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We had a little bit of snow this morning, but not enough to keep us at home. Snow is just a part of everyday life and for our students, learning to travel in all weather means feeling confident about traveling to their jobs someday.

But it was cold, and will be colder tomorrow!

You hear from us all the time about what’s going on at the Center, so here’s a chance to get a student’s story from the very first.

Graham arrived in Denver from Brooklyn in mid-October, and he’s been blogging each week about his time at the Center for his friends back home and wherever. Check out his blog, .

With just a week to go before the third annual exhibit, “Shared Visions Collaborative Artworks”, some Center art students traveled to to make some art and to offer some feedback to painting students on their tactile works.

For their very first class with Ann Cunningham, the newest group of CCB art students composed objects on a flat plane and then used a thermoform machine put together by Ceramics Instructor Katie Caron. Some of the results are shown in the photo above – plastic sheets that, using a combination of heat and a vacuum, conform to the shapes of the objects.

It’s basically the same process used in product packaging, but way more legit.

We are always excited to be invited to talk at schools in the area about what it really means to be blind. It’s a great chance to dispel myths and stereotypes and to teach kids that blind people are just folks, too. So, we were delighted when we received a call from Diane Harris, a parent and administrator at nearby .

Warren is interested in becoming a blind vendor after graduation on October 5. That’s why he took on the task of working with the Center soda machine. He gives us his thoughts on the HowEEyeSeeIt challenge – a fund-raising campaign that invites participants to mimick blindness and call for funding a cure.

Believe it or not, the HowEyeSeeIt campaign hsows folks who are convinced they couldn’t type without their vision. Elementary thinking, and a pretty basic skill that Matt mastered long ago.

Whew! So this is the way this week has been – really, the entire month!

A small but dedicated cadre of staff and students went out for a good hike on Sunday at Mt. Falcon near Morrison, and just to the south of Red Rocks. Like rock climbing and our Urban Adventures program, we partnered with the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) on the hike, which was 6.4 miles round trip, and rising from 6000 feet to 7500 feet in elevation.

Monday certain students attended a Boomers’ Career Fair. We don’t need to call out the attendees by name.

Pipi is teaching a sewing class on Monday afternoons, and they made a trip to get materials this week for their projects.

Ann Cunningham had a room full of artists later Monday afternoon, chiseling and filing and having a great time.

Tuesday Group 3 went rock climbing at El Dorado Canyon with NSCD.

by Diane McGeorge