Writer, aggregator Kevan
Worley.Contributing editor Dan Burke.
Here is what you need to
know
6 Must-Keep Resolutions
Happy New Year! At the National Federation of the Blind of
Colorado 2019 Convention, 6 resolutions were adopted. These statements of
policy will inform and guide our work in the months and years ahead. Find brief
summaries of 3 of these important resolutions at the end of this Blind
Coloradoan.
Colorado Seniors in Charge and On the Move
From the Front Range to the Western Slope, from the Poudre
Valley to Trinidad, and on over to the Kansas line we are Colorado. We are
NFBCO and we are the Colorado Center for the Blind. We believe life doesn’t end
when blindness and low vision begin. Life changes. And, as is often said,
“that’s life.” Of course, it is often not that easy. We get it! That’s why the
instructive, empowering, nurturing, and joyful Seniors Programs have become so
wildly successful. Blind seniors embrace the loving, problem solving, can-do
spirit of our programs. Learn
more about dynamic Seniors Programs.
Spend a few moments with these motivating blind seniors; A video
that is worth the watch.
NFBCO Mountains and Plains At Large Chapter is Looking for You
If there is no local chapter in your community or if the
time and day of your local chapter doesn’t fit your schedule, Mountains and
Plains is calling your name.
The Mountains & Plains at large
chapter meets on the third Thursday of each month.
The call-in information is as follows: 605-313-5145,,405276. This is written for one touch mobile.
ReNae Anderson, Pres. 970-393-0170 and anyone may call for any
questions.
We are hoping to have an in-person
event, probably in Denver, in the summer.
More information to come.
B-I-N-G-O!
BINGO NIGHT MEET UP.
Join the Wild West For fun and fundraising.
WHERE:
3445 S Broadway St.
Englewood, CO 80113
When:
January 25, 2020
6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Cost:
Braille and large print Bingo
cards will be $3.00.
Pizza will be available for
$3.50 per large slice
Bingo prizes will be fun and memorable. Prize donations
are definitely accepted.
Ileen Gallegos
303-895-0087
A Mountain, a Waterfall, a Cracked Pool, and a Christmas Tree Color Wheel
From the aggregator: I highly recommend the January
Braille Monitor. During the recent NFBCO Leadership Retreat we spent some
time talking of our effort to preserve our history. During the discussion we
had fun regaling our colleagues with stories and lessons from our history
featuring the protagonist, our beloved Ray McGeorge. And what do I see when I
open the January Braille Monitor? An article featuring Ray. I highly recommend
this view, blind or sighted. Ray was truly a mensch. His legacy continues to
make a difference.
Attention Blind Students. Get Ready, Get Set, GO! It’s Time for the 2020 Braille Challenge
From the aggregator: We received the following note from
Diane Taylor, Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind, School/Community Liaison.
CSDB will
host a regional Braille Challenge event, January 16th, in Colorado Springs, and
another, in partnership with the Colorado Center for the Blind, January 23rd,
in the Denver Metro area. The Challenge
is part of the National
Braille Challenge sponsored by the Braille Institute.
The
competition includes sections testing Speed/Accuracy, Reading Comprehension,
Spelling, Proofreading, and Charts and Graphs.
Pre-braille learners and students with low vision who are not braille
readers will participate in daily living skill, music, literacy, and orientation
and mobility activities, with a tactile focus, to celebrate braille.
Annually,
more than sixty students participate in the competition and related activities.
Thank you to all of the volunteers and staff members who help make each Braille
Challenge positive for everyone.
Attention Sports Fans: Mark Your Calendars for February 28th
Goalball Extravaganza at the Colorado School for the Deaf
and Blind.
Colorado Association of Guide Dog Users All-Call!
The Board of Directors of the Colorado Association of Guide
Dog users, COAGDU, will meet by Zoom this coming Sunday afternoon, January 19
at 4 p.m. All guide dog handlers and those interested in the work of our
Colorado Federation Guide Dog group are welcome. Contact Ileen Gallegos after
Wednesday for Zoom information, ileenshere@gmail.com.
Fort Collins Meet Up. A Red Robin Night
Where:
Red Robin
701 E. Harmony RD.
Fort Collins, CO 80525
When:
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
From 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Bring your
appetite, ideas, guests, and something to jot down some notes if you like.
Our goal is
to network, make friends, and discuss helpful ideas involving blind people.
It will be
a fantastic, fun feeling, as we fill ourselves with food.
Can’t wait
to meet up.
Next step.
The organizing of a new NFBCO chapter in the Poudre Valley.
Live the Life You Want, by Anahit LaBarre
From the aggregator: On the last blog of last year, we urged
our readers to give some thought to the tagline of the National Federation of
the Blind, “Live the Life You Want.” I received a number of comments which we
will post in the weeks to come. And for those of you who subscribe to our
Colorado Talk list serv, and everyone should, you likely have seen some very
interesting takes on our tagline. We would like to share with you a post from
Anahit LaBarre. Anahit is a long-time leader in our movement. Besides managing
our state president and 2 very active, extraordinary teenagers, Anahit is a
full-time instructor in our Seniors Programs (see above). Here is what Anahit
shares:
Greetings
everyone.
I would like to
take a moment and wish all of you a very Happy and a healthy New Year! It has
been very informative to read all of the thoughts and ideas shared on this
thread. My story and my take is quite different from many of you. I came from a
country where there are no opportunities for people with any kind of disability
or limitation, or differences, for that matter. So, while we have a long
journey ahead of us to reach full equality in our society here, we have so much
available to us. So, what does Living the life I want mean to me? It is complex
but yet very simple. It means I have the knowledge, the tools and the ability
to make a choice. Every day I tell myself, as well as my students, that we are
all human. And the complexity and beauty of it is that we WILL make mistakes,
we will choose wrong at times. But We have the right and the opportunity to
make those choices. No one organization, workplace, social group or school
environment can possibly be right for everyone. There are things you might
disagree with in the way things are done. However, I choose to focus on the
strengths and the aspects that will support my beliefs and ideas. If I find
that at its core an organization or a work space aligns with my values, if I
find that I can gain from it, as well as add to it, if I find that with a
productive dialogue we can make things better, I choose to belong. Does this
mean that I agree with everything that is ever said or done? Not necessarily.
But we come again to the power of choice and the fact that I chose to belong
here, I chose to make this my home. So, this means I will share, in a
productive way, what my thoughts are, I will contribute what I can at the time
needed. This is what is so crucially important to me. As a person who grew up
in a place where choices were made for me, I value the freedom to make my own
decisions, to discuss openly, to be productive and to turn criticism into an
opportunity for improvement, while appreciating all that is positive and
available to me. Hope this helps. And yes, we all make mistakes, yes, we all
make the wrong choice at times. But we sure try. Having. Supportive and
constructive environment helps create opportunities for a better future, for
collaboration and for a workplace or an organization where care and vision for
a greater good prevails. My commitment is to have compassion, to listen and to
problem solve together. But making a choice on a daily basis is up to me. There
are hard days, where just getting out and facing the world seems almost
impossible. It is on those days that we need to work hard to focus on the
positive and what we have. It will help us get through the day. We need to
focus on what makes us strong, unique and what we have to share with this
world. And when the brighter tomorrow comes, we can extend a hand to a friend
in need. Before we ask of others to see our worth, we find it ourselves. It
looks different to everyone. I value honesty, kindness and loyalty. So, I focus
on that for myself. Or at least I try. None of those core values are
achievement-based but they are important to me. Find what makes you strong! We
all have a gift to share. Thank you to all of those who have contributed.
Please do stay active, bring productive ideas and thoughts, stay involved on a
local level and make a difference for yourself and for others. Once we chose a
home, let’s make it stronger!
Warmly on this
not very warm night :)
Anahit
Are You Ready for the DAC? Are You? Are You?
To all of the blind and visually impaired of Colorado, you
are warmly encouraged to join NFBCO for our annual Day at Capital. Join
us at 12:15 Wednesday February 5th in the old Supreme Court
Chambers. Speakers from our General Assembly, an opportunity to join fellow
citizens for legislative office visits, and the camaraderie of joint action.
This is what advocacy is all about. We will educate General Assembly members
about initiatives of importance to people who are blind. Issues such as fair
wages, NFB Newsline, and the importance of our Colorado Center for the Blind.
For information contact our Legislative Chairman Dan Burke, 303-778-1130, dburke@cocenter.org.
Colorado Center for the Blind, 2020 Summer Program Staff Announcement
High expectations, fun environment, and empowering
experiences.
Gain invaluable job skills, make a difference and be part
of a great staff!
The Colorado Center for the Blind is now accepting
applications from positive blind adult role models to be residential
counselors/classroom instructors in our 2020 summer programs. Our programming consists of the following summer
programs:
1) “No Limits to Learning”
Transition Youth Program.
2) “World of Work”
Pre-Employment Program.
3) “Challenge and Adventure”
Self-Advocacy Program.
4) “Cracking the College Code”
College Prep Program.
Staff must be
available May 26 through August 7, 2020. If interested, please contact Martin
Becerra-Miranda at (303)778-1130 extension 223 or via email at mbecerra@cocenter.org.
It’s a New Year. It’s Resolutions Time
Our organization passed our resolutions on Sunday, November
3rd, 2019. Here are summaries of 3 of them:
- National Federation of the Blind of Colorado Resolution 2019-01 Commends the City and County of Denver for Facilitating Nonvisual Access to the Ballot and Ballot Tracing Tools.
- Resolution 2019-02 Calls upon the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Blindness and Low Vision Services Unit to Update Their Policies and Procedures to Include Funding for Summer Sessions for Blind College Students.
- Resolution 2019-03 Is Regarding the Planned Redesign of the 16th Street Mall in Denver and Opposing the Removal of Tactually Discernible Boundaries along Streets at the Edge of the Mall.
No comments:
Post a Comment