Older Blind Programs

“A pivotal moment for George came after a medical appointment,” says Stefanie. “Instead of calling for a ride home as he would have in the past, he located the nearest bus stop and took the bus on his own. On the way, he even stopped at a store to pick up a few items—navigating the route, the environment, and the return trip independently. He was so proud when he told me the story the next time I saw him. We had a celebration!

Colorado Gives Day is December 9, but you can give early to celebrate our Older Blind Program!

Make a Colorado Gives donation that celebrates Duncan Larsen and our blind seniors!

Duncan Larsen’s commitment to instilling confidence in all blind people goes back to her earliest professional years in Nebraska. She was one of our founders in 1988 after moving to Colorado. In fact, Duncan was the cane travel instructor on that storied first day when she traveled to the Center with those first students in a blizzard. Since that time, Duncan has changed thousands of lives.

So, we’re dedicating the Senior Resource Room at the Colorado Center for the Blind as the Duncan Larsen Senior Resource Room, and we invite you to designate your 2024 Colorado Gives contribution to Duncan’s legacy.

We know that blind people can do anything, and that includes creating and enjoying art. It just needs to be tactilely accessible to us. Since 2014, we've partnered with Arapahoe Community Colloege's Dept. of Art and Design in an art show that does just that. It's the entire Colorado Gallery of the Arts filled with art pieces that not only permit, but require that you put your hands on them! All are made by ACC students or CCB students and staff.

Our Legacy Garden planting is complete, helped again this year by our partners with Arapahoe County Master Gardeners and of course all the rain in the past few weeks. (Actually, all the rain has made it difficult to plant on some days because the ground was too wet.)

Earlier in May a group of our older blind folks went off to Moe’s Original Bar-B-Que & Bowling on South Broadway for a morning of active fun. These photos attest to the truth that there’s more than one way to get the ball down the lane!

Diane told the crowd that she’s decided 90 isn’t enough, and she plans to make 100 years.
Okay, we’ll start planning that party now!

Yes, it’s the 90th birthday of our founder, Diane McGeorge.

“Don’t ever give up!” That was the advice Diane gave to students and everyone else at a celebration of her 90th birthday yesterday at the Colorado Center for the Blind. And Diane never has.

Nothing tempers the desire of our students to find the tools and the belief in themselves that will sustain them in their quest to live lives of independence and success!

And so, still cautious, still wearing masks indoors all day, the Colorado Center for the Blind carries on with the training and the programs that will give our blind students those tools – in the kitchen, at the (computer) keyboard, reading electronic Braille displays and traveling the Denver Metro area on RTD. Indeed, these are the tools upon which to build for a lifetime!

For the first time in two years, our week-long Seniors in Charge is live and in-person at the Colorado Center for the Blind! These four dynamic and intrepid older blind folks have been waiting since spring of 2020 to get five full days of blindness training in Braille, technology, cane travel and kitchen skills, and they are determined to get the most out of this opportunity to spend quality time with our Senior staff! Duncan, Chris, Stephanie and Dishon are not disappointing them with long, and at times, intensive training every day. They even spent time in the wood shop with Paul on Tuesday.

That was the cry of excitement on Tuesday, April 27 when our Senior Services Program held its first in-person group meeting at the center in nearly 14 months. A dozen intrepid souls made their way across the Metro area to sit together in one room to talk about blindness and how it affects their lives.