Anyone who has driven along Prince or Church Street has probably noticed people walking down the sidewalks with canes or eye shields, or both.

That is because the Colorado Center for the Blind is a neighboring building in the ACC community. It is east of ACC’s campus at 2233 Sheppard Ave. in Littleton.

Robert Dyson, who has been an administrative assistant at the center since 2000, was a student in 1994. He returned as an employee for heart-warming reason.

“When they get here they’re scared, worried, and don’t have a lot of independent skills but when they leave this place they’re proud, independent, confident people.” Dyson said.

He simply loves watching students grow into self-sufficient individuals of society—students also trained for joining the workforce in areas of individual interests.

Founded in 1988, the center’s mission is to equip blind people with all skills required to live independently. Its four major fields of study consist of Braille, technology, home management and travel classes taught by blind faculty.

Those with a lack of sight are taught how to use Braille, which is their writing system. Braille is designed for recognition by touch. Two types of Braille exist: grade one (letters in the alphabet and punctuations) and grade two (suffixes: -ing, -ought, -est).

The students are also taught how to operate computers and phones by using voice activation software. Another life-skill they absorb is preparing their own meals.

In travel class, students learn how to get around town multiple ways. They learn how to utilize public transportations such as buses and the light rail. They also figure out how to navigate on foot using their canes and effectively listening to their environment when crossing streets. The sun’s position gives the partially-sighted a sense of direction, like a compass.

Speaking of traveling, the students go on field trips. Buses frequently take students down to Colorado Springs to visit the Colorado School for the Blind’s young people. Here they do mentoring and share the skills they’ve learned with the young people.

The Center for the Blind also annually partners with an organization called the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) for field trips to the mountains. Seven to eight students at a time participate in outdoor recreational activities such as skiing, river-rafting, and rock climbing with guides suited for their disability.

Dyson has a message to give to the people of sight to improve their conception of the blind: Give them respect.

“It’s all about having confidence and teaching the kids that they are capable of doing anything they want to,” he said. “We’re a lot more capable than people think.”