Winter 2025 Newsletter

On a recent trip, Tyler discovered Hilton Hotels and
Resorts, along with its affiliates, provide a great deal
of accessibility for its customers with visual
impairments. From a keyless entry to controlling the
television, lighting and climate, individuals are able to
use the Hilton Honors App coupled with the Be My
Eyes App to create another level of autonomy.
He is excited to now travel independently and is
researching other Hilton owned hotels and resorts in
locations he wants to discover. Hats off to Hilton
Hotels and Resorts for creating independent travel
opportunities for those with visual impairments!

The photo above is of Tyler standing outside of a Hilton Garden Inn
using the Hilton Honors app on his phone to navigate the hotel and
its amenities

REMINDER to like and follow us on all of our
social media platforms! Lots of great information
and pictures are updated weekly on our posts!
Facebook –
https://www.facebook.com/TheIrisNetwork/
Instagram –
https://www.instagram.com/theirisnetworkme/
Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/company/theiris-
network-maine/
And The Iris Network website is

The Iris Network Employees of the Month!
Our agency is pleased to announce the following
employees who have been nominated by their
peers!
July 2024 – Jack
August 2024 – Jeannine
September 2024 – Laura
October 2024 – Jeannine
November 2024 – Mike
December 2024 – Kyle
Employee of the Year – Laura
Thank you for your hard work and dedication to
our agency and programs! We all appreciate you!

Meet Pauline Lamontagne
Born in Sanford, Maine, Pauline attended public
schools which was highly unusual at that time
and graduated as the Valedictorian of her Senior
class. She has been legally blind since birth, with
no vision in her left eye and limited vision in her
right eye. Five years ago, she lost all of her sight
in both eyes.

Pauline started using reel-to-reel tapes in 7th
grade, although it was sometimes a challenge to
get her schoolbooks recorded on time. After her
Junior Year of high school, The Iris Network had a
staff member work with her to learn braille, as she
believed it would be important for her to know.
Pauline had to work very hard academically, and
while in high school, she began to use a white
cane for mobility. She loved sports, and even
though her high school football team lost every
game her senior year, she made sure she
attended all of them. As a child growing up, she
always tried to participate in everything she
could; a counselor from the Division of Blind and
Visually Impaired encouraged her parents to allow
her to do anything she wanted to, although she
was not allowed to ride a bicycle.

Pauline knew she wanted to attend college and
was accepted at the University of Maine at
Farmington as one of only 3 students with a
severe visual impairment in its history. Her
parents were very supportive, and she was the
first generation in her family to attend a postsecondary
school. She exceled at college with a
4.0, majoring in Rehabilitation work. Pauline
wanted other visually impaired individuals to
know they could achieve a college education.

After college she worked as a Rehab Teacher at
The Iris Network, then as a visual handicapped
child counselor for the Division for the Blind and
Visually Impaired and next as a consultant with
the Bureau of Mental Health and Mental
Retardation. In 1981, she was accepted by the
University of Maine School of Law, where she
hoped to help empower others and perhaps
change some laws. Pauline studied hard and
graduated in 1984, making her the first legally
blind student to graduate from the University of
Maine School of Law. She passed the bar and was
admitted in 1985.

After graduating from law school, she worked as
an advocate for the Department of Corrections
and then as an attorney with Advocates for the
Disabled. From 1989 to her retirement in 2016,
Pauline worked for the Department of Education
as a certification attorney and then as a Due
Process Coordinator for special education.

Pauline has been a strong advocate for
accessibility for individuals with disabilities. She
knows there are more employment options and
opportunities now for students with disabilities,
however, she states, there needs to be equal pay
and not a “sub-wage” for those with disabilities.
She believes that transportation for those with
visual impairments is a huge need, and she will
continually advocate for improvements.

Pauline served on The Iris Network Board of
Directors from 1985-1994 and has rejoined as of
2021.

Pauline met her husband, Gil, at the Department
of Education in 1989 and they were married in
1992. They live with their guide dog, Ava, in
Portland.

Thank you for all you do, Pauline!

Meet Jacob Allen

Jacob has been a resident of our Iris Park
Apartments for nine years, and he is an active
member of his community.

He was born in Old Orchard Beach in 1994 and
has been blind since birth. Jacob has no optic
nerve or retinas, and he will tell you he has the
best family ever. With his parents, two sisters and
two nephews, there is never a dull moment. The
Allen family is close, and they make sure Jacob
participates in everything.

Jacob went to school in Old Orchard Beach, and
credits his Ed Tech, Erin, for his academic and
school activity success. “Erin was the absolute
best,” he exclaims. “She made sure I was
involved in anything I wanted to do. I am lucky I
had her for my whole school career, even through
high school.” Jacob enjoyed playing drums in the
marching band, something he never thought he
would be able to do, but thanks to the band
instructor, George Shabo, he was able to
participate in making music with his classmates.
For the past three years, Jacob has been an active
member of the Saco Bay Sunset Rotary Club. He
likes speaking to groups, providing information
and inspiration.

He never thought he would be able to have his
own apartment, but with hard work, he is able to
live independently. “I am glad The Iris Network is
able to help me so I can live on my own,” he
states.

Jacob has big plans for his future, including
instructing orientation and mobility for others. “I
want to be a leader and the head of a company,”
he said. “I want to take the bus to work, get
married, have children.”

Ruth, whose son was in Jacob’s mother’s 4th
grade class, shared that Jacob is a positive
person. “Your Facebook posts bring a genuine
warmth to my heart each day. You embrace and
conquer challenges as they arise! You are a true
warrior and role model!”

And as Jacob believes, it’s not what you have,
but what you do.

“It’s all what you put into life. That’s what
counts.”

Thanks for being an inspiration, Jacob.

The Iris Network is fortunate to have a variety of
grantors support our agency and its programs
during the first quarter of our fiscal year. A HUGE
thanks to the following trusts and foundations for
their funding.

Sam L Cohen Foundation
Margaret Burnham Charitable Trust
Dorothy Suzi Osher Foundation
Edward and Hilda Rosen Foundation
Target Corporation
Estate of Fred Murray Irrevocable Trust
Fisher Charitable Foundation
Libra Foundation
Estate of Peter Llewellyn Sheldon
Arthur Clifford Bunker Foundation

The Iris Network is pleased to announce four
interns from the University of Southern Maine are
joining the agency this semester! We are
fortunate to share your education, skills and
experience. Welcome!

Deklin is the Human Resources Intern –
“I am currently a junior at The University of
Southern Maine with a major in Media Studies and
a double minor in Public Relations and Political
Science. I currently have a seven-year plan of
building up my portfolio, resume, and hands on
experience; so ultimately, I can find my way into
the Public Relations and Human Resources
sector. There are many reasons I am excited
about this internship; two things I am most
excited about is the opportunity to work alongside
a non-profit organization and working alongside a
team of knowledgeable individuals.”

Lorelai is the Development and Communications
Intern –

“I am a freshman majoring in Marketing. In the
future, I would like to be part of the marketing
department for a company or hopefully a sports
team.

I am most excited about my internship at The Iris
Network as an opportunity to learn, grow, and get
real world experience.”

Mike is the intern at the Iris Park Apartments –

“I’m a Cybersecurity major and this is my final
semester before graduating in May.
My immediate plans for the near future involve
securing full-time employment and beginning
work on my master’s degree in Cybersecurity in
the summer.

I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to complete
my internship at the Iris Network because I’d like
to have an opportunity to have a positive impact
on members of the local community living with
visual impairment or blindness. I was actually
very thrilled to receive the offer to complete my
internship at the Iris Network and I am looking
forward to meeting the expectations of my role.
Also, I’m glad that IPA was willing to work around
my academic schedule in order to make
completing the internship both practical and
reasonable.”

Mickee is the intern in the Finance Department –
“I am currently a senior at the University of
Southern Maine, studying Accounting and my
future goals are to prepare for the CPA exam and
develop expertise in the accounting field. I hope
to one day secure a job in financial accounting
and possibly tax accounting as I love the math
side!

During my internship with The Iris Network, I
hope to gain lots of real-world experience with
financial information to better shape me for my
future career goals. Now that I’ve completed most
of my schooling, I’m excited to begin my
internship and grow as a professional!”

Our Winter Appeal has been a HUGE success,
and it is not too late to donate! To make a
donation to our agency and its life-changing
programs, please send a check to:
Amy Whitmore, Director of Development and
Communications
The Iris Network
189 Park Avenue
Portland, Maine 04104
or use the link below

https://form-rendererapp.
donorperfect.io/give/the-iris-network/websitedonation

For questions or more information about our
programs and services, please email
info@theiris.org or call 207-774-6273

AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR ONGOING
SUPPORT!