Take Charge with Confidence and Self-Reliance

Category: General Colorado Center Information

  • DAR Donates Tactile Stars and Stripes

    by

    Dan Burke

    DAR Donates Tactile Stars and Stripes

    Four women stand together, smiling at the camera as the woman with a white cane displays the flag
    Julie Deden shows us the Tactile Flag presented to CCB by the Mt. Rosa Chapter of the DAR. Shown with her, from left to right, are DAR members Marsha, Sally, Julie, and Kathryn.

    We were excited to welcome three members of the Mount Rosa Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) on Tuesday, September 13, who presented us with a tactile American flag. They accurately surmised that we might not have an actual flag that blind people could touch and make sense out of. Now we have one!”

    Of course, we have the Stars and Stripes in our meeting room, but flags are made nowadays in such a way that you can’t feel any difference between the red and white stripes or the field of blue, let alone the 50 white stars there.

    … Read the rest “DAR Donates Tactile Stars and Stripes”

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  • Blindness adds Another layer to Privilege Walk

    by

    Dan Burke

    Blindness adds Another layer to Privilege Walk

    Jamila leading a Privilege Walk Activity in the Gym

    A while back, the Philosophy class met in the gym and student Jamila Lane led us through a “Privilege Walk.”

    Jamila, from Atlanta, previously participated in Privilege Walks in both her undergraduate and graduate studies, but it was her first time leading one.

    “Disability added a very interesting layer to it,” she said, “because everyone in this group is blind.”

    Meaning that for questions that involved disability, almost everyone had to stand still or step back, and more than once as a result, leaving most of the staff and students clustered around the center line by the end.

    “Usually, the separation is more distinct,” said Jamila, referring to the fact that the division is typically based on race and gender, with white men being overall more likely to benefit from steps ahead.

    … Read the rest “Blindness adds Another layer to Privilege Walk”

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  • 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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  • 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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  • It’s Colorado Giving Season – Schedule a Donation for Dec. 7!

    by

    Dan Burke

    It’s Colorado Giving Season – Schedule a Donation for Dec. 7!

    Nothing tempers the desire of our students to find the tools and the belief in themselves that will sustain them in their quest to live lives of independence and success!

    And so, still cautious, still wearing masks indoors all day, the Colorado Center for the Blind carries on with the training and the programs that will give our blind students those tools – in the kitchen, at the (computer) keyboard, reading electronic Braille displays and traveling the Denver Metro area on RTD. Indeed, these are the tools upon which to build for a lifetime!

    From our Senior Staff working both in person and virtually with older Coloradans experiencing blindness for the first time, to our collaborations providing innovative educational support and just fun activities for blind youth, The Colorado Center for the Blind continues to make a difference in the lives of blind people!… Read the rest “It’s Colorado Giving Season – Schedule a Donation for Dec. 7!”

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  • Etiquette Day at CCB

    by

    Dan Burke

    Etiquette Day at CCB

    Dan H gives a tip of his brown felt hat on Etiquette Day, the height of good manners

    It’s Etiquette Day in Home Management, and one of our newest students decided to dress up for the occasion. Sure, his attire is not strictly “black-tie” but definitely a cut or two above our normal business casual.

    For Etiquette Day our Home Management teachers, Delfina and Stefanie walk students through everything from proper place settings to the techniques of maintaining polite manners when you can’t see your food.

    Dan H took this as an opportunity to set himself apart. Every item from the brown felt hat, to the suit coat from Korea, to the tiny tie and the rings and beads, have some significance related to important people in his life – his mother and father, his sisters and his fiancée.

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