Summer 2014

Editor’s Note: What follows is excerpted from an August 6, 2014 blog post of The Blind Coloradan, the official blog of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado. An Arizona high school student, Christian Able was a student this summer and worked 40 hours for the NFBCO staff. Here’s his reflection on the summer program at the Center and his work with the NFB of Colorado.

Stepping on that plane a month ago I thought everything would be easy and I wouldn’t learn anything this summer. That’s not the case at all. I would say the sleep shades helped me see. At my school I learn a lot about living successfully as a blind individual, but coming here has been a whole other experience.

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,