Kids are drawn to Doug. It was obvious to us at the Colorado Center for the Blind when he came to help out with one of our events. His open, welcoming personality helped make the event a success. He’s a natural teacher, not to mention a trained and experienced professional educator.
But Doug was working in a pharmacy in Oregon when he first called the Center to inquire about training. He had worked as a middle school English teacher for more than a decade and loved working with kids. As he began losing his vision, though, he didn’t believe that he could teach anymore. He just didn’t know how he could do it, so he left the job he loved so much. By the time he called, he knew that he needed training to learn how to function as a blind person.
In the first months of his program, he still did not believe that he would ever teach again, and he grieved the loss. But he kept working his training program. And he worked hard, becoming the quiet, nonjudgmental model for many of his fellow students. He was still teaching. Doug learned to feel proud to use his white cane. He learned how to travel everywhere. He learned Braille, how to effectively use speech on a computer, and to cook anything he wanted to.
Most importantly, Doug decided that he would not give up teaching. He knows that blindness will not hold him back! Doug currently works full-time for Littleton Public Schools as a paraprofessional while also enrolled full-time at the University of Northern Colorado to obtain his Master’s Degree for his new career - as a teacher of blind children.
Doug believes in himself as a blind teacher, and a future educator of blind kids. And you know what? He’ll pass that belief in himself and his students on to them, just by being Doug. Because kids love Doug!
- "The training and mentoring I received from blind instructors at the Colorado Center for the Blind has been invaluable,” says Doug. “It gave me the skills and confidence to believe in my abilities and embark on a new career path."
We believe in blind people like Doug. You can support the Colorado Center for the Blind’s positive impact rooted in that belief. Donate to Colorado Gives Day between now and December 9.
And the $25,000 match is still active, so giving now doubles your impact!
Waiting to receive his Freedom Bell, Doug (right) grins at something Director Julie Deden says about him during his graduation in July, 2025. He was about to start a new job with Littleton Public Schools and a graduate program at the University of Northern Colorado.
