[Colorado-Talk] Aurora Chapter goes to Summer Camp

[Dan Burke]

Awesome! What a great event and story!

On Thu, Jul 25, 2024 at 2:38 PM Peggy Chong via Colorado-Talk <
colorado-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> *Aurora Chapter Presents Braille to the Aurora History Museum’s Summer
> Camp*
>
>
>
> *By Peggy Chong*
>
>
>
> *The Aurora History Museum held a summer camp with a focus on assorted
> styles of writing. On Thursday, July 25, 2024, NFB of Colorado Aurora
> Chapter members, Caroline Graves and Curtis and Peggy Chong presented the
> unit on Braille to the campers. *
>
>
>
> *The 10 campers were between the ages of 7 and 12.  They arrived between
> 8:30 and 8:45, sat in their chairs and shared what they ate for breakfast.
> Then, Aurora Chapter members took over. *
>
>
>
> *Peggy began with an introduction to Braille and how blind people use it
> in our daily lives. Exhibits brought by our chapter included an UNO game, a
> Braille scrabble game, and a Braille ruler. She said that they can ask
> questions, but “don’t raise your hand. Say your name and then I will know
> who you are and call on you.”  The kids caught on right away. *
>
>
>
> *Curtis showed several varieties of slates such as a dymo slate and a card
> slate. He shared how we mark everyday items like CD’s and passed examples
> around the table. He showed how to write Braille on a cell phone.*
>
>
>
> *Caroline, a retired elementary school and special ed teacher explained
> the Braille cell using Hershey’s Kisses. She told them not to eat the
> Kisses until they got home. They practiced forming Braille letters and
> learning the pattern of the Braille system.*
>
>
>
> *Slates and styluses were passed out to each child along with index cards
> and a Braille alphabet card from the National Federation of the Blind. The
> campers could take home their alphabet card. *
>
>
>
> *Peggy stood beside Caroline as she talked about the forming of Braille
> letters. With a 6-unit, silicone muffin pan, Peggy held up the pan to
> simulate a Braille cell and pushed out and in, the proper cups of the pan
> to demonstrate the letters as Caroline called them out. *
>
>
>
> *They practiced writing first a full cell then got to write anything they
> wanted. Several brought their cards to Curtis to have him check their
> Braille. Some transposed a few letters, but on their second try, some got
> it perfect. *
>
>
>
> *After an hour we were supposed to stop, but the campers and staff said
> keep going. Caroline read a story from a Twin-Vision book while several of
> the kids kept on writing Braille. Some campers gathered around Caroline to
> watch her read.*
>
>
>
> *A half hour past snack time, the Aurora History Museum staff reluctantly
> brought the session to a close. A Braille for the sighted word game and a
> Blind History Lady handout on some of the blind ancestors of Colorado were
> left as an additional gift for the campers to take home. *
>
>
>
> *The Aurora Chapter is planning more activities with the museum soon and
> hopes to continue to expand our input into the development of additional
> exhibits and programs.*
>
>
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Dan Burke

National Federation of the Blind of Colorado Legislative Co-chair

"Blindness is not what holds you back.  You can live the life you want!"

My Cell:  406.546.8546
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