The South East CT Community Center of the Blind offices will be closed from Friday, June 30 through Tuesday, July 4 in observance of the Independence Day Holiday and our nation’s 247^th birthday.

On June 22^nd, Center Vice President Kevin Harkins met with ADA trainer-consultant Elana Sherman, and officials from the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.  The two-hour meeting at Gillette Castle in East Haddam sought ways in which disabled visitors to the state’s parks and historic locations could more completely experience all these sites have to offer.  The high-energy meeting focused on awareness and an abiding understanding that providing a more enriching outcome for handicapped individuals is possible.  One manager described how, with the visitor’s permission, he guides the fingers of blind patrons so that they can safely feel the shape and texture of actual turtles and other creatures without risk of being bitten or exposed to harmful bacteria.  Another D.E.E.P. representatives suggested exploring whether wooden structures and furnishings that can be harmed by the oil from human skin might be felt with special gloves, or if certain features like doors and historic tables might be set aside for tactile discovery by visitors.  The challenges of giving adequate training to temporary volunteer docents was also discussed.  A training seminar is being planned for later in the year that will feature a panel of disabled citizens to further explore accessibility in our state’s many parks and historic sites.

Our new sink has been installed and is definitely a helpful addition to The Center for crafting sessions and Lunch and Learn meetings. Thanks again to the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern CT for the grant funds that made this possible.

Our kitchen area at the center was sorely lacking a sink. Since we moved into our new location we have been making do with the tiny bathroom sinks. Thanks to the help of a grant from the Eastern CT Chamber of Commerce, we are delighted to get a sink installed at last.

The Center of the Blind is welcomed as a member of the Greater Norwich Chamber of Commerce.

The Center of the Blind was the recipient of a grant from Eversource Energy to help cover the cost of our 50th Anniversary Celebration.