Take Charge with Confidence and Self-Reliance

  • Thank You, Littleton! Joy and Pride at Western Welcome Week 2022

    by

    Dan Burke

    Thank You, Littleton! Joy and Pride at Western Welcome Week 2022

    Makhai wearing parade number
    Makhai proudly wears No. 43, our Western Welcome Week Parade number for this year, and led the way for us down the parade route on Littleton Blvd and Main St. He didn’t manage to spare his voice, however, as he led chants and cheers. He was already going hoarse by the time we turned off Gallup and onto the official parade route!

    You know, it’s not always easy to turn out our Colorado Center for the Blind students on a Saturday morning after a long week of learning and practicing the alternative skills we blind people use. Ours is a demanding program.… Read the rest “Thank You, Littleton! Joy and Pride at Western Welcome Week 2022”

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  • CCB’s Message of Support for Blind Ukrainians #BlindwithU

    by

    Dan Burke

    CCB’s Message of Support for Blind Ukrainians #BlindwithU

    On Saturday, April 16, 2022 an international Internet radio concert of 110 mostly blind artists contributed to the World Blind Union’s Ukrainian Unity Fund. More than $85,000 was raised to provide aid to blind Ukrainians displaced or otherwise adversely affected by the current warfare in their homeland. The Colorado Center for the Blind, along with our sister NFB centers, the Louisiana Center for the Blind and BLIND, Inc, were asked by NFB President Riccobono to make our own recordings of support for the effort, as all of us in the NFB and President Riccobono have been deeply disturbed by the horrific conditions faced by all Ukrainians, and especially blind Ukrainians.… Read the rest “CCB’s Message of Support for Blind Ukrainians #BlindwithU”

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  • No Virtual Sharks

    by

    Dan Burke

    No Virtual Sharks

    Fourth-grader Jax removes the shark liver, which looks a bit like bunny ears.

    Some things just don’t translate to the virtual. (Okay, after nearly two years with Zoom in our lives in a big way, we can say that a lot of things don’t really translate well.) Let’s put our annual shark dissection for blind and low vision students high on that list.

    And we’re not talking about the smell of fishy Formaldehyde down in the gym, though that is also true.

    We missed a year because of COVID concerns in 2021, and you could feel that surge like we are coming back as nearly 30 students participated in this year’s annual shark dissection with Arapahoe Biology Professor Terry Harrison on Monday.… Read the rest “No Virtual Sharks”

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  • Turning the Tables: CCB Role Reversal Day 2022

    by

    Dan Burke

    Turning the Tables: CCB Role Reversal Day 2022

    Students from every continent and every epoch imagine, even if only idly, of someday, somehow turning the tables on their teachers. Likely they don’t realize until they have done it, that their teachers also may see such a reversal as an opportunity to return the torment.

    That’s partly the story of Role Reversal Day 2022, held on Friday, February 4. Hand it to the leadership of the CCB Student Association for organizing carefully and thoroughly, putting staff into groups and planning the schedule, even reviewing lesson plans from each ”teacher of the day.” This is the group, remember, that collected necessary items for the NICU babies when Avista Adventist Hospital was forced to evacuate during the December, 30 Marshall Fire in Boulder County.… Read the rest “Turning the Tables: CCB Role Reversal Day 2022”

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  • Colorado Center for the Blind 2022 Summer Youth Programs

    by

    Dan Burke

    Colorado Center for the Blind 2022 Summer Youth Programs

    A raft of summer youth lets out a yell as they dive into a churning hole of white water on Clear Creek.

    Build skills and gain confidence!

    Program Description 

    This 3-week residential  program will provide each student with the tools that they need to move forward in high school, college or on a job.

    You will:

    • Live in an apartment with a counselor and a roommate.
    • Learn from competent blind adults who use blindness skills daily.
    • Plan, shop and prepare delicious meals.
    • Organize your apartment – find everything!
    • Develop effective methods for handling all aspects of living independently.
    • Meet peers who are also blind.
    • Attend classes Monday through Friday in Technology, Braille, Independent Travel and Home Management.
    • Build interviewing skills, learn about careers, find job leads, write a resume and more.
    … Read the rest “Colorado Center for the Blind 2022 Summer Youth Programs”

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  • Charity From Ashes: Colorado Center for the Blind Students Organize Donation Drive for Avista Hospital NICU Babies

    by

    Taylor Oesch

    Charity From Ashes: Colorado Center for the Blind Students Organize Donation Drive for Avista Hospital NICU Babies

    Taylor and Amanda hold up donated knitted preemie caps and a onesie
    The CCB Student Association has already collected many items, as well as Amazon gift cards to help out Avista’s NICU babies. Amanda Juetten (President) and Taylor Oesch (Parliamentarian) show off some of the donations, which include blankets, caps, t-shirts and more.

    With the start of any new year, hopes are high that the trials and tribulations faced by us all can be left behind, and a fresh year can come; 2022 was no different. However, for us living here in Colorado, the new year was signaled with a devastating beacon glowing upon the evening skyline. Starting on December 30, 2021 through January 1, 2022, the Marshall fire raged across the Boulder county area, resulting in 1 death and burning of 1,084 structures and damage to 149 others, with damages estimated around 513 million dollars.… Read the rest “Charity From Ashes: Colorado Center for the Blind Students Organize Donation Drive for Avista Hospital NICU Babies”

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  • Thank You for Our Best Colorado Gives Day, EVER! #Gratitude

    by

    Dan Burke

    Thank You for Our Best Colorado Gives Day, EVER! #Gratitude

    Give Where You Live - Colorado Gives Day December 7 2021

    This December 7 you surpassed previous years with your support for the Colorado Center for the Blind and our programs for blind people of all ages, making 2021 one of the best we’ve been lucky enough to experience on Colorado Gives Day. And we’ve been part of it from the very beginning.

    So, we are more grateful than ever for the incredible support of our community in one of the more difficult years any of us may have experienced.

    Every year except 2020, we’ve held a big Thanksgiving meal in November. Students prepare for weeks in advance in their Home Management class, baking pumpkin and pecan pies, yeast rolls, turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, dressing and cranberries, plus some other dishes.… Read the rest “Thank You for Our Best Colorado Gives Day, EVER! #Gratitude”

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  • Our Blindness Training Is Just the Beginning – Donate on Colorado Gives Day!

    by

    Dan Burke

    Our Blindness Training Is Just the Beginning – Donate on Colorado Gives Day!

    The blindness training we offer, and the confidence it builds in our blind students, is not an end, but a means. Ryan is an IT project manager. Erin is an insurance underwriter. Garrett is finishing law school, Charis is pursuing her degree in chemistry. Just this year, Evan’s internship at the Audio Information Network of Colorado (AINC) turned into a permanent job. Carolina realized that she loves working with children and has an internship at a preschool. Cragar returned to work on his degree in Atmospheric Science with new technology and Braille skills that brought in the grades he has always known he is capable of.… Read the rest “Our Blindness Training Is Just the Beginning – Donate on Colorado Gives Day!”

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  • Our Staff Make the Difference: Donate on Tuesday, Colorado Gives Day!

    by

    Dan Burke

    Our Staff Make the Difference: Donate on Tuesday, Colorado Gives Day!

    It’s our job at the Colorado Center for the Blind to believe in our students, often well-before they begin to believe in themselves.

    “We see you struggle when you first come for training, ” Assistive Technology Instructor Brett Boyer often says, “but we also have the privilege of watching you grow … and it’s always amazing.”

    It is a privilege, and a joy. But it’s not a passive observation, because all of our instructors teach, challenge, push a little, pull a little, and encourage all along the way  to give our students the opportunity to learn the things that make them increasingly independent and to develop the resilience and ingenuity to continue to learn and grow after the student moves on.… Read the rest “Our Staff Make the Difference: Donate on Tuesday, Colorado Gives Day!”

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  • ‘I am not my blindness’: What the blind community wishes you knew – from USA TODAY

    by

    Dan Burke

    ‘I am not my blindness’: What the blind community wishes you knew – from USA TODAY

    Erin talks to a group during Enrichment

    This article appeared in USA Today yesterday, November 17. It features our graduate Erin Daley, of whom we are naturally quite proud. In the article, Erin mentions that she loves to travel and will be visiting the Baltic countries. Well, she’s on her way right now!

    If you’re a sighted person, you likely have misconceptions about blind people. Time to educate yourselves.

    Check out this story on usatoday.com

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