Take Charge with Confidence and Self-Reliance

Tag: Wood Shop

  • Blindness training goals delayed by social distancing? Check out the new Breaking Blind Podcast

    by

    Dan Burke

    Corey and David talk about traffic sounds before making a street crossing

    Corey and David talk about traffic sounds before making a street crossing
    You know, this pandemic shutdown has been going on for a minute. Especially if you are a student at the Colorado Center for the Blind, or someone waiting to come, or someone newly blind and trying to figure out how to do the simplest things you used to do now that you’re blind, let alone how you can live the life you want. Our students’ had their programs interrupted, some only a week or two from graduating. Prospective students who’ve been talking with Executive Director Julie Deden for months found their start dates paused indefinitely.

    That’s what makes the Breaking Blind Podcast so timely and, for many, so essential.… Read the rest “Blindness training goals delayed by social distancing? Check out the new Breaking Blind Podcast”

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  • “How My Life Changed at the Colorado Center for the Blind” @CatchTheseWords

    by

    Dan Burke

    Holly headed out from the Center with her cane

    Editor’s Note: We introduced you to holly some months ago, when the weather was warmer and she was a relatively new student at the center. She comes from the United Kingdom and her drive to attend the Colorado Center for the Blind stems in part from the fact that, as she says “there aren’t any training centers where I’m from.” And that means not even bad ones. Holly is a widely-read blogger on disability and blindness (Catch These Words), and we thought her thoughts on this video after completing our program – one of the more rigorous blindness training programs there is – offer us all an important perspective on what we do here, and why.

    … Read the rest ““How My Life Changed at the Colorado Center for the Blind” @CatchTheseWords”

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  • What You Carry in Your Soul & a Trip to the Wood Shop: A Visit from Alum Cathy @Kudlick

    by

    Dan Burke

    Cathy, Julie and Anahit smiling across the table at a local restaurant

    It has been nearly 18 years since Catherine Kudlick first arrived in Littleton as a student at CCB, but the lessons of her training have endured, as she told staff and students in Philosophy Class last Thursday.

    Cathy’s blindness is due to Nystagmus and she had never used a cane before she came for training. Still, she counted her travel training as one of the most important classes for her. She told students in frank terms about her internal struggles in that class under sleepshades.

    “You ask yourself why you have to do this travel assignment. You hate it while you’re doing the travel, maybe getting turned around.… Read the rest “What You Carry in Your Soul & a Trip to the Wood Shop: A Visit from Alum Cathy @Kudlick”

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  • Celebrating Our Senior Programs in New Video!

    by

    Dan Burke

    We’re proud of our senior programs and how they have changed the lives of seniors who have lost vision and the people who love them. We’re excited about how those programs continue to grow – from the residential Seniors in Charge (twice a year), to four support groups (one in Spanish), to ever-expanding opportunities to provide outreach services.

    And so we’re proud of our new Senior Program video, made with filmmaker and long-time collaborator Djuna “DJ” Zupancic. The video doesn’t talk about all the program details as much as it endeavors to tell what those programs and services have meant to five seniors in particular.… Read the rest “Celebrating Our Senior Programs in New Video!”

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  • Wind Chimes of Freedom: This week’s 3 Wood Shop Projects

    by

    Dan Burke

    C.G. near the front garden holding up her wooden wind chime shop project

    C.G. out front holding up her wooden wind chimes

    We have three graduations this week – Courtney, or C.G. as she has been known in her time at CCB, graduated on Monday, Suzie today, wednesday, and Ellen finishes on Thursday. All of them finished excellent wood shop projects last week. Ellen built a very nice bookshelf, and both C.G. and Suzie made the first sets of wind chimes students have made here. There must be something in the air … Well, the ringing of Freedom Bells, naturally!

    In the Shop Suzi shows Julie her Wind Chimes
    Ellen beside her bookshelf in the shop

     

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  • Swolly-ness is Holiness: Ryan’s Pull Up Station

    by

    Dan Burke

    Ryan at the Pull Up Station doing leg lift pull ups

    Everyone does a project in Wood Shop, and since Ryan is a fitness professional he built a pull-up station in our gym:

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  • Julie and Serena Making it smooth!

    by

    Dan Burke

    Serena sand an oak table in woodshop

    Both Julie and Serena are new to the Wood Shop class, but Chirs has them in touch with the beginning’s of a refinishing project.

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  • From Super Bowl Parade to Freedom Bells: A Video Retrospective of 2016

    by

    Dan Burke

    Got about 20 minutes to be wowed?

    We’re just back from our 2016 National Federation of the Blind of Colorado Convention in Lone Tree from October 27 to 30. All staff and students attended and, since we’re an NFB training center (the NFB of Colorado started the Center in 1988), Executive Director Julie Deden always makes a report the the entire convention about all that’s happened in the last year. It’s always a highlight of an affiliate convention that is full of highlights. This year Julie’s report included this video of 2016 highlights and retrospective of our graduates this year.… Read the rest “From Super Bowl Parade to Freedom Bells: A Video Retrospective of 2016”

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  • The first cut is the hardest: Marlene on the chop saw

    by

    Dan Burke

    Marlene at the chop saw after her 1st cut

    … or maybe it’s not if you have a career behind you as a surgical nurse.

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  • A Littleton Slugger, Independent Travel, Fear and Progress

    by

    Dan Burke

    a miniature baseball bat with the CCB logo as trademark

    Warren completed his woodshop project this week. We’ll call it a “Littleton Slugger”, which he turned on the mini-lathe. He plans to have all his instructors sign it when he graduates and returns home to Philadelphia.

    Wednesday Brigid successfully completed her support drop and Marlene went on her solo drop. Oh yeah, Marlene made it back too.

    Today, Brigid is doing her Monster Route – four places she’s never been to in four Metro cities – all in one day! These big travel requirements are coming up this week because Marlene and Brigid will both graduate nextweek.

    At the other end of the spectrum, two of our newest students, John and Ethan went on their very first independent routes this morning and came back to the Center to cheers.… Read the rest “A Littleton Slugger, Independent Travel, Fear and Progress”

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