Cane Travel

Editor’s Note: Libby graduated from the Center this fall. She recently sent us this photo following a tour to this beautiful spot in her home state, a Navajo Tribal Park. It’s a great testament to how far a blind person can go with a white cane. Sounds like a great trip Libby!

I got to mark Antelope Canyon off my bucket list. I traveled up to northern Arizona with my cane and explored the wind- and water-whipped walls. It was absolutely spectacular! So very grateful to have had the training with my cane so that I could still navigate the dark canyon along with the rest of the tour.

In this part of the world, the BBC’s World Service can be heard during normal sleeping hours on one of our public radio stations. This week our volunteer photographer/videographer Mike Thompson had the BBC World Service on while falling back to sleep in the wee hours when he heard a familiar voice and a familiar name – Poonam Vaidya.

Poonam is from Bangalore, India and was one of our international students. (We always try to have one international student at any given time.) She graduated in 2016. Poonam was one of two blind women interviewed for the BBC program, “The Conversation.” The 30-minute radio podcast gives interesting insights into how blindness is viewed in other cultures.

And thanks for the great plug, Poonam!

Listen to the episode

Students and staff took a Friday afternoon to visit the Chatfield Farms Corn Maze. Martin took his GoPro along and brought back this footage. It was “Structured Discovery” at its most fun!

Everyone – staff and students – were in Fort Collins last weekend for the 63rd Convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado. For some, it was their first convention, while others were very involved in a number of activities and divisions.

Above, these three recent alums were at the podium at different moments. Left to right: Blanca was part of the CCB presentation talking about her training and her new job; Tabea was one of the scholarship winners, here shown as part of the “My Blindness, My Self” panel; and Ryan also talked about his new job, and how he was quickly moved to a new position that challenged him even more. He had met many challenges as a student and that confidence helped him push forward.

There are always firsts at the Colorado Center for the Blind. For example, today Casey, a relatively new student, went on his first independent route to Romancing the Bean. Sure, he’d been there before, but not traveling on his own. And that’s what makes it a first.

Adia has been at the center since August, and last night she cooked her dinner party – for herself and five guests. This afternoon, Cody completed his mini-meal – it’s only for 15 people. He served Mississippi Pot Roast over smoked mashed potatoes and homemade bread.

What makes the pot roast “Mississippi?”

“A whole lot of butter.”

And this afternoon the CCB Student Association is hosting the first-ever pie contest. There are seven student entries, and Julie, Daniel and Vicki are the judges.

I am pleased to be able to make another large donation this year. (I know) one of your alumni and seeing the incredible impact you have made in her life makes me want to give as much as I can. God bless you all. True charity is anonymous, I do not need any recognition of accolades beyond being able to continue to see you do incredible work.

So let’s talk about Summer 2017. We’re including a few photographic highlights from this year. Along with these activities, many students had their first jobs this summer. Maggie, for example, is starting her sophomore year of high school in Arizona. She was matched with our perennial partner, “Arapahoe Community College (ACC)” to work in their e-learning Department.

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.

Embodied in these seniors and in their stories are the values that drive our Senior Services – indeed everything we do at CCB – skills that build belief in ourselves, a community that supports us, hope where there was uncertainty and maybe just a skosh of defiance!

Thanks to DJ for her highly professional and creative work. She gets us!

David did it – he completed his Support Drop today with his Travel Instructor Daniel! Congrats David!

Who can resist a 2-for-1 deal? Steve called it out at morning announcements – Ashley for her support drop (meaning she spent the morning with Steve), and Julie M. on her solo drop! What a great deal – and they both made it back successfully, and with more confidence in their independent travel skills!

Limit one coupon per Travel Instructor, please.

While Center staff hold an educational and planning day, students are excused from classes, though not from learning.

No, it’s the annual scavenger hunt that CCB alums will recall. Students are divided up into groups and given a list of 30 items they must find or produce today, and bring to the Center tomorrow. Items on the list involve a lot of Braille, traveling to various locations to get such things as menus or business cards or other unusual items. There’s also a baking item on the list, and some research on the Internet can help, but everything is required to be in Braille or have a Braille label.

That way, there’s something that everyone can do. Thus, students work together and use the skills they’ve been practicing in class.

And yes, it’s a competition. The winning group will receive a gift card for a popular place to eat.