Each year we hold a pancake breakfast in recognition of White Cane Safety Day. This is a national observance celebrated on October 15 of each year since 1964. The date is set aside to celebrate the achievements of people who are blind or visually impaired and the important symbol of blindness and tool of independence,…

The South East CT Community Center of the Blind is excited to introduce its Professional Membership Campaign. Businesses are invited to participate by joining for an annual membership fee of $250. As a Professional Member, you will receive: Your support helps us build a better future for the blind and vision impaired. For more information,…

On September 9, UCP of Eastern CT hosted a Voting Rights Clinic at the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern CT on Eugene O’Neill Drive. Representatives from Disability Rights Connecticut answered questions about voting rights, absentee ballots, and voter registration. The Center of the Blind showcased devices designed to make voting more accessible for individuals who…

Last fall, Mike Coughlin read a wonderful book entitled Thunder Dog: The True Story of A Blind Man, His Guide Dog and the Triumph of Trust by Michael Hingson. The book chronicles Michael’s life as a person, blind from birth, who lived in the sighted world, earned several degrees in physics and had a rewarding…

If you have any eyeglasses kicking around that you no longer use, bring them to the Center. We have recently acquired a drop box from the Lions Club. In addition to eyeglasses, the Lions also collect hearing aids of any age, brand or model. Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center sorts the glasses to determine those that…

Six students from the Oak Middle School Lego Robotics team in Shrewsbury visited the Center on November 21. As this year’s community project, they wanted to make beads with Braille letters on them so blind or low-vision people could make their own letter bracelets. Several of our members offered to test drive the project. The…

“Orange juice at your ten o’clock position”, announced the young Coast Guard cadet, serving breakfast to a sightless member of the Center of the Blind. The doors of VFW Post 189 in New London were open wide welcoming the community to the 2nd Annual White Cane Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, October 15. Roughly 130 people,…

On September 9, the Center participated in the Healthy Living Festival at Dodd Stadium. There were over 118 vendors taking part in the fair. We were fortunate to have a prime location under the concession stands and beautiful weather. A Boy Scout troop stopped by to inquire about our organization. As part of their program,…

Each month Chelsea Groton Bank features a display from a non-profit organization in their lobby. This month we are in the Waterford branch. The touchable display includes a braille book and a braille machine as well as our tabletop presentation board explaining who we are. Brochures, membership forms, pens, and magnifiers are available for the…