Youth Programs

Yesterday we gathered 106 people into the meeting room for an ice cream social. It’s an event we hold every June because of course it’s summer and it’s hot and so ice cream tastes great! But we also do it to mark how exciting June can be with our usual Independence Training Students and staff in the building with our Seniors, who are joined by the Confidence Camp kids and the older summer students in the Middle School, High School and College Prep programs.

And since this is the year that the Colorado Center for the Blind turns 30, it’s a moment to reflect on how far the Center has come, and how far our many students have gone since leaving.

As Julie Deden pointed out, Diane McGeorge started the Center in 1988 with just five initial students.

“It’s amazing to think that we started with five students,” said Assistant Director Brent Batron, “and today we have six programs running in the building at the same time!”

That was one of the first lessons of the first day of summer for Confidence Camp kids this morning.

“If someone asks you what your backpack looks like, what are you going to tell them?” the lesson continued.

Yes, Monday began with learning for the 10 5 to 12-year-olds. It went on from there, including making lunches, and there will be plenty more lessons in independence and fun over the next two weeks. Lots of fun too – their day ended with a trip to the pool for a swim. Now that’s summer!

And then there were the 23 teenagers in our Earn & Learn and College Prep programs in their first day of classes. they will be with us for 8 weeks, including a trip to the National Federation of the Blind 2018 Convention in Orlando!

No matter what the calendar says, it’s the first week of summer. The temps are in the 90s, the garden is being planted and summer staff are shadowing their ITP staff counterparts. Friday 25 teenagers (summer students) begin arriving and on Monday the elementary Confidence Camp kids start too.

So here’s another first or two. Above, Amber uses a spade for the first time out in the garden. When asked if she’d dug with a shovel before she promptly answered, “I’m about to.” And then she proceeded to do it. In the process she and classmate Annette planted this year’s pumpkin and zucchini hills.

Did you attend the Colorado Center for the Blind, as an adult or in a summer youth program, or were a staff member at one time? We invite former students and staff, as well as prospective students to join us in celebration of 30 years of providing the training and tools that blind people need to live the lives we want!

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.”

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.

March 9 will be Movie Night And our next FAST Friday at the Colorado Center for the Blind – our monthly activity for blind youth and their families. We’ll kick the evening off with pizza, then watch the documentary film, “Do You Dream in Color?” It follows four California high school students who are blind as they strive to follow their dreams. 1 hr 14 min with audio description. Popcorn provided. Discussion will follow.

April 13 will be Contact the Astronomy Constellations! we’ll have Arapahoe Community College Astronomy Instructor Jennifer Jones and her students work with us to understand the night sky, stars, constellations and everything! The evening will feature dozens of tactile graphics and 3D representations. The time will be determined, so stay tuned.

After spending much of the day in their chairs, giving their best in various Braille skills as part of the

Braille Challenge, participants in the Metro area competition found goal ball the perfect way to unwind.

It’s the third year we’ve hosted the event for Metro-area kids, which is organized in Colorado by the

Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind. Students scores on reading, writing and more are collected regionally and given rankings, then compared to scores across the country. Eventually, the Braille Institute in Los Angeles will bring the most competitive students there for a final competition.

In the meantime, there’s a little goal ball, some local and regional prizes and pizza for lunch!

It’s a big day today. Sure, there’s World Braille Day and Louis Braille’s 209th birthday, and our Independence Training Program students are back from the holiday break and our first Seniors meeting is this afternoon. We’re excited about all that, but here at CCB we’re very excited about something else, too. Today marks 30 years that the doors of CCB first opened.