Watch the video of the July 30 Talent Show finale:

Summer Youth Programs ended July 30 with a student talent show featuring solo singing and duets, Native American flute, songs in Spanish, Mandarin and Thai, as well as lively and funny Emceeing.

The finale of the show – and the summer – was was ‘You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful’ sung by all summer students and staff.

Why this song? Youth Services Director Brent Batron decided it was the theme of the summer after hearing it almost every day for month at 7 a.m. Early-arriving students took advantage of the baby grand piano in our lobby to play and sing before the start of classes. ‘You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful’ was a daily favorite.

Editor’s Note: Annalyn, a 17-year-old from South Carolina, was part of our Earn and Learn Program in 2014. She worked at the Auraria Childcare Center with infants and toddlers, taking a 20-minute light rail ride to work early each morning. She wrote this thank-you letter in perfect contracted Braille with her slate and stylus. The next morning, our next-to-last day in the Summer 2014 Youth Programs, she read it aloud to Brent and Julie at our morning announcements.

Read the letter and you might see why Brent and Julie were momentarily speechless, but also why we do what we do at the Colorado Center for the Blind.

Dear Brent and Julie,

This year’s shark dissection, sponsored by Arapahoe Community College and directed by its Terry Harrison, attracted more than 30 local blind middle school and high school students to the Center on November 22. Oh yeah, the kids brought teachers and parents, too. It’s all part of our ongoing commitment to make STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) subjects accessible to blind students.

Nelson Garcia, 9News Education Reporter also showed up with a camera crew, and here’s the short video clip that appeared that evening on KUSA in Denver:

In the chemistry lab at Metro State University in Denver recently, Quinita Thomas expertly traces her fingers around the top of a glass beaker. She gingerly touches the sleek sides of an electronic probe. Then she feels the hard edges a metal test-tube holder. The 17-year-old can hardly contain her excitement. 

Read the full article!

A Celebration to Remember!

The Colorado Center for the Blind first opened its doors in January of 1988 with three staff members and five students. On September 13 & 14, 2013, the Center held its 25th Anniversary Celebration with an open house and a gala banquet.

Friday, September 13

The rain stopped and the sky cleared for a few hours on Friday, September 13, 2013. It lasted just long enough for the opening ceremony of the 25th Anniversary Celebration, along with tours of the Center, and rides in the National Federation of the Blind’s Blind Driver Challenge car. Guests also enjoyed bratwursts grilled by current Center students.

Distinguished guests at the morning ceremony included Littleton’s Mayor Debbie Brinkman, National Federation of the Blind First Vice President Frederick K. Schroeder, NFB of Colorado President Scott LaBarre and founder and long-time Director at the Center, Diane McGeorge.

by Jennifer Smith. Posted Monday, June 24th in the Littleton Independent

Louis Braille made a surprise visit to the Colorado Center for the Blind on June 18 — extremely surprising, given that he’s been dead for 161 years.

“I’m having a great time,” said “Braille” — portrayed by center instructor Tom Anderson — while watching kids practice writing during the center’s Braille Carnival. “It’s great meeting the young children, and the adults and seniors, too.”

The event hosted 120 blind people of all ages to experience a variety of tactile and interactive learning stations. They gathered in the wood shop to learn the basics of braille using large “dots.” In the kitchen, they chose a card, then found the utensil or appliance printed on it. There were candy prizes for successfully completing a word scramble of technology terms in the computer lab. In the travel lab, they attempted a puzzle of the United States and learned intersection safety using Hot Wheels.

There were card games, art projects and pizza for lunch.

Denver 9 News anchor Kyle Dyer interviewed Karen Parsegian and Ann Cunningham during the morning show in the 9 News studio on Friday, May 4. To check out the video or learn more about The Sensational Blackboard go to the link below.

Hope you enjoy!

http://www.9news.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1621260374001&odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cfeatured