Building Skills at Maquoketa Caves State Park

A man and woman stand at a grill outside, as the woman uses tongs to remove aluminum foil from the grill

Overview

On Tuesday, July 28, the Iowa Department for the Blind hosted a Mini Skills Retreat at Maquoketa Caves State Park in Maquoketa, Iowa. Led by four Rehabilitation Teachers, the retreat gave IDB clients an opportunity to build independent living, orientation and mobility, and technology skills while enjoying the outdoors.

The day began with participants preparing lunch together. Clients practiced essential cooking skills by chopping fruit and vegetables, preparing and lighting the grill, and determining when food was fully cooked. After lunch, IDB Director Stacy Cervenka led a brief training on several cane travel techniques before participants chose from three hiking options.

During the hike, clients applied their cane skills on trails with a variety of surfaces, including gravel, dirt, and grass. The changing terrain provided valuable opportunities to interpret feedback from their cane tips and build confidence traveling in outdoor environments. Along the way, the group descended a steep slope to explore a small cave. The retreat concluded with dessert and time to reflect on a day of learning, skill building, and enjoying Iowa's natural beauty.

Skills Covered

Throughout the retreat, participants strengthened skills in several core areas, including:

  • Food preparation and grilling: Knife skills, grill preparation and lighting, determining when food was fully cooked, and identifying condiments.
  • Orientation and Mobility: Two-point touch, constant contact, three-point touch, and shorelining techniques practiced on a variety of outdoor surfaces.
  • Accessible technology: Using the Merlin Bird ID app to identify birds encountered along the hiking trails.

Learn More

Watch the video below to hear directly from participants about some of their highlights from the Mini Skills Retreat!