VINTON - They might not have been able to see the brightly colored Easter eggs, nestled inside baskets somewhere on the gymnasium floor.

But they could hear them.

Children honed in on one egg's beep among dozens, patiently making their way to that spot of the gymnasium, then picking out the egg and taking it over to the prize table.

Equipped with noisemaking devices, special beeping eggs were turned on by volunteers and teachers at the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School in Vinton, and children who otherwise couldn't find an Easter egg the traditional way listened and focused to participate in the hunt.

Thirteen students, some of whom were both handicapped and blind, moved around to find one of the beeping eggs. Some confidently strode toward baskets on their own, and others used helpers like Iowa Braille high school teacher Deb Wilberg.

"The kids are away from home, so they're missing Easter preparations," she said, adding the beeping egg hunt was a good way to include them in the holiday.

Everyone found an egg once during each of three rounds, and got a prize as a result. Toothpaste, lotion and jeweled bracelets were among the gifts, and refreshments and goodie baskets with more prizes were given out to everyone at the end.

In its third year, the Easter egg hunt replaces the longtime Beep Ball game, which was a softball game with noisemaking softballs and modified rules for those with limited sight. The Iowa Telephone Pioneers put on Beep Ball at the school until student numbers declined, and then started the egg hunt, said Frank Edmunds of Cedar Rapids.

"We're retired and active phone company employees from all over," Edmunds, president of the Cedar Rapids Three Rivers Council in the Pioneers, said of the group.

Engineers with the Pioneers designed the beeping softballs and later, the beeping Easter eggs. Now, softball games and egg hunts are done in 14 states with blind students.

The Beep Ball games were fun, but with more blind students being integrated into mainstream public schools there were fewer children attending Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School, and not enough for a Beep Ball game.

No matter what activity the Pioneers bring in, it's a great thing for the students, said the school's residence dean Carla Morrow.

"(The Pioneers) are a wonderful bunch of people. They're very giving and compassionate," she said. "They have a real interest in spending time with our students and trying to make an enjoyable outing for them."

Barbara Edmunds, Iowa Pioneers vice president, said events like the egg hunt as well as putting in benches and the stone sign at the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School are paid for through group fundraising.

"It's such a rewarding thing to do, to be around these kids and know that in some way you can help them - and they're special," she said.

Contact Amie Steffen at (319) 291-1464 or amie.steffen@wcfcourier.com.