Writer, aggregator Kevan
Worley.
Contributing editor Dan Burke.
Here is what you need to
know
So much news, so little time. In coming weeks, your Blind
CO Blog will feature moments in words and pictures from our 2019 State
Convention. Of course, we will also be detailing the work being done as a
result of the energetic planning during the convention. We can report that many
have said that our Fort Collins convention was one of the best ever. We look
forward to sharing the highlights in weeks to come. So please send your
recollections and results from division elections.
Two other quick notes. Remember that your Blind CO
Blog is available on NFB Newsline from the local Colorado channel. Second, all
of us in our NFBCO family wish for you and yours a truly joyous giving of the
thanks. Whether you are traveling over the river and through the woods or just
hanging around the house in your jammies, find the joy. Please know that we are
a family. Holidays can be tough for some. If you need a helping hand or an open
heart be in touch. This holiday season live the life you want.
Heads Up! Denver to Vote on banning sub-minimum wages.
We, in the National Federation of the Blind have
worked tirelessly for more than two generations to end the practice of minimum
wage payments by for-profit and non-profit companies to laborers with
disabilities. For years, we have taken our fight to Congress, to the courts, to
the public, and increasingly to state and local legislative bodies. On Monday
evening, November 25th, 5:30 p.m. the Denver City Council will be
considering Denver’s minimum wage policy. Councilman Chris Hines will present
an amendment to eliminate sub-minimum wage pay for people with disabilities by
any company within the city of Denver. Councilman Hines is looking for Denver
residents who may wish to testify. Contact Dan Burke for more information, dburke@cocenter.org. Meeting will be held at the City & County
Building.
CCB Seeks Blind Colorado Youth to go to DC in February.
Early
each year, more than 500 blind Americans tap their canes across Capitol Hill in
the District of Columbia to keep appointments at the offices of every member of
Congress. It is the Washington Seminar
of the National Federation of the Blind, and it is how we make our legislative
concerns and priorities known to those who have been elected to serve us. It is how we, the blind, make our voices
heard, and doing so is the foundation of our democracy.
For
the 2020 Washington Seminar, The Colorado Center for the Blind will assist up
to 3 blind Colorado high school students to travel with the National Federation
of the Blind of Colorado to the annual Washington Seminar February 10-13,
2019. The scholarships will include the
costs of air travel, lodging at the Holiday Inn Capitol and a food allowance.
We typically fly on the Sunday before the Washington Seminar begins, returning
late on Wednesday. So, our travel plans will likely run from Sunday, February 9
to Wednesday, February 12, 2020. In that time, students will attend the
National Association of Blind Students (NABS) meeting, learn about this year’s
legislative priorities, attend meetings at the offices of members of the
Colorado Congressional Delegation, and possibly get to visit some important
sites in our nation’s Capital.
How to qualify
Blind
and low vision students will submit an essay, 350 word minimum, that details
how their experiences leading up to this point have shaped their goals and how
attending the Washington seminar will helped in their transition into college
or the workforce.
Applicants
are encouraged to read more about the Washington Seminar, and be able to
identify who represents them in the United States House of Representatives.
Essays
should be sent to Martin Becerra-Miranda, Director of Youth Services, by
December 1, 2019. Electronic copies are
preferred, but Braille will also be accepted.
Send essays to mbecerra@cocenter.org
or Braille to Colorado Center for the Blind, 2233W.Shepperd Ave., Littleton, CO
80120, ATTN: Martin Becerra-Miranda.
For
more information, call Martin at 303-778-1130, ext. 223 or via email at mbecerra@cocenter.org.
The Boot Scootin’ Boogie Halloween extravaganza was a hog-killin’ time!
We started the shindig with a delicious Western
Barbecue and music DJ'd by Brett Boyer. The Boot Scootin’ portion of the
evening was led by Jessica Beecham. She taught the group the basic two step
along with several line dances.
The Old West was alive with characters including two sheriffs;
Rooster Cogburn; a rodeo gal, her cowboy, and their baby horse; a father-daughter
rodeo cowboy and rodeo clown; Old West ladies and gents; saloon girls; zombie
brides; Paw Patrol characters; and of course our own Wild West cactus Mr.
Thorny.
Prizes were awarded to The Nietfeld Family for their
family getup as rodeo girl, cowboy, and baby horse. Hailey Hecker as Rodeo
Clown. And Paul Sandoval as Mr. Thorny the prickly cactus.
Stink. Stank. Stunk. We have this
important announcement from Nate Trela, President, Colorado Association of
Blind Parents.
Kick
off the holiday season with tickets to an audio-described performance of Dr.
Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The children's classic brought to life
in a musical. Your purchase will help support the NFBCO's Blind Parents
Division and your heart could grow three sizes that day. *
The
audio-described performance will be December 7 at 3 PM at the Buell Theatre in
downtown Denver. Tickets supporting the Blind Parents Division are $40 and can
be bought by contacting Brittany Savage at 804-832-5439 or at tanielizabeth21@yahoo.com.
We can accept cash, check, or card.
* Heart growth offer applies only to grinches.
If you are not a
grinch
and your heart grows three sizes in a day, please seek medical
attention.
Public comment on Blind and Low Vision Services unit rules.
As
readers of this blog know, NFBCO passed a resolution at our 2018 state convention
urging Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, CDLE, to codify, strengthen,
expand, and commit to full funding for the Blind and Low Vision Services, BLVS,
unit. Our affiliate’s committee on Rehabilitation Services and Employment,
chaired by Julie Deden, has been working closely with the department. We have
submitted written comments intended to inform the rule making. Here is a note
from Jennifer Scilacci, Manger, Partnership Engagement and Communication, which
will be of interest to our readers.
DVR is considering a revision to
administrative rules, which will formalize the organization and functions of
the Blind and Low Vision Services Unit. The purpose of the revision is to
ensure high quality statewide vocational rehabilitation services to DVR clients
who are blind or have low vision. The draft
rule is available by contacting Jennifer
Scilacci.
DVR invites stakeholder input and
is holding a public meeting on Friday, December 6, 2019 at 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM.
The meeting will be held at 2211 W Evans Ave, Denver CO 80223.
If you are unable to attend the
meeting, you are welcome to submit comment to augusta.klimek@state.co.us.
F.A.S.T. Fun Activities & Skills Training. Kicking off the holiday season with CCB!
Who? Blind students of all ages, families and
teachers
Where? Colorado Center for the Blind, 2233 W.
Shepperd Ave. Littleton CO, 80120
When? Saturday, November 23, 2019 from 10:00AM -
2:00PM
It’s
becoming a bit of a tradition around here. November’s FAST Program is all about
the meal we eat, the games we play, and most importantly, the people we share
this time with. This year, on November 23, we will hold our own Thanksgiving
get together, FAST style that is. Join us for an afternoon full of cooking,
eating, sharing each other’s company, and games! We promise to keep the
competition to a minimum during dinnertime. If we are expected to eat the meal,
we should be expected to help cook it as well.
For
many of our students this will be the first time they’ve been expected to help
prepare such a meal; this is the type of teaching/learning we love to implement
at the Colorado Center for the Blind. We will have plenty of volunteers to work
with students as well as other participants. Although our focus is working with
students, we love working with parents, siblings, and teachers to encourage
them to have expectations that their blind child/sibling/student actively
participate in all aspects of life.
We
will:
• Prepare/bake chicken and ham
• Make mashed potatoes, gravy, creamed
corn, stuffing, dinner rolls, and pie
• Play games: Pin the Feather on the
Turkey, Pumpkin Roll, and Thankful Alphabet Game
Deadline
to RSVP is Wednesday, November 20th.
For
questions or to RSVP, please contact Martin Becerra-Miranda at
mbecerra@cocenter.org or (303)778-1130
Ext: 223.
Grand Valley Chapter highlights December bookfair and cheesecake fundraisers during December.
December 10, Grand Valley Chapter bookfair at Barnes and
Noble. Learn how a percentage of sales at Barnes and Noble will benefit Grand Valley
Chapter; contact Rob Harris 970-208-3100.
The chapter also has cheesecakes for sale. Best for
local delivery. But again, find out more about this scrumptious fundraiser by
reaching out to our colleague, Grand Valley Chapter Treasurer Rob Harris. Happy
reading! Happy cheesecaking! YUM! I could go for a big slice of pumpkin cheesecake.
Happy Thanksgiving from your aggregator.
Doula Jarboe leads effort to organize NFBCO DeafBlind.
For those of you who may
not have heard, at our Blind, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind meeting at the
state convention we got a board elected to work on building a division. As part
of that endeavor, the group has already held its first monthly call. To learn
how you can become involved contact Doula Jarboe, doula.jarboe@gmail.com.
Art gets hands-on in annual “Shared Visions” Exhibit. Arapahoe Community College and Colorado Center for the Blind Collaborate for 5th year.
Littleton –The walls of the Colorado
Gallery of the Arts at Arapahoe Community College (ACC) hang with works of art
that visitors are encouraged to get hands-on with, while the center of the
gallery displays even more tactile pieces. It’s the annual “Shared Visions”
exhibit, and it is intended to be both seen and touched by everyone, something
blind visitors especially value.
The November 7 opening reception was
packed with sighted and blind patrons, attesting to the show’s popularity,
attracting more and more each year, because the works are both visually
attractive and tactilely intriguing to sighted and blind art lovers alike.
Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., a
group of blind students and staff from the Colorado Center for the Blind (CCB) returned
for a second viewing of this year’s tactile art show.
"We wanted to spend more time with the
pieces,” said CCB Executive Director Julie Deden, who is blind. “I felt like a
kid in the candy store,” she said of her first time through last week.
Begun in 2015, the show is an annual event
which features works by students from ACC’s Art and Design students, as well as
works by blind students at nearby CCB, a training center for the blind which
brings students from across the United States.
Ann Cunningham, CCB’s art teacher for more
than two decades, coordinates with ACC art faculty members Nathan Ables and
Katie Caron to assemble and hang the show each November. For information about
the internationally known tactile arts programing at the Colorado Center for
the Blind, get in touch with Ann Cunningham, ann@acunningham.com.
Anchor Center welcomes new Executive Director!
We received the following good news from
Jeff Watson, President, Anchor Center for Blind Children Board of Directors.
This month, Anchor Center
said goodbye to our Executive Director of four years, Heather Cameron, as she
begins a new life in Florida with her daughter and grandchildren. Knowing of
Heather’s planned departure, in early September, Anchor Center embarked on an
Executive Search process. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am happy to
announce our search was successful and we are pleased to welcome Meghan Klassen as our new Executive
Director! Meghan will officially take the helm on Monday, January 6, 2020.
Read
More…
From the Denver Center for the Performing Arts:
Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The
Musical is the record-setting Broadway holiday sensation which features the
classic songs “You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch” and “Welcome Christmas” from the
original animated special. Max the Dog narrates as the mean and scheming
Grinch, whose heart is “two sizes too small,” decides to steal Christmas away
from the Holiday loving Whos. Magnificent sets and costumes inspired by Dr. Seuss’
original illustrations help transport audiences to the whimsical world of
Whoville and helps remind us of the true meaning of the holiday season. Don’t
miss what The New York Times calls “An extraordinary performance! 100 times
better than any bedtime story.”
