Colorado Center for the Blind student Sharon Toaiva plants a tomato seedling. Toaiva plans to continue gardening at home after she graduates.
Moon was formerly a professional chef. She came to the center as a student and is now an instructor. She teaches students how to safely use kitchen knives and how to cook over an open flame, among other skills.
The training is rigorous. Students who have some degree of vision wear learning shades to help them focus on developing nonvisual awareness.
“When people come in, a lot of times they lack confidence, and by the time they leave here, they’re transformed, they’re full of confidence and know they can take on the world,” Moon said.
The garden is more than a source of produce and a learning experience; it’s a place to gather and get to know each other or take a peaceful moment to relax.
“I come out here and graze, but I also just sit out here in the quiet and really enjoy it,” said Chris Parsons, a student turned communications instructor. Parsons’ mom taught her about gardening when she was a child in Missouri, but she learned how to garden nonvisually at the center.
“I learned a lot more from the Master Gardeners about how to know what things are, how to know what’s ripe, that you can taste the leaves of the different herbs – I never knew you could do that,” Parsons said. “I love that you can come out here and eat right off the plant. I grew up doing that.”
Toaiva, the soon-to-be graduate, said she planned to continue gardening in pots after she returns home to Colorado Springs. “I like to get my hands dirty,” she said.
Smith, who is a therapist by trade, plans to stay in Colorado after he graduates in September.
“I love that the program is not just those core classes that all of us need,” he said. “A well-rounded life has extracurricular stuff that may not be absolutely necessary, but it’s enriching.”
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