinary arts program specifically for youth who are blind or have low vision in the state. The state-of-the-art adaptive kitchen is being built at IPS School 94 where ISBVI is temporarily housed for the next 5 years until the new state-led, co-located campus is built. The state construction project will bring the Blind School and Deaf School together on the historic Blind School campus at 75th and College for a state-of-the-art campus specifically built with the abilities of both student populations in mind.

The adaptive kitchen has been designed and built to accommodate the move back to the 75th and College campus in the future. The cooking stations, free-standing cabinetry and appliances will be re-purposed on the new campus to ensure students have access to cooking instruction in the future.

If you would like to contribute to this effort, please click on the donate button below.

The Gap

IBCF worked with local consultants from April 2022 through August 2023 to create a five-year strategic plan. Over 100 stakeholders were surveyed, virtually interviewed, or participated in focus groups to help inform this plan and the next five years of the foundation’s work. Three groups of students ranging from fifth grade to high school seniors participated in focus groups with the consultants. All three groups voiced the need and desire to learn how to cook and prepare snacks without much prompting. Each student focus group conveyed that knowing how to cook and prepare snacks was crucial to their overall independence and happiness in the future.

The Solution

Since these focus groups took place in the 2022 winter semester, the Foundation has been busy creating strategies and partnerships to make an adaptive culinary arts program a reality. Cunningham Restaurant Group, ranked #8 in the country for exceptional restaurant groups, provided visiting chefs once a month in the 2024 spring school semester so students could meet a wide variety of culinary professionals known for their craft. Students also traveled to a variety of Cunningham Restaurants tasting foods and meeting people who help bring these high-quality restaurants to life. Students learned about the variety of jobs available in the restaurant industry through these visits.

Ivy Tech Culinary Arts hospitality program chair, Jeff Bricker, along with recent 2023 graduate and the first student who is blind to graduate from the Culinary Arts program, Jody May, are working alongside ISBVI and teachers to help design a curriculum that will build upon high school students’ cooking skills while infusing 21st century job skills. So students can practice what they learn at home, IBCF will also provide each student with adaptive cooking aides helping students and parents practice adaptations and recipes at home.

The Foundation is now in the process of building a kitchen classroom for students that will meet the needs of our students and feature adaptive cooking stations (such as wheelchair accessible, induction cooktops and ovens with braille and tactile buttons) as well as adaptive cooking tools throughout. Reitano Design Group, an Indianapolis-based kitchen design team, created the initial designs of the space with IBCF and ISBVI guidance. Cripe Architects then completed the scope of work necessary for the Foundation and School to make this kitchen accessible to students with vision impairments and a variety of physical and cognitive disabilities. 

The foundation brought on Kort Builders to help the school and IBCF construct the kitchen. Construction began on Oct. 3, and per the current timeline, we are on schedule to complete the adaptive kitchen by mid-to-late December 2024.

The Indiana Blind Children's Foundation is committed to partnering with the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired to find a teacher to develop the school’s culinary arts program. If you know of a teacher with a background in family and consumer science who is looking to teach in a supportive environment with small class sizes (no more than 7 students in a class), ISBVI recently posted the job position which can be found here. Help us spread the word about the position as this teacher will serve a critical role in helping students who are blind or have low vision build confidence in the kitchen so they can be more independent now and in the future. 

Thank you to the following Adaptive Kitchen and Culinary Arts Program Supporters

We'd also like to thank James Fredwell, the McCaw Family Foundation, the Frank Curtis and Irving Moxley Springer Fund, a CICF field of interest fund, Ivy Tech Culinary Arts Chair- Chef Jeff Bricker, Jody May, and Gary and Diana Klingler.

 2023 Holiday Tree Sale and Family Event 

Saturday, December 2nd
 8:00AM - 3:00PM

IBCF Made-To-Order Breakfast in Churchman Cafeteria

8:00AM - 11:00AM
Adult Admission $10 & Kids Admission $5
Pancakes, Omelets and Biscuits and Gravy

Additional Churchman Cafeteria Events

9:00AM - 10:30AM
Visit with Santa Claus
Children may share their wish-list on Santa’s lap while parents take photos.

9:00AM - 11:00AM
Horticulture Program Sale
Purchase Magic Reindeer Food and holiday decorations made by students in the Greenhouse.

10:00AM - 10:45AM
Enjoy the Butler University Student Ensemble performing holiday and jazz music.

Christmas Tree and Wreath Sale at the ISBVI Tree Farm & Shed

9:00AM - 3:00PM
Firs, Pine, and Spruce Trees Available for Purchase- $15 & Up
Hand-Made, Fresh Wreaths - $20 & Up

Additional Tree Farm & Shed Activities 

11:30AM - 12:00PM
Caroling with ISBVI Choir Teacher Ms. Pivec and ISBVI Students

11:00AM - 1:00PM
Visit with Santa Claus at the Tree Farm

1:00PM - 2:00PM
Rudolph Ryan and a Real Live Reindeer at the Tree Farm

2023 Gala Photos - Red Carpet

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2023 Gala - Photo Booth

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2023 Gala Photos

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2023 Through the Looking Glass Gala

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2022 Through the Looking Glass Gala

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2022 Through the Looking Glass Gala

Click on a button below to review the official event photographs.

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2022 Through the Looking Glass Gala

Click on a button below to review the official event photographs.

 Click on an image below to navigate through the official photos.

2022 Through the Looking Glass Gala

Click on a button below to review the official event photographs.

Click on an image below to navigate through the official photos.

2022 Through the Looking Glass Gala

Click on a button below to review the official event photographs.

Click on an image below to navigate through the official photos. 

MyEyeDr. Special Guest Sponsor Campaign

Thank you for your support and dedication to children in Indiana with visual impairments. Your support today will not only help us bring Tom Sullivan in to speak to our Through the Looking Glass Gala attendees, but give our students the opportunity to experience a one of a kind entertainer and motivational speaker who mirrors their abilities. Your support today is helping students believe they can be the next Tom Sullivan of tomorrow. Thank you! 

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Digital Inclusion and Technology Plan

The COVID-19 crisis and the need for distance learning has exposed the technology disparity in school districts across the country. While this disparity is not new, the coronavirus has triggered a global movement to shift classrooms online which has prompted a new drive and motivation to resolve this disparity. Many school districts in the last ten years have tried to improve technology equity by providing Chromebooks, iPads, or tablets to youth in middle or high school grades. However, the device is only one part of the battle towards full inclusion. “Digital Inclusion requires intentional strategies and investments to reduce and eliminate historical, institutional, and structural barriers to access and use of technology.” (National Digital Inclusion Alliance).

The barriers to digital inclusion that currently exist at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI) are many and as diverse as the students impacted by the school. While the common thread among our students is a visual impairment, each student has a varying degree of vision loss and acuity. Their vision ability is what drives the type of adaptive device and application that is most appropriate for the student to learn and communicate. This means there is not one type of device or digital application that would best serve all students as reflected in most school districts across the country. Many school districts hand out one type of device to all its students and use one unified platform for students and teachers to utilize for instruction and learning. This type of approach just is not applicable at ISBVI.

Currently, 86% of the student population at ISBVI do not have the appropriate learning devices/tools or consistent access to adaptive technology needed to engage and learn most effectively. (Based on survey questions and data collected in April 2020 from ISBVI families.)

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Over the next year, the Indiana Blind Children’s Foundation intends to actively recruit and implement a digital inclusion task force and technology plan in partnership with the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. The task force will work year-round on fundraising efforts targeted towards raising the necessary $431,140.00 to ensure the 128 full-time students (ages 3-22) at ISBVI have current and appropriate technology to use at school and at-home.

In addition to raising funding for technology, the task force will:

• Assist in policy creation surrounding technology in the hands of students.
• Research insurance plans surrounding school technology on loan to students and families.
• Lend skills and expertise regarding technology on an ongoing basis as well as develop first year goals and outcomes.
• Create ongoing community connections that assist in the delivery of and long-term support of access technology.
• Determine any additional ISBVI support staff who will document progress and challenges, lead and support data collection efforts, summarize data, and report that data to task force and IBCF.
• Address any family’s lack of internet, WiFi or hot spot capabilities by creating clear resources on how families can obtain support in their home or in their local community (libraries, coffee shops).
• Assist the school in developing professional development opportunities for teaching and support staff (teachers, therapists, nursing staff, social workers and etc.).
• Work with the school leadership to ensure technology trainings and workshops are made available to students and families multiple times through the year both at the school and in community partner locations across the state to meet families where they live.
• Work with IBCF Executive Director to create an ongoing fundraising plan that accounts for diverse on-going consistent revenue streams towards this infrastructure and a changing technology to ensure ISBVI students and families have access to new technology when it is needed.

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2025 No Limits Arts Series Photo Galleries

Candid Gallery

Highlights Gallery

Red Carpet Gallery

Show Gallery

Post Show Gallery

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No Limits: An Arts Series Focused on Access for All

The Indiana Blind Children’s Foundation (IBCF), in partnership with the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI), was awarded the Strengthening Indianapolis Through Arts and Cultural Innovation Grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. in December, 2018 to create, launch and sustain the No Limits Arts Series over a three year period.

The No Limits Arts Series is centered on strengthening accessibility not only in arts organizations throughout Marion County, but also at ISBVI. However, the approach to improving access is unique as it integrates the No Limits Leadership Club, comprised of ISBVI high school aged youth, as the leading voices for change. Student leaders attend weekly after-school Club sessions throughout the school year to build and strengthen students’ voices, increase knowledge surrounding advocacy, develop leadership skills, and connect to their community. These student leaders work alongside staff at the Eiteljorg Museum, Heartland Film, Capital City Chorus, ArtMix, The Phoenix Theatre, and Dance Kaleidoscope to address the inequities for access in each arts organization, create and implement solutions together that dissolve physical and social barriers to inclusion, and widen doors for all people with disabilities as increased access evolves in each partner organization and beyond. The meetings, trainings, and engagement with the arts partners each year provide real world training in which students put their knowledge and strategies learned from the Leadership Club into action.

Check out the Leadership Club in action at the Eiteljorg Museum!

This video features student leaders working with Eiteljorg Museum staff and volunteers from February, 2019 – May, 2019. The access strategies provided by students were included in the Please Touch! Sculptures of Michael Naranjo exhibit, displayed in 2020 and 2021. 

No Limits funding provided for the renovation of ISBVI’s 1930’s 400 seat auditorium, which now houses all new audio, lighting, video technology, and accessibility features for every No Limits performance or event. IBCF launched its first concert on July 26, 2019 (the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act being signed into law), reminding attendees that while many physical barriers have been removed social barriers still exist. These updates allow the auditorium to be open to the public as a venue for more professional events such as concerts, plays, musicals, movie viewings, presentations and so on. The updates focused on access for all, so individuals of all abilities are provided a safe and comfortable environment with the necessary equipment and technology, such as audio description devices and captioning, for a comprehensive artistic experience. 

The auditorium will continue its reach and serve as a learning laboratory for ISBVI students to engage in creative experiences throughout the school year as the No Limits arts partners extend their reach and impact on numerous students of all ages through dance workshops, choir practice, script writing, and acting.

The Indiana Blind Children's Foundation has hosted an annual No Limits Celebration and Kick-Off event on the anniversary weekend of the Americans with Disabilities Act being signed into law. Each year, an artist takes the stage that mirrors the strengths and abilities of the children we serve.

• Join us this year on Saturday, March 1, 2025, for the No Limits Celebration featuring An Evening with Lachi.

To see more of our students in action, click here to visit the IBCF Vimeo page.

Help IBCF meet our benchmark for the Neighborhood Assistance Tax Credit Program!

About the Tax Credit Program!

The Indiana Blind Children’s Foundation (IBCF) received the State of Indiana 2019/20 grant award from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) through the Neighborhood Assistance Tax Credit Program (NAP)! IBCF has been awarded the ability to give $11,399.00 in tax credits to eligible donors allowing IBCF to earn $22,798.00 in contributions towards its mission and educational programming at ISBVI. Donors who donate to IBCF through this program will receive available tax credits and be able to deduct these credits from their overall tax liability while supporting necessary educational programming for children with visual impairments.

Who is Eligible for a Tax Credit?

Contributors must reside in Indiana and be an Indiana Tax Payer. Individuals, organizations, or corporations are eligible to contribute for the Neighborhood Assistance Tax Credit Program. IBCF is now accepting cash contributions of at least $100 or more until we meet our benchmark of $22,798.00 in donations received/$11,399.00 in tax credits sold with the goal of meeting this by December 31, 2019!

How does the Tax Credit Program Work?

The Indiana Blind Children’s Foundation is now accepting contributions that will be reported to the Indiana Department of Revenue and then counted as if your taxes were already paid, reducing the total tax liability. For every dollar donated, the donor receives 50 cents or half that amount in tax credits. For example, if you donate $500 towards the IBCF NAPS program you will receive $250 worth of tax credits which comes directly off your total tax liability.

This year, IBCF is eligible to accept $22,798.00 in donations that are eligible for receipt of tax credits. Essentially IBCF is able to give out $11,399.00 in tax credits to ELIGIBLE DONORS ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE BASIS. The majority of donations received and approved by IBCF for NAPS credits will be used towards the 2020 Indiana Regional Braille Challenge, a two-staged national Braille literacy contest with the first stage hosted by the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI) each year.

What is the difference between a Tax Credit, and a Tax Deduction?

A tax deduction reduces a taxpayer’s taxable income.

A tax credit counts as if it were taxes already paid, and reduces the taxpayer’s total tax liability. 

Example:

Taxpayer income: $40,000

Tax rate: 25%

Tax Liability: (40,000 x .25) = $10,000

• A $1,000 tax deduction would reduce the taxpayer’s taxable income to $39,000.

40,000 – 1,000 = 39,000

39,000 x .25 = $9,750

• A $1,000 tax credit would reduce the taxpayer’s tax liability to $9,000.

40,000 x .25 = 10,000

10,000 – 1,000 = $9,000

Want information on Braille Challenge Program?

As the philanthropic arm for the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI) the Indiana Blind Children’s Foundation (IBCF) seeks to support initiatives like the Braille Challenge as it stresses the importance of Braille literacy among children who are blind or have low vision. Children in grades 1-12 are invited to compete in this contest and test their Braille reading, writing, spelling and comprehension skills throughout the morning of one day each February, the month in which the Challenge is held nationally in each state. Challengers who test the highest among their peers nationally are invited to Los Angeles in June to participate in the final rounds of testing. A winner from each age category is chosen to serve as national Braille Challenge winners. 

While the Braille Challenge is a one day event designed to support and reinforce the importance of Braille literacy among blind children, the event also serves family members through educational and reflective workshops that have long-term impact. During the testing day, family members of the Challenge participants are invited to take part in workshops and sensitivity inspiring simulations that encourage reflection on how they engage their family member who is blind in everyday activities. Consistent practice of reading and writing improves vocabulary and comprehension for all children. However, if a child who is blind has the deep support of his or her family surrounding the practice and use of Braille that child will flourish both academically and in life.

How to Contribute and Receive a Tax Credit?

The award is limited and will be distributed to contributors on a first come, first serve basis. To contribute and receive a tax credit, email IBCF’s Executive Director Laura Alvarado (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 317-554-2742) with the information below. Once received, IBCF will contact you to solidify your tax credit contribution.

• Name: First Name, Middle Initial, Last Name (Individual) or Organization or Corporation
• Amount of contribution
• Phone
• Address, City, State, and Zip
• *Tax ID number (Social Security will be collected over phone)
• Contributor’s tax year ending

2019 Through the Looking Glass Photos

Red Carpet

Photo Booth