Where will I live while attending the Colorado Center for the Blind?
What are the apartments like?
What is provided in the apartment?
Where should I have packages and mail sent?
Colorado Center for the Blind
2233 W. Shepperd Ave.
Littleton, CO 80120
What kind of clothing will I need?
What other things should I bring?
How will I get groceries when I arrive?
We typically arrange to get new students from Denver International Airport and take them back to our apartments. That same day, unless your flight comes in late, we will arrange to get you to the supermarket to get groceries enough to last you for at least a week. If you ARE ARRIVING ON A LATE flight, we will arrange for a shopping trip on your first morning. To hold you over, we’ll give you a “CARE Package” of apartment basics, like shampoo, dish soap, hand soap, etc.
What should I buy on my first grocery trip
On your first trip to the grocery store, you will want to buy enough to last you at least 7 to 10 days. And you will need to supply your own laundry detergent, personal hygiene products like shampoo and soap, unless you bring these items with you. You obviously can bring toothpaste, deodorant, and even some shampoo, but probably not laundry detergent.
So, on that first trip, you will want to buy things that you feel comfortable making yourself for breakfast, lunch and dinner – things that you can make immediately on your own. Along with these, pick up any hygiene products you weren’t able to pack, as well as cleaning products for the apartment.
What will I need to do for Lunch
You need to plan for your lunch at the center every day, and we recommend bringing a lunch. The lunch period is one hour, and there aren’t many options for traveling to buy lunch and get back in time for afternoon classes. Occasionally, meals are served at the center. These are usually another student’s graduation meal (all are invited) or a mini-meal (you might get invited), but you will always know in advance about these. The rest of the time lunch is on you. There’s a refrigerator and freezer to store your lunch in if you need it. And there are microwaves for your use. The CCB Student Association also sells lunch options, such as Cup O’ Soup that you can purchase in a pinch.
What do I do if I can’t make it to the center?
If you are ill or won’t make it to the center for any reason, please call the main number, 303-778-1130, and leave a message letting us know in the main voice mail. Please do not email that you will be out.
How will I get to school each day? How will I find my way around school?
When you first arrive, you may spend your first morning or afternoon shopping and orienting yourself to the apartments with one of our residential staff. When it’s time to come to the center, a staff member will introduce you to the buss and the route.
For the first week or so, you will work with a staff person to travel to and from the center to help you learn the route. You will be taking a 36 bus which picks up at our apartment complex. This bus will drop off in downtown Littleton, followed by a five minute walk to the center. That staff member will make sure you know where the bus stop is and when the bus comes as they you the route, so they will make sure you know when to be ready to go. Bus schedules periodically change, but things start at the center by 8:00, so expect that you’ll be out the door well before that.
What Do I Do If I Get Locked Out or Break My Cane After Hours?
Our residential manager is on call for just such emergencies. If you have an emergency after school hours, such as locking yourself out or something going wrong in the apartment, you can call the residential manager for assistance. If you can’t reach them, you can call Maureen or Julie.
For medical emergencies, of course you should call 911. But if you have a minor medical issue, such as you need a band-aid, contact the residential manager.
What do I do if I have a maintenance Problem in my apartment?
Please email, text or speak to Maureen, director of student services about any maintenance concerns. She will coordinate necessary repairs. If you have a maintenance emergency, such as water running out onto the floor, please call the residential manager immediately.
On your first day at the center you will be assigned a mailbox and a student locker. Lockers and mailboxes are labeled in braille. Jen Spears, Who works at our front desk, will show you where these are located. Check your mail box regularly because this is where we will put your snail mail, unless you receive a package that is too large for the box. In that case, your package will be at the front desk, and Jen will make sure to let you know it’s arrived.
Once in the building, your assigned mentor will work with you to get to all of your classes. This support, traveling to the center and going between classes, will gradually fade out as you become more comfortable with getting around independently. But even after you can make the trip in to the center on your own, you’ll be taking the bus with your fellow students.
How do I access the Wi-Fi?
We provide free Wi-Fi service in both our apartment complex and at the center. You will receive the passwords prior to your arrival at the center.
Do I have a student Email?
Yes, you will be assigned a student email. All staff and students have email addresses. The address will be the first letter of your first name, your last name, @COcenter.org. Lots of important notifications and reminders come via email, so you will want to check it regularly as soon as you are able to do so. But don’t worry, if you are still learning to use your email, we do our best to share this information during our morning announcements as well.
How will I know my class schedule?
Before you arrive you will receive your class schedule via email. Once you arrive we can provide you a braille and or large print copy. If none of these formats are accessible to you please let us know. We are happy to call you before you arrive to walk you through your schedule.
What are Enrichment classes?
Enrichment classes are part of your daily schedule and they change each day. This part of your curriculum is provided to offer you a well-rounded experience and give you the opportunity to learn and experience things you may not have been able to in the past. Here’s the current list:
- Monday, Home maintenance
- Tuesday, tactile art
- Wednesday, personal development
- Thursday, fitness
- Friday, organization time. This is time that is built into your schedule to use for practical purposes. You may want to use it as a study hour to work on Braille or technology. You could also use this time to make personal phone calls and handle matters that are hard to do after school hours.
Do we use any virtual platforms?
We use zoom for a variety of presentations or philosophy classes from outside the center. If you are comfortable with using your phone or computer non-visually before you come you could download the zoom app. If not your tech instructor will help you get set up. Let your technology teacher know you need help with this when you begin classes.
Who Can I Talk to if personal Issues Come Up?
Julie and or Maureen are available to work with you on all matters during school hours. You are welcome to stop by their offices at any time if you need anything. If you are unsure if you should talk to Julie or Maureen about something, we encourage you to ask a trusted staff member.
Morning Announcements
Each day at 8:00 we have morning announcements in the meeting room, which is where you also have lunch. This is also the point when sleepshades must be put on and worn until the end of the day at 4:00 PM with a break happening during your philosophy time. Philosophy is a class that occurs each day right before lunch. Currently, CCB’s weekdays look like this:
8:00 Announcements in the meeting room 8:15 to 11:15 morning classes 11:15 to noon Philosophy Class Noon to 1:00 lunch 1:00 to 4:00 afternoon classes.
Cleanup After Lunch
Each day a staff member and two students are assigned to cleanup in the meeting room after lunch. This begins about 15 minutes before the end of the lunch hour. Staff and students are assigned for clean-up in an alphabetical rotation. You can also be assigned to clean-up if you are late arriving at the center in the morning. The daily clean-up crew wipes down tables, cleans up the microwaves, cleans the coffee bar, and takes out the trash in the kitchen and meeting room.
Amenities
The coffee bar is in the meeting room, just outside the large kitchen. It offers a variety of tea’s, hot chocolate, hot water, and of course coffee is brewed each morning. This is for everyone to enjoy and we ask that you please clean up after yourself. Spills can happen!
There is a microwave in the meeting room, as well as microwaves in the large and small kitchens. These are perfect for heating up lunch or even breakfast.
We have water coolers located upstairs and downstairs. We have small cups at each station, but we encourage you to bring a water bottle that you can refill. This is especially handy for filling your water bottle before heading out for travel class.
How Can I Remember All of This?
Don’t stress. This FAQ is not intended to overwhelm you, just to give you answers to questions many students ask as they prepare to come to the Colorado Center for the Blind. We don’t expect you to know everything and learn it all the first day. That’s not possible. But over time, you will become more and more comfortable with your schedule, the apartments, bus schedules, and the surrounding neighborhoods.