PORTLAND — The Iris Network hosted a graduation ceremony for Daniel Langlois of Lewiston on Sept. 2 in the historic William J. Bryan building, 189 Park Ave.

Langlois successfully completed a 12-week rehabilitation center program, which provides the tools, technology and training to prepare people who are blind or visually impaired to excel in a competitive job market.

In 1908, the Maine Institution for the Blind began providing workshops to help people who are blind to build skills for gainful employment. Although the agency’s founder, William J. Ryan, was visually impaired, he traveled across Maine as an almanac salesman and saw others who were blind, kept at home and isolated from society. He articulated his purpose for the organization as the ability to “stand up at the workbench and earn one’s daily bread.”

Today, the unemployment rate for people with visual impairments hovers around 70 percent. To support this population and to promote equity in employment, the agency, now known as The Iris Network, launched a rehabilitation center to increase access to primary vision rehabilitation and prevocational training for people experiencing significant vision loss. The center’s is a collaborative effort with the Maine Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Federal Rehabilitation Services Administration.

Working-age youths and adults are given the tools and accessible technology to build independence at home, school and work, and for recreation in their community. The center accommodates visitors from Maine and out-of-state who stay for up to 12 weeks in a historic dormitory-style residence as they participate in a comprehensive program resulting in work readiness.

FMI: 1-800-715-0097, www.theiris.org.