It’s yet another sign of spring when the Arapahoe County Master Gardeners first arrive to work with our students in the Legacy Garden. Of course, everything starts with getting the soil ready for planting and, after our spring rains, that means pulling out the eager weeds already leaping up. Tyler, Annette, Abdi, Tucker and Brad took first crack at it on Tuesday. Next week planting begins!

Here are a couple of pics taken this morning at the Dirt Coffee Bar in downtown Littleton. Dirt is a nonprofit operation dedicated to employment for people with Autism and we knew we had a lot of values in common when they called us to ask about Braille menus and board games for the shop a month before it opened. There’s nothing like a Braille menu!

This morning we delivered two copies of the menu in Braille … and of course we had to try out their coffee and hot chocolate!

Here’s a short clip from dirtcoffee.org –

Dirt is on a mission to bring you quality crafted coffee, food & drink while employing & empowering individuals with autism. … From the ground up, our shop will go further to cultivate a culture of acceptance, inclusion, and opportunity

The entire family is welcome to come and enjoy FAST Friday Fun and Games on May 11 at 5:30 with staff and students at the Colorado Center for the Blind.

This will be an active FAST Friday. We will be getting out and enjoying the beautiful spring weather, playing some kickball, string ball, learning to tandem cycle and doing some guide running to prepare for the NFB of Colorado’s 6 Dot Dash on June 24. We will also be doing some grilling and enjoying some great food.

If you want a burger or a dog, you gotta RSVP here.

We want to tell people about the Megan Bening Memorial Fund Technology Giveaway by the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) because it will put over $10,000 of technology into the hands of blind and low vision students. But we also want to tell you about it because Megan Bening was one of our own.

Megan Bening was a summer student at the Colorado Center for the Blind in 2009.

“She had such a spark,” said Director Julie Deden. “That’s why we were so excited to have her back as a summer staff member.”

More than 130 were in attendance on April 17 for our second annual “Making Connections That Work for You: A Career and College Seminar”. From the beginning in the morning with two phenomenal keynote speakers until the last breakout ended at 3 p.m., it was a day to learn about the world of work and to feel inspired that blind people can and do any kind of job they wish.

Former State Representative Dianne Primavera told her story with humility, but undoubtedly her story as a single mom and cancer survivor who became one of Colorado’s most effective legislators and now the CEO of Susan G. Komen Colorado revealed the secret to her success – hard work and a singular passion for what she does. Judy Mares-Dixon’s rise to become an internationally-respected mediator – work that she loves – ended with a clear message. Blind people need other blind people along their way to help them fulfill their dreams.

2nd Annual Career and College Seminar

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Lunch is provided.

Don’t miss these keynote addresses:

Dianne Primavera

Dianne Primavera is Chief Executive Officer for Susan G. Komen Colorado. She served in the state legislature for eight years as representative for Broomfield. During her tenure in the Colorado General Assembly, Dianne held terms as Chair and Vice Chair on several key committees. She was appointed to the Vocational Rehabilitation Services for the Blind Interim Study Committee. A cancer survivor, she founded and co-chaired the Cancer Caucus. The Statesman, the newspaper which covered the state capitol, named her the most effective member of the House for her final term.

Our long-time art instructor and national leader in tactile access to art and science Ann Cunningham was in the artists’ make-a-space at the Denver Art Museum (DAM) in February. A group from the Colorado Center for the Blind visited DAM and Ann’s exhibit and art-making on February 9. The collaboration between DAM and Ann caught the attention of others, resulting in this episode of the popular podcast, “Eyes on Success” – an interview by podcasters Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey of Ann and folks at DAM.

Listen to the episode here: www.EyesOnSuccess.net

Since January, fans attending Colorado Avalanche games have been treated to between-periods video of the Try Blind Hockey Day on January 17. Over 50 blind Coloradans went out on the ice that day, some for the first time, others with a stick in their hand for the first time. Fans are impressed by the video, but it is little more than an historical artifact now.

The rule of thumb is that a good resume gets you an interview, but it’s in the interview that you get the job. How can you be successful at interviewing? With coaching and practice!

If you have never interviewed for a job before, if you haven’t interviewed for a job since becoming blind, if you haven’t interviewed in a long time, then a mock interview is just for you! It’s a low-pressure chance to get some coaching and practice.

During our April 17 career and college seminar at CCB, Making Connections that Work for You, you can sign up for a series of three mock interviews as one of the afternoon breakout sessions. Yes, you’ll do three short mock interviews in a one-hour period!

Whirling overhead at all times are stars, planets – whole galaxies. Humans have always wondered at them and about them. Blindness is no impediment to curiosity, including in the area of astronomy, nor is there any reason blind people can’t learn much in this field, often thought to be too visual. Some have even become astronomers themselves.

So, with the help of Arapahoe Community College Astronomy Coordinator and Instructor Jennifer Jones, this month’s FAST (Fun Activities and Skills Training) Friday program for blind youth will teach about the stars with tactile graphics of constellations, 3D printings of telescopes, and, finally, a trip outside to see what is in Friday night’s sky. Members of ACC’s Astronomy Club will be helping out too. We’ll also learn a little about the science of sonification as it applies to studying various astronomical phenomena.