[Ohio-talk] Fwd: CCB March-April Newsletter
Barbara Pierce
bpierce at oberlin.net
Tue May 19 19:07:51 UTC 2015
Barbara Pierce
President Emerita
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
Barbara.pierce9366 at gmail.com
440-774-8077
The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Barbara Pierce <bpierce at oberlin.net>
> Subject: Re: CCB March-April Newsletter
> Date: May 18, 2015 at 9:55:30 AM EDT
> To: Christina Buehler <cbuehler at cocenter.org>
>
> With all the talk about centers, I thought you might like to read the newsletter from the Colorado Center. This gives you an idea of what our centers are like. I am going to delete the information about the retirement party for Tom Anderson, who is leaving after many years as the CCB’s Braille teacher.
>
> Enjoy!
> Barbara Pierce
> President Emerita
> National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
> Barbara.pierce9366 at gmail.com <mailto:Barbara.pierce9366 at gmail.com>
> 440-774-8077
> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.
>
>> March/April 2015 Newsletter
>>
>> Take charge with confidence and self-reliance
>> From the Director
>>
>> We're sorry, but we couldn't catch up with Julie Deden this week, who was in and out of meetings on Wednesday, and is on her way to the east coast even as we collect things for this newsletter. In spite of her flurry, she gave us pretty clear direction for the contents of this missive to all of you.
>>
>>
>> For starters, here's a skeletal outline of how Wednesday went, just to give a hint of a day in the life of the Colorado Center for the Blind:
>>
>>
>> Our Senior Services staff, Duncan, Wayne, and Anahit conducted professional training for five people, including two participants from Grand Junction who work in vocational employment at the Center for Independent Living, and three Occupational Therapists from the Metro area. They donned sleep shades, tested out some basic white cane techniques, and made salad for lunch. In fact, everyone ate lunch with sleep shades on. They were a great group!
>>
>> Our great friend Michelle Chacon brought one of her students, a high school freshman, and a grad student who's studying to be a teacher of blind students just like Michelle. Brent gave them a tour of the Center and talked about all of our programs. He probably gave particular emphasis to Youth Programs, but we're all okay with that.
>>
>> We had a visitor and prospective student from China visiting us Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday. She used a white cane for the first time, and talked to our students in Philosophy about what it is like to be one of the 17,000,000 blind people in China today. Wow!
>>
>> Student learning went on as always. Most notably, Olivia went on her support drop, and Quin served a delicious mini-meal.
>>
>> Mark and Jerry from Master Drive came to the Center and met with Julie, Brent, and Dan for some planning on our May 27 excursion to their campus at the Denver Tech Center. A number of staff members can't wait to hit the skid pad again!
>>
>>
>> The "BTW" Department
>>
>> Our Partnership with Master Drive goes back to 2001 when Julie and Mark first spoke and Mark came to tour the Center then. We had been in this location in Littleton only about a year when Mark last toured, so it was interesting to have him remind all of us just how much our physical space at 2233 W. Shepperd Avenue has changed since that time.
>>
>> Along those lines, our remodel project is done and we've begun to use the new space. Petr, Dan, and Anahit have moved into their new offices in the upstairs north hallway, and we've begun to use our new conference room for staff meetings and philosophy. It's all furnished except for the window coverings and a last few tweaks of the wiring.
>>
>> Thanks again to the Colorado Avalanche for our special community night on March 28. A number of us attended a great game between the Avalanche and the Buffalo Sabres (5-4 Colorado), and we had a table with info in the concourse, too. We even got a shout-out from the radio announcer that of course went out over the air-waves and the Internet!
>>
>>
>>
>> This Just In
>>
>> Thursday’s e-mail brought this note from Michelle Chacon with the subject line “Thank You”:
>>
>> Good morning,
>>
>> I wanted to thank you for hosting us on our visit to the Center yesterday. The positive and energetic atmosphere was electrifying and very powerful.
>>
>> The short time we spent at the Center was priceless for my student. I loved how the students and staff were so friendly and welcoming. I think that really had an impact.
>>
>> Will said he had visited the Center last summer. He told me that he was only able to spend a short time on that visit, and it was spent in the wood shop. He loved touring the Center yesterday, meeting everyone, and getting a better feel of what is offered at the Center. He is planning to attend the Sports and Recreation activity on May 9th.
>>
>> We are so, so fortunate to have such a life changing Center in Colorado. I am truly grateful.
>>
>> Kind Regards …
>>
>>
>>
>> Independence Training Program
>>
>> We held our spring networking event on April 9, with about 35 community leaders and business people here to shake hands and meet our students. There were lots of shiny new clothes and business cards. We are always grateful for the great support we get from this community!
>>
>> Alas, skiing is over for the year! We want to thank Girl Scout Troop 2651 of Boulder – they came to the Center on Monday to show our students the tactile map they’d made of the Lake Eldora ski area, right down to cars in the parking lot, and a bus. The tactile map will be available in the Ignite building next year and the years that follow.
>>
>> We’ve been doing Urban Adventures with the National Sports Center for the Disabled for the past few months. Each group goes on six different outings. The current group has been boxing, indoor kayaking, indoor rock climbing, and skate boarding.
>>
>> There has also been a Zumba dance class on Tuesday evenings, yoga class on Thursday evenings, and a new fitness philosophy on Thursday mornings, not to mention Sunday’s goal ball practices at the Center. Spring is here, and that means that our next challenge recreation activity will be rock climbing!
>>
>> The grass may be growing again, but not under our feet!
>>
>> We have had four students graduate in the last couple of months. We’ll share the Facebook post we made for them at the time …
>>
>> "I came to get the training I always wanted," Francisco told our founder Diane McGeorge recently during a philosophy class.
>>
>> He came from Argentina, and he'd wanted to come for years. It took a lot of determination and perseverance to pull it off.
>>
>> "It took such courage for you to come to a strange country where you didn't know the language well to get this training," Maureen said. "I admire that courage so much.".
>>
>> Getting to Littleton from Argentina was an act of courage, but it was also just the beginning.
>>
>> "I've never seen such a transformation in a person as I've seen in you since you got here," said Mark, a fellow student. He recalled how he went over to meet Francisco on his first day here.
>>
>> "You were trying to make a sandwich," said Mark. "To see you grow from that first day to making this meal and all you've learned is amazing."
>>
>> Francisco's praise for his teachers was enthusiastic, but especially for his Braille instructor Tom Anderson, who taught him something he initially didn't think was necessary because of technology.
>>
>> "You made me believe that Braille is the key to literacy for blind people," Francisco told Tom with evident gratitude.
>>
>> "I can't wait to see what you will accomplish in the next ten years," said Julie Deden. "I know it will be amazing.
>>
>> "I have a big mouth," Francisco summed up. He plans to be a journalist, and maintains that a big mouth is essential for that career.
>>
>> That may be, but many of his fellow students noted that he also has a big heart.
>>
>> ¡Vive la vida que quieres, amigo!
>>
>>
>>
>> Samantha graduated on March 24, and we immediately missed her warm and gentle presence every day!
>>
>> That's pretty much the theme of her graduation day love session after she filled us full of spicy pasta, a lovely salad, and jello-cake. There were repeated mentions of Sam's warm, inviting and soft gentle character, and how hard she's worked.
>>
>> "For you guys that are new," she said, "just keep going even if it's hard. I had no idea how much I could learn. It was pretty tough for me at first, and I never thought I would be standing here one day."
>>
>> Standing there she most definitely was, holding her freedom bell, a testament to her strength and determination over the last months of her program, as Julie pointed out.
>>
>> Sam had family here for the day all the way from Arizona - her father, mother, step-father, and little sister. It's a safe bet they were as proud of Sam as we are!
>>
>>
>>
>> Aubrie graduated on March 31. She came to the Center last June as a freshly-minted high school graduate from Anchorage, where she was an AP and honors student. She's also an accomplished flutist, and her goal has always been to go on to college to study music. She put that off for this year so she could do a full-on training program.
>>
>> For a while after arriving she fooled everyone into thinking she was quiet, as Julie and many of her fellow students and teachers pointed out.
>>
>> She fooled us ... for a while.
>>
>> Truth is, Aubrie has a brilliantly sarcastic sense of humor, and people began to notice her softly spoken commentaries, which have been a delight to us all for these many months. It turns out that, despite her quiet and somewhat shy start, she's a lot of fun to have around!
>>
>> "Are you still mad at me after your drop?" Stevie P., her Travel Instructor, asked her during Tuesday's love session.
>>
>> "I'll always hate you for that Steve," she replied.
>>
>> See what we mean when we say Aubrie's a lot of fun?
>>
>> Let there be no doubt, however, that Aubrie completed an Advanced Placement Travel Challenge on her Drop, and she's absolutely an Honors student – improving and expanding the skills she already had, and growing in skills and overall confidence in the areas she most wanted to work on.
>>
>> Aubrie's parents came from Alaska, and her brother and sister-in-law came from Salt Lake. It was a meal worth traveling for - minestrone, a tangy salad, and deadly-good brownies.
>>
>> As Julie told Aubrie as she presented her Freedom Bell - Aubrie's greater independence as a blind person makes her free, and we are all more free because of it.
>>
>> Aubrie is definitely ready now to go out in the world and live the life she wants with confidence and self-reliance. We know her family supports her, and we're glad that she's part of our family, too!
>>
>>
>>
>> Adlacy came in the heat of late summer and finished just before Easter. For her April 4 graduation she went above and beyond the basic requirements.
>>
>> That was no surprise as that is the way she does things - all in her very own style and grace.
>>
>> "Lacy, you don't do things part way but you do them with your heart, just like this meal today," Julie told her, acknowledging that she'd left her husband and family back in Georgia for nine months to come for training.
>>
>> "I wanted to suck out every ounce of learning from this program," she reminded us, "because of the sacrifices I made to come here and because of the sacrifices my husband and family made for me to be here."
>>
>> Miss Lacy had talked about this before to staff and students, but in this case she was breaking some new ground at the Center, too. She had invited her husband Victor to come forward after she received her bell from Julie. Miss Lacy presented one of two wood shop projects she completed (only one is required) to Victor - a wooden tie rack as her thanks for all his months of support while she was away.
>>
>> Victor and their son and future daughter-in-law were with us on Thursday, all the way from Georgia, and members of Lacy's church home in Colorado were also in attendance. Next, Lacy's son came forward and presented a colorful bouquet of flowers to his mother.
>>
>> Lacy's meal consisted of rosemary-infused chicken, a pasta dish, fried cabbage with cranberries, spinach pie, and a piece of homemade candy for each guest at her meal. The candy was individually wrapped, and the utensils wrapped in a napkin.
>>
>> My, my!
>>
>> Miss Lacy you're still on this journey, only now it takes you back home to Georgia with your family. Safe travels always, and we’re certain you all enjoyed a Happy Easter!
>>
>>
>>
>> Youth Programs
>>
>> FAST Saturday in March was a pretty special one. We traveled to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to work with dinosaur paleontologist Cat Sartin. Cat is from Colorado originally and is a Ph.D. candidate at Johns-Hopkins University in Baltimore. She has worked with the NFB’s Jernigan Institute on its STEM-X program, and shared her expertise with us. It was very much a hands-on event, including high-resolution plaster casts of various fossilized bones, teeth and skulls. Cat will be back in the fall and we are planning another dino event.
>>
>> Our mentoring partnership with the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind continues in full swing. Brent and others spend 45 minutes with middle schoolers and another hour or two on independent living skills with high school students. Coming next month we’ll try a networking event on the CSDB campus to give high school students an opportunity to present themselves to potential employers and to just meet members of the wider community.
>>
>> The NFB of Georgia brought 15 participants in its Mentoring Program to the center April 9, 10, and 11. We gave the youth and the mentors all the core classes, and on Saturday afternoon we had art with Ann Cunningham, fitness with Maureen Nietfeld and Brittany Savage, and computer science with Shaun Kane of the University of Colorado-Boulder.
>>
>> Shaun Kane is a new friend and collaborator who, among other things, is doing research into accessibility of comics for blind fans. Thanks to Shaun, we look forward to extending our STEM relationships in higher education.
>>
>> And then there was the annual snowshoe trip for blind students that the Center sponsored this year along with the Colorado chapter of AER. Sixteen kids spent the weekend in Estes Park at the YMCA. Luckily, the last great storm of the year coincided with this weekend, and there was plenty of fresh snow!
>>
>>
>>
>> Senior Programs
>>
>> The seniors still meet on Tuesdays and Fridays. Along with that we’ve had a number of activities recently. We held a diabetes awareness day with training from the Lions Clubs’ Lisa Kelly. We attended and had a table at this year’s Littleton Retreat. It focused on seniors and was entitled “The Silver Tsunami.” Stand-out statistic - by 2030, one in four of us will be 60 or older. We also attended a senior fair at the Englewood Rec Center called “Active Aging Expo.”
>>
>> Anahit continues to conduct a support group at Riverpoint, and we continue to have many seniors request cane travel, braille & tech.
>>
>> Coming up very soon will be our spring Seniors in Charge, the week of May 4. There might be one or two openings, so call Duncan if you know of someone who might like to spend the week learning blindness techniques and gaining in confidence and self-reliance!
>>
>>
>>
>> Late thoughts
>>
>> Here’s a special note found on Facebook – Isabel successfully completed her drop on Tuesday:
>>
>> Isabel-Feeling proud
>> “So I came in this morning thinking I was going to work on my woodshop project, but instead Steve planned for my drop to be today. For those that don't know, the drop is when the instructor plans on a place to take you, drops you off there, and you have to figure out your way back alone. I ended up in some weird road that had no sidewalks, but ended up finding a bus and took that to the train, then walked to the center. I used to be so afraid of traveling, but knowing that I could do that made me feel like I could do anything and travel. Thanks to my travel instructor for showing me the way and giving me the skills I have.”
>>
>>
>>
>> Upcoming Events
>>
>> May 4-8: Seniors in Charge
>>
>> May 15: Tom Anderson’s Retirement Party
>>
>> June 5: High School/College Youth Program begins
>>
>> June 8: Confidence/Bell Program Begins
>>
>> June 8: Middle School Program Begins
>>
>>
>> For more information on any of these programs or other events taking place through the Colorado Center for the Blind, visit our website or call the center directly at 303-778-1130.
>>
>> To refer someone who is interested in training, please call Robert Dyson at 303-778-1130 extension 249.
>>
>> If you have items for the newsletter, please send them to ccb at cocenter.org <mailto:ccb at cocenter.org>.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Colorado Center for the Blind
>> 2233 W. Shepperd Ave.
>> Littleton, CO 80120
>> 303-778-1130
>> 303-778-1598
>> ccb at cocenter.org <mailto:ccb at cocenter.org>
>> www.cocenter.org <http://www.cocenter.org/>
>>
>> Take charge with confidence and self-reliance
>>
>>
>>
>> You can make tax-deductible contributions to the Colorado Center for the Blind at Colorado Gives <https://www.coloradogives.org/index.php?section=organizations&action=newDonation&fwID=15595> or by calling the Center at 303-778-1130.
>>
>> You can follow us on
>>
>> Face Book <http://www.facebook.com/coloradocenterfortheblind>
>>
>> Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/cocenter4blind> and
>>
>> YouTube <http://www.youtube.com/user/cocenterorg>
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