[Colorado-talk] I am asking for your patients

[kevan at nfbco.org]

Hi there,

 

Please be patient with me. "I am a poor little lamb who has lost his way.
BAAAA.

 

You have probably received the latest Blind Coloradoan as an attachment.
Unfortunately, the picture descriptions read as gibberish. Below, find copy
which is more readable. I am working with my buddies Curtis Chong, Paul
Sandoval, and Jessica Beecham to get a format in place that will be
consistent and easy for every reader to access. We will also begin
publishing more short blogs in addition to our monthly Blind Coloradoan.
Also, our plan for upcoming monthly issues will be to have shorter articles
with links for expanded content. Thank you. 

 

At Your Service,

Kevan Worley

Manager, Project Literacy

303-929-2369

 <http://www.nfbco.org> www.nfbco.org 

 



Up there on top is the NFB of Colorado Logo followed by "Live the life you
want."

 

Blind Coloradoan Blog May 2019

Writer, aggregator Kevan Worley. Contributing editor Dan Burke.

Here is what you need to know. 

 

This May Issue is Dedicated to the Mothers of the Movement. The modern
holiday of Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held
a memorial for her mother at St Andrew's Methodist Church in Grafton, West
Virginia. St Andrew's Methodist Church now holds the International Mother's
Day Shrine. Her campaign to make Mother's Day a recognized holiday in the
United States began in 1905, the year her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, died.
Ann Jarvis had been a peace activist who cared for wounded soldiers on both
sides of the American Civil War and created Mother's Day Work Clubs to
address public health issues. Anna Jarvis wanted to honor her mother by
continuing the work she started and to set aside a day to honor all mothers
because she believed a mother is "the person who has done more for you than
anyone in the world", from Wikipedia. There have been so many strong women
who have made our movement what it is. We could not list them all but the
one who raised up many of us in Colorado is Diane McGeorge. Happy Mother's
Day Diane. This issue is dedicated to you. 

 

This issue is in appreciation of our friends at Southern Foodservice
Management, Inc. and Philadelphia Insurance Companies. Southern returns as a
Gold Sponsor of our second NFBCO 6 Dot Dash 5k. Philadelphia Insurance is a
Gold Sponsor for their first time. Philadelphia Insurance is the chosen
insurance carrier for our Colorado Center for the Blind. If it is good
enough for CCB it is great enough for me! ThinkPHLY.com
<https://www.phly.com/Campaign/thinkphly.aspx> .  Southern Foodservice
Management, Inc. has provided support and consulting services for a number
of blind food service operators, including here in Colorado. No one in the
foodservice industry cares more about making your day than the people at
Southern. "We love food, and we love people. We even have a special
philosophy that directs everything we do. We're Southern at heart, so when
you eat with us, you'll experience first-hand what southern hospitality is
all about." We also appreciate our other great sponsors. You will read more
about each of them in upcoming issues of this blog. Please express your
appreciation to each of our NFBCO 6 Dot Dash 5k sponsors whenever you do
business with them. 

 



 

#ComeRunWithUs 



Saturday, June 29th 9:00AM-1:00PM

Colorado Center for the Blind

2233 W. Shepperd Ave, Littleton, CO 80120

 

Join the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado and the Colorado
Center for the Blind for a 5k run/walk and Blind Beer Tasting to raise
awareness and funds for Braille Literacy. For more information visit us
online at www.6dotdashco.com <http://www.6dotdashco.com>  

 


THIS EVENT OFFERS FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY! 

T-shirts         Finishers Medal     Chip Time     Huge Expo

Kids Fun Run     Harley's Hot Dogs       Bounce House

Face Painting          Kona Ice



Like Us on Facebook

@6DotDashCO

 <https://register.chronotrack.com/r/48889> SIGN UP TODAY!

 

 




Colorado Blind Voters Prevail in Quest for Equality. Readers of this blog
will know that Dan Burke is not only our intrepid contributing editor; Dan
also serves as chairman of our NFBCO Governmental Affairs effort. Here is a
note of celebration from Dan.

 

Our voting rights for Voters with Disabilities bill, SB19-202, passed out of
the Colorado House on Thursday.  Because it was amended after leaving the
Senate, it had to return there.  April 27, the Senate voted to concur with
the House amendments and passed it.  That means the bill now goes to the
Governor for his signature, making SB19-202 the law!

We did it!

 

Thanks, Dan! Thanks, team! Thanks to Senator Danielson and to the members of
the Colorado General Assembly! It is likely that by the time you read this,
the Governor will have already signed the bill. We know that he plans to
sign it. And we know that it will occur well before Thanksgiving. Note, the
governor must sign or veto legislation within 10 days after transmittal, or
it becomes law without his/her signature. For bills transmitted after
session adjournment, the governor must act within 30 days after the end of
the session, or the legislation becomes law without being signed.

 



 

Happy Thanksgiving from the President of the National Federation of the
Blind of Colorado, Scott C. LaBarre. It is great to have an item from Scott
for this issue. As always, Scott is witty, perceptive, grateful, and
compassionate. Here is what the big turkey says:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

 

First, I want to wish everyone a Happy Spring!!  However, as I write this
(Tuesday morning, April 30), it is actually snowing outside.  Ah, Spring
time in Colorado.  

 

Speaking of Spring, many of us have recently celebrated the holidays of
Easter and Passover.   Nevertheless, my mind is being drawn to Thanksgiving.
No, I am not craving turkey and all the wonderful holiday fixings but rather
experiencing an immense sense of gratitude for my involvement in the
National Federation of the Blind.  This past weekend, I had the honor of
representing Colorado on our national scholarship committee, and that
experience reminded me of how my journey in our Federation began.

 

In 1986, I won an NFB scholarship coming out of high school.  As I reflected
on this while reviewing hundreds of 2019 scholarship applications, I
marveled at how significantly we have impacted the lives of blind people all
over the world since then.  I had the opportunity to participate on the
Federation's Scholarship Committee early on in my involvement, and I am
quite astounded by how much the landscape has changed for all of us.

 

Over 30 years ago, the vast majority of individuals applying for one of our
scholarships mostly had never heard of us and thus were not members.  Now,
the exact opposite is true.  The vast majority of those applying for
scholarships are active members of the Federation, and seemingly all
applicants recognize the Federation's work to bring about substantial,
societal change to improve our opportunities.      

 

It is also fair to say that thirty years ago, the breadth of careers and
interests being pursued by scholarship applicants was much narrower.  Now,
it appears that our philosophy of living the life you want has taken root,
and blind men and women are not letting their blindness limit pursuit of
their dreams.  Our applicants are seeking careers in every imaginable
vocation from astrophysics to zoology.  For example, whereas the idea of a
blind person acquiring a medical degree was incredibly rare thirty years
ago, now we find many in our applicant pool striving after a career in
medicine.

 

Beyond just academics and careers, the interests and hobbies of our
applicants are also significantly more diverse.  I smiled while reading the
file of one applicant who is now active in a blacksmith   club and was the
first blind person to join.  He remarked on the fact that he was one of the
few who had not burned himself while practicing this ancient art.

 

As I boarded the plane back to Denver, I was incredibly thankful for our
ability to raise the expectations of the blind community making it possible
for us to live without artificial limitations being placed upon us.  We have
not yet met the outer boundaries of what we can achieve.  Because of our
work, we share a future which is full of unlimited potential.

 

I am also incredibly thankful for our, NFB of Colorado.  There are scores of
reasons why this is so, but our work over the last month on our voting
rights legislation, S.B. 19-202, is a wonderful case in point.  We have the
organizational maturity and sophistication to recruit and sustain key
legislative allies like Senator Jessie Danielson who has become a true
champion of our causes.  As you know, the Representative Danielson carried
and passed our parental rights bill last year and, as a first year Senator,
has shepherded S.B. 19-202 through the General Assembly with unanimous
support.  

 

She was able to accomplish these feats because of her political talent but
also because of the wonderful members of the NFB of Colorado who have
traveled to the Capitol to support our bills and/or who have made the phone
calls and sent the emails persuading our legislators.  We have so many
talented and dedicated members who make it far easier to bring our message
forward.  Take, for example, Jenny Callahan who testified before the Senate
State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee on April 1st.  She gave
impassioned testimony about how, as a sighted person, she had always taken
her right to vote for granted, and when she lost her vision, she felt that
her human dignity had been stripped from her because she was forced to work
with others to fill out her ballot, depriving her of the independence and
privacy that everyone else enjoys as a matter of right.  Because of Jenny's
moving testimony and all of our work, S.B. 19-202 will soon become law, and
all of us will be able to realize the same options of every Colorado voter,
the option of either going to our polling places where accessible machines
are present because of the previous work of the Federation or the ability to
vote from the privacy and comfort of our homes.

 

There are countless examples like our work on S.B. 19-202 of how the
Federation has advanced and implemented our right to live in the world, and
I am thankful for all of them!!  However, we all know that we aren't done
with our journey to full freedom, but as we continue to build the
Federation, I know we will get there!!  As we celebrate Thanksgiving, well,
the Spring version thereof, I want to thank each and every one of you for
helping us transform our dreams into reality!!  Oh, and enjoy the snow.

 

Scott adds, "Happy Mother's Day to the mothers of the movement. A big thank
you to my strong and loving mom, Donna, and to the beautiful and talented
mother of our children Alexander and Emily, Anahit. And to the mom who
raised many of us in the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado, Diane
McGeorge."

 

Ever Wonder Why Your Picture is Not in The Blind Coloradoan? Probably not.
But I have. Please, slide on some decent threads. Take a pic. Send it to me.
We need your visage to brighten up our blog. 

 

Techy, Nerdy, Profitable? Probably all of the above if you read the Blind
Institute of Technology newsletter. These guys get stuff done! Here is info
about an upcoming BIT Seminar. 

BIT'S ACCESS SYMPOSIUM

JUNE 12, DENVER, CO

 



 

We are thrilled to be hosting our second annual symposium, featuring a new
name but an old theme - using technology to ACCESS the abilities of all
users.

 

BIT is all about getting. stuff. done, and the ACCESS Symposium is our way
of bringing this spirit to a wider audience. ACCESS is completely focused on
the 'how' of accessible technology. Whether you're struggling with
implementing accessibility into your development cycle, wondering how to
deal with third-party vendors, or interested in cold hard code, ACCESS has
something for you!

 

You can find more event details here
<https://blindinstituteoftechnology.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6f243
e2d6868b7eb7e6ec39f3&id=16ddde2562&e=e4c8b179d0> , and please feel free to
reach out to us directly at events at blindit.org
<file:///C:/nfbco/blog/events@blindit.org> .

 

The May newsletter from BIT also highlighted the promotion of Ron Sorozan to
Vice President of Technology for LCI. BIT was instrumental in that
opportunity. Here is part of what Ron had to say, ".I strongly encourage
anyone seeking their next career position to contact BIT as they will go out
of their way to assist in finding and closing your next opportunity.  I
equally, though, recommend that any organization seeking highly motivated
and talented people to also reach out to BIT as their mission to educate
around improving accessibility in the workplace and to place those who are
disabled into meaningful positions will be rewarding for all involved."

Will You Please Help. Help us make certain that no blind or visually
impaired child is left out. We don't know where all the blind kiddos and
their families are across our great state. Help us find them. The NFBCO
Confidence Camp and BELL Academies combine to bring Summer fun and
instruction in a day-camp like setting. This is what children's Summer
memories are made of. Program dates and locations are Littleton June 10-21,
Westminster June 24-28, and Grand Junction July 15-19. For information,
please reach out to Michelle Chacon 303-507-6291. You can register your
child at www.nfb.org/bell-academy <http://www.nfb.org/bell-academy> . The
last time I volunteered at a BELL program there was everything from Play-Doh
and Legos to swimming and pizza making. I am sure there will be song singing
and general merriment.

 

This Is a Big Deal! Graduating from the Independence Training Program at the
Colorado Center for the Blind is a big deal. Recently, Dan Burke posted the
following on the CCB Facebook page. The responses from this particular post
have been many and amazing.

 

It was a big day, an emotional day for Omar Santana, one that would make his
Sicilian mother proud as he served Italian sausage alfredo to 60 people last
Wednesday.

"I didn't really believe I could do all the (cane) travel," he said before
his graduation. "I didn't believe I could learn Braille."

He says these things with a tone of awe and pride that he has, indeed,
mastered these and other blindness skills.

Admittedly, Omar just wasn't quite ready for training when he first came
last year. He struggled with the idea of being a blind person. When last
summer rolled around, he decided to spend it with his 11-year-old daughter
out of state. "I wasn't coming back," he says now, "but Julie wouldn't leave
me alone - Julie and Vicki and fellow students kept after me. I wouldn't be
here without them."

Omar will be traveling to Europe in a couple of months, resuming his career
as a popular DJ for Electronic Dance Music. Before his vision deteriorated
significantly, he DJed regularly in Europe and all over the U.S.

And how does Omar feel about traveling to Amsterdam now?

"No problem," he said without hesitation. "I've got my cane."

Yes, Omar can go around the world again with his white cane, his training at
the Colorado Center for the Blind, and the confidence and pride he has as a
blind person.



Graduate Omar Santana and Executive Director CCB Julie Deden

When it Comes to Fake Service Animals, I Get Very Dogmatic. Since receiving
my guide dog Onyx, the Wonder Shepherd from Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation,
some 30 months ago I have been following with great interest and given a
great deal of thought to the issues surrounding dogs of all kinds in public
places. Guide dogs, service dogs, emotional support animals, and pets.
Sometimes you can't tell the difference. The Colorado Springs Center for
Independence reports on their advocacy and the media coverage it created. I
saw the item on News 5 when it first ran. My wife Bridget told me that our
good friend City Councilwoman Yolanda Avila would be in an upcoming story
about fake service animals. Here is a note about the matter we received from
the Independence Center. 

 

Last month, Advocacy held an Assistance Animal Open House. Eric Ross from
KOAA attended and interviewed Becca Michael and Pat Going. Eric took this
story and ran with it, investigating how people who misrepresent their pets
(and doctors who write "prescriptions" for emotional support animals without
an actual exam) make it more difficult for the people with disabilities who
rely on service animals. He also interviewed Councilwoman Yolanda Avila, who
has a service dog named Puma.

 

Watch the captioned video and read the associated article here
<https://koaa.com/news/news5-investigates/2019/04/25/news-5-investigates-air
lines-and-businesses-see-spike-in-fake-service-animals> .

 

We Salute the Business Enterprise Program for Colorado. Creating jobs with
high earnings potential through self-employment. Unlike many similar
programs operated under terms of the Randolph-Sheppard Act Colorado's
continues to grow. For information about training and business opportunities
contact Dan Whalen, Manager, 303-866-3425. Or our Trainer and Chief, Ellie
Karre, 303-866-3429. We thank BEP for being a Silver Sponsor at the NFBCO 6
Dot Dash 5k. #comerunwithus.

 

Potlucks, Advocacy, and a Meet Up at the Saloon. Springs Chapter President
Jeanette Fortin says that they will hold a potluck at the next scheduled
monthly meeting. This chapter knows how to eat well! For the info contact
Jeanette, nettiecosp at icloud.com <mailto:nettiecosp at icloud.com> . I will be
there 9:30 a.m. Saturday May 11 at the Garden Ranch YMCA. I think I am
baking a cake if I know you are coming.

 

Good times had by all at our second city blind meet up downtown at Springs
Orleans. Great to have folks from Independence Center, City Councilwoman
Yolanda Avila, and new Springs family Jessie Lorenz and her daughter, along
with blind entrepreneur Brian Smith and NFB chapter president Jeanette
Fortin at the meet up. We are finding this to be a great way to engage our
community in an informal setting. The next one will be perfect for you. Join
the crowd, Tuesday May 21 at Springs Orleans
<http://www.springsorleans.com/>  anytime between 5 and 7. Note, when you
sit at the bar happy hour appetizers are two for one! 

 

Greeley Group Does NFB NewslineR Training. Using the instructive material
easily available at https://nfb.org/programs-services/nfb-newsline, the
Greeley chapter plans to get folks signed up, oriented, and trained to
maximize all the benefits of NFB NewslineR. Great idea Greeley! And, to
other chapters from Mountains and Plains to Mile High all the news about NFB
NewslineR is laid out for us on the website. Great chapter activity. And,
hey! Sign up today! 

 

Here is an Item That Your Aggregator and Contributing Editor Know Little
About. Ok, nothing about. But Jessica Beecham and Maureen Nietfeld do. Here
is what Jessica Beecham reports.  Colorado Center for the Blind board member
Maureen Nietfeld facilitated a class with blind teens Yesbi, Deya, and Alma,
how to apply makeup. As a blind person, the process of uptime on makeup can
feel a bit daunting but Maureen came prepared with tips and tricks that made
it a snap!

 

The girls started with eye makeup, moved to Foundation and blush, and
finished off with the lips! The girls learned about when certain color
combinations work best and how to find out what colors work best for them.
>From all of the giggles and smiles it was clear that everyone had a blast
and came away feeling more confident!



Alma



Yesbi,                                                    Deya

 

Extra, Extra! Read All About It! The Colorado Springs Gazette is back. For a
time, NFB NewslineR was having difficulty getting the feed from the Gazette
newspaper. Our Baltimore team worked closely with the IT mavens at the
Gazette. It's back! And the likelihood is that NFB Newsline will soon be
able to carry the weekly Gazette community papers as well. Special thanks to
Derek Marlowe at the Gazette. 

 

Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind is Celebrating Its 145th Year. They
have certainly had some wonderful dorm mothers over the years. The 2019
graduation takes place on Friday, May 31th. For more info, call the school,
719-578-2100.

 

Look Ma! No Hands! The Blind Coloradoan wants to hear from you. If you grew
up blind, what activities drove your mom crazy? My mom was great with
camping, running, jumping, riding bikes, playing hide and seek, football,
etc. I was lucky. Some blind kids don't get that kind of support and
independence. I will say that trying to shoot bottle rockets out of an air
rifle wasn't one of her favorites. Can you say, "you'll shoot your eye out!"

 

We Have Another Mother. The Blind Parents of Colorado are lucky to have
President Nate Trela and his wife Showe Trela. Nate writes, "Here she is ...
Suana Nicole Trela. She checked in at 7 pounds, 10 oz, and 19.5 inches.
Sounds like she's a cute blend of Showe and me. Can't believe she is here!" 



 

Blind Moms and Dads. This is for You. The Blind Parents Connection Podcast
is a Blind Parent Education Initiative supported by the Gibney Family
Foundation and brought to you by National Federation of the Blind. We are
excited to bring you eleven episodes, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe and
listen by searching for "Nation's Blind Podcast" in your podcast client.
Listen to Episode 1 of the Blind Parents Connection: Resources.
<https://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/audio/podcast/nations-blind/bpc_resources_1.
mp3>  

 

Did you read this important Notice in Our Last Blog? If so, try reading it
again. If Not, try reading it now.

Try It. You Might Like It. In recent years, one of the more successful
workshops hosted by the Colorado Center for the Blind has been the NFBCO
Sports and Rec Division's Try It seminars. Colorado is known as a "get out
there and do it" state. The rate of obesity among Colorado citizens
continues to be the lowest in the nation. Colorado is home to the United
States Olympic Training Center. Our Sports and Rec Division encourages the
blind of Colorado to "get out there and do it." You can Try It first on
Saturday May 11 from 1 until 4. Try Beep ball, yoga, martial arts, and much
more. This seminar is perfect for you. Ages from 2 to 92 are welcome to Try
It! Sometimes, blind folks are not as active because we have not been
encouraged or shown how to participate in exercise and recreation. This is
your opportunity to Try It! Note, Colorado is also home to the United States
Association of Blind Athletes <https://www.usaba.org/> , USABA.

 

Egg-straordinary! May is for Mother's Day. April was Easter. Here is what
Rob Harris, Treasurer of our Grand Valley chapter, says about the Beeping
Easter Egg Hunt. "I am reminded to share that the beeping egg hunt was held
at Colorado Discover Ability and it was awesome! In attendance were 4 blind
and low vision kiddos from ages 1 to 13 searching for the eggs to trade them
in for treats of all sorts, mostly candy. Our members baked items, stuffed
eggs, setup the location, advertised and put this together in 3 weeks! We
hope for another event next year." 

 

MAKING CONNECTIONS THAT WORK FOR YOU. 3rd Annual Career and College Seminar
Wednesday, May 8, 2019. Learn from inspiring speakers. Practice your
interviewing skills. Consider your future career. Find out what it takes to
be successful in college. Network with other seminar participants! 9:00 to
3:00 p.m. Colorado Center for the Blind 2233 West Shepperd Avenue,
Littleton. Lunch is provided but you must register by May 6th. Keynote
Speakers are Petr Kucheryavyy and Cody Bair. 

 

Petr works as the Senior Manager for Accessibility with Spectrum
Communications. An engaging speaker, Petr was born in the Ukraine and
gradually lost his vision even as his family emigrated to the U.S. 

 

Blind since birth, Cody grew up on the eastern plains of Colorado and now
lives in Denver. Cody is a Certified Public Accountant and is employed as a
Business Tax Services Senior Associate for KPMG LLP. His dedicated pursuit
of attaining his dream in a highly-demanding profession will inspire.

 

Rehab counselors, blind students, and job seekers have all indicated how
much they have gained from the two previous events. Register for Making
Connections Now
<https://cocenter.org/wp-content/plugins/civicrm/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=44
3&qid=24829> !

 

The Builders. True stories from the history of the Rocky Mountain blind by
Peggy Chong, The History Lady. Note, typically, this column features people
who are blind from Colorado. However, this is a special May Mother's Day
issue. We are carrying a longer piece from the History Lady to celebrate
motherhood. 

Happy Spring to my Blind History Lady fans;

 

May is a month full of so many things to celebrate. This May I want to
acknowledge Mother's Day. This mother is one I have been researching for
more than six years. She did not leave a big paper trail. What she did leave
is a family who loves her still and are willing to share her story. She was
a blind mother who gave all for her family and gave us a song she wrote and
published to remember her by.

(From the cover of the sheet music)

Springtime

Words and Music by

Helen Dobbins Brown

Published by

Helen Dobbins Brown

Marshfield, MO

Copywrite 1937

Price 25 cents

 

Tis Springtime, sweet Springtime there's joy ev'ry where;

The birds with their war-blings are teeming the air.

The flowers are blooming, in vale and on hill.

While hearts with dreams of rapture thrill.

 

O Springtime, tis springtime, with in ev'ry heart;

When love is awakened by Cupid's true dart;

And yielding to kisses and armes that entwine,

Is rapt in ecstasy divine.

 

When Springtime is faded and summer is gone,

And Autumn has followed, the winter passed on;

Then lonely we linger, and wait but in vain,

For springtime flow'rs and songs again.

 

This was written by Helen Dobbins-Brown when her youngest was 17 and she was
57. 

Helen Elizabeth Dobbins, born in 1880, attended the Iowa College for the
Blind and then Oberlin College. She married a sighted man who fell in love
with her voice before he even seen her. Sounds like a fairy tale and Helen
may have even agreed that in many ways her life was a fairy tale. But, as
all good fairy tales, there need to be struggles to overcome before the
happy ending. Helen had struggles in spades.

 

Helen married Eugene Brown, the man who had to find the woman that the
beautiful voice belonged to. In nine years, the couple had eight children,
Helen being over thirty when her first child was born. For a time, they
homesteaded land in South Dakota, living in a sod house.  A short stay in
Montana and then they moved on. There were no complaints from Helen. 

 

Although the South Dakota prairie had few close neighbors, she kept in touch
with family and friends. Her blind school chums had a circulating braille
letter. One would start the letter in braille, mail it to the next blind
friend on the list who read the letter, wrote one of their own, sent both
letters to the next friend on the list. The round robin would come back to
the original friend, who read all the rest, took his original letter out,
inserted a new one and sent the whole bunch on the way to the next. 

 

Soon the Browns moved near Marshfield Missouri to farm land where they had
to once again, build a home, barns and wooden walkways to minimize the mud
and farm animal droppings from their shoes. This all took time. Helen cared
for her many children, cooked, washed clothes, cared for the chickens,
gathered eggs, tended a garden, put up produce for the winter, milked and
kept up the house. 

 A farm wife back then was said not to be employed. REALLY!

 

Just as their house was almost finished, Eugene passed away in 1926, leaving
Helen with eight children to raise. They continued on as they knew Gene
would have wanted. Not once did she think of giving up her land or sending
any of her children off to live with relatives or become live in help for
neighboring farmers as many families with both sighted parents were forced
to do as the depression grew in the country. Helen had paid off the land and
homestead. They grew their own food and could live modestly and happy. 

 

The depression affected Helen along with her neighbors.  Helen re-invented
her land to support the family. She built cabins along the road bordering
their farm for travelers heading west for a better life. The road now was
called route 66. She built a gas station. Inside the station she sold ice
cream. During the migration west, Helen and the kids made a comfortable
living. 

 

The farm got electricity before the depression, another expense. But it was
necessary to operate the radio and hear the news. When the new talking book
player came to Missouri, Helen was glad to get hers and enjoy the many books
now on record that were not in braille. 

 

The Brown home was filled with music. They had a piano that Helen loved to
play and sing along with. The children enjoyed when Mom played. They often
sang along with her the old favorites, hymns and popular music. She sang in
the choir of her Methodist church.

  

All of her children finished high school. Several joined the military in the
mid 1930's before the second world war. At least one son made the military
his career.  Some became nurses, all lived very successful lives, thanks to
their mom. Each child loved Mom and appreciated all that she had done for
them. When it was time to leave the nest, each knew that Mom wanted them to
spread their wings just as the birds in the spring. Helen did not expect any
of her children to sacrifice themselves to stay with their "blind" mom.

After the children left the home, Helen remained on the farm for almost two
decades by herself. She still grew her garden and canned for the winter. One
of her daughters came out once a week on the Greyhound to bring groceries
from town. As she grew older, her closest daughter asked Helen to come live
with her and her daughter in Springfield. Finally, Helen did move into
Springfield with her daughter. She found an organization of other blind
persons where she attended monthly meetings. Through the meetings she met
good friends who also enjoyed music and would get together to play and sing.


 

This brief sketch of Helen highlights just the love of family that she had
to her parents, her husband, and children. I hope you also get the
impression that Helen's love was an example and lesson that was learned and
passed on generation to generation. Although she has been gone more than
fifty years, her descendants remember her warmly today.

You can read more of my Books at https://www.smashwords.com. 

 

Still time to join us at NFB National Convention
<https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention>  at the Mandalay Bay,
Las Vegas, July 7-12. 

 

Dear reader, if you know of a company or an organization that you think
would like to be a part of our 6 Dot Dash 5k please put us in touch with
them. Sponsorships are still available. Volunteers are more than welcome.
There are still a few spaces for exhibitors, and, please encourage everyone
to register today for the June 29 event in Littleton! 

 

Hey, Blind CO Fans! We will continue to publish this blog on a regular
basis. Typically, each month. But we will also be adding additional content
more frequently. Also, our regular monthly Blind Coloradoan issues will
begin to contain less text and more links to our blog posts. This will allow
you, dear reader, to more easily read the NFBCO news and views you want. So,
check out this blog space more frequently. Remember, all of this content can
be found on NFB NewslineR. 

 

Submit items to be considered for June Blind Coloradoan Blog by May 25.

Did Not See Your Item in This Issue? Be a contributor! Send announcements,
ideas, articles, and observations to either  <mailto:kevan at nfbco.org> myself
or  <mailto:dburke at cocenter.org> Dan Burke. Enjoy this blog on NFB Newsline
or read it at  <https://theblindcoloradan.blogspot.com> blog spot.

Forward, Always Forward!

"Live the Life You Want."

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image023.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 14609 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20190508/c1c6856e/attachment.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image024.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 8119 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20190508/c1c6856e/attachment-0001.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image025.png
Type: image/png
Size: 89904 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20190508/c1c6856e/attachment.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image026.png
Type: image/png
Size: 122034 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20190508/c1c6856e/attachment-0001.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image027.png
Type: image/png
Size: 202134 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20190508/c1c6856e/attachment-0002.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image028.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 7262 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20190508/c1c6856e/attachment-0002.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image029.png
Type: image/png
Size: 131223 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20190508/c1c6856e/attachment-0003.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image030.png
Type: image/png
Size: 49029 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20190508/c1c6856e/attachment-0004.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image031.png
Type: image/png
Size: 50287 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20190508/c1c6856e/attachment-0005.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image032.png
Type: image/png
Size: 50779 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20190508/c1c6856e/attachment-0006.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image033.png
Type: image/png
Size: 235566 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20190508/c1c6856e/attachment-0007.png>