Charles W. McDowell Center for the Blind

07/13/2026

McDowell students recently attended a special beep baseball game with six-time world champion Indy Thunder. We learned a lot about this exciting adaptive sport that makes baseball accessible for athletes who are blind or visually impaired.
The day began with a screening of "Thunder Rolls! The World of Blind Baseball", an inspiring documentary about the team, narrated by Jesse Eisenberg. The film highlights the dedication and teamwork of the manager, coaches and players while showcasing how they navigate their everyday lives as people who are blind or low vision.
After the movie, everyone enjoyed a live beep baseball demonstration, where we experienced how the game is played using a beeping ball and buzzing bases. It involves a lot of communication and athleticism but it also is a lot of fun.
A big thank you to event sponsor East Louisville Lions Club and the Indy Thunder for sharing their passion for this amazing sport!

06/25/2026

DeafBlind Awareness Week 2026 is an opportunity to recognize the strengths, experiences, and contributions of individuals who are DeafBlind.
This year's theme, "Connected by Touch: Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges," highlights the importance of accessibility, communication access, and inclusion. DeafBlind individuals use a variety of communication methods and accommodations based on their unique needs and preferences. By respecting communication choices, providing accessible information, and removing barriers to participation, we can help create communities where everyone can learn, work, connect, and thrive.
The Charles McDowell Center for the Blind is proud to support accessibility, independence, and equal opportunity for all.

06/24/2026

The McDowell Center gardens continue to grow and reward us with fresh produce each week! Recent rain have caused our radishes to grow so large they look more like beets. While oversized radishes can develop a stronger flavor than most people prefer, our students and staff saw it as an opportunity to be creative in the kitchen. Together, we transformed the giant radishes into a delicious homemade radish soup by cooking sliced radishes, celery, and onions in butter and chicken broth until tender. The result was surprisingly tasty!

McDowell student Chasity also added some of the oversized radishes to a hearty beef vegetable soup to see if slow simmering with other ingredients would mellow the flavor. It worked beautifully, and both soups received high marks from our official taste tester, Resident Assistant Angelo Menza, who was impressed with the results.

Gardening encourages curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to try new things—and sometimes it leads to delicious discoveries. We look forward to welcoming new students to experience the joys of summer gardening and fresh-from-the-garden cooking here at McDowell!

06/23/2026

DeafBlind Awareness Week is June 25-July 1, 2026.
Join Us for a Special Prolamation Ceremony
The Louisville Mayor's Office and the Kentucky Governor's Office will kick off DeafBlind Awareness Week through the presentation of the official proclamation.

Families, DeafBlind individuals,, community members, service providers and supporters are warmly invited to attend.

Location: The Village 1219 W. Jefferson St. Louisville, KYK 40203
Date: Friday June 26th
Time: 12:00 PM
Refreshments: Light snacks will be provided

We hope you will join us as we celebrate Helen Keller's Birthday and honor the DeafBlind Community throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

All are Welcome

For any questions, please contact Brandi Hitzelberger at [email protected]

The Council on Developmental Disabilities

Hope. Vision. Voice

06/17/2026

Congratulations to two outstanding McDowell Center graduates!
After graduating from McDowell, Allonah and Hallie continued their education at our sister center, the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Training Center (CDPVTC) in Thelma, Kentucky. Both students attended McDowell in 2025. Allonah graduated from the Food Service Program and Hallie graduated from the Office Technology Program.
McDowell staff are proud of their hard work, dedication, and accomplishments. Please join us in congratulating Allonah and Hallie on this exciting milestone and wishing them continued success!

06/08/2026

Adventure, discovery, and inspiration at Bernheim Forest!

McDowell Center students Ray Michael-Cook and Chasity Singleton recently enjoyed a visit to Bernheim Forest in Clermont, KY to explore the nature trails and search for the famed Forest Giants.

The students used an app to identify plants and found a Sassafras tree. They also discovered miniature fairy houses, pond turtles, outdoor art sculptures, and interactive stuffed birds in the gift shop. Chasity was excited to find the giant yellow footprints that help guide visitors to one of the Forest Giants. These unique sculptures were created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo using recycled wood from across Kentucky.

Although recent rains left some sections of the trail flooded, it was a successful visit. Ray's service dog, John Denver, had a special moment when a butterfly landed on him. Ray shared memories of visiting Bernheim Forest as a child, and Chasity plans to tell her family about this wonderful Kentucky destination. Everyone returned home tired, but inspired.

06/08/2026

We want to hear from you! We are seeking input from individuals with disabilities, family members, service providers, and community members. The Kentucky SILC is hosting listening sessions across the state to gather input for our next State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL). This helps us set our priorities for people with disabilities across Kentucky.

We will be in different areas across the state including:

Lexington-June 23, 2026 at 11a est
Hazard-June 25, 2026 at 12p est
Bowling Green-July 14, 2026 at 11a cst
Louisville-July 16, 2026 at 11a est
Murray-August 3, 2026 at 11a cst
Northern KY-August 20, 2026 at 11a est

As we approach these dates, we will start sharing more details including the address where each event will be held and the types of the questions we may ask. If you have questions or want to get involved you can email our Executive Director, Megan Kuhlwein, at [email protected].

06/08/2026

Thank you to the McDowell Center and all of our wonderful community partners for making our KTBL Roadshow Resource Fair last month a rousing success!

We loved talking to and helping our patrons in person, as well as introducing them to our community partners with the Kentucky Council of the Blind, the Kentucky Federation of the Blind and NFB-NEWSLINE, the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation, Radio Eye and Braille Tales.

Keep an eye out for future events. We can’t wait to meet more of our patrons around the state and sign up new people for the service!

06/02/2026

Want more information about Orientation and Mobility training? OVR O&M specialists can teach you to move around your home, community or workplace safely. Watch this brief video to learn more.

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

05/12/2026

McDowell students and staff attended a poetry workshop this past Saturday at the South Central Louisville Public Library exploring “found poetry,” which includes taking text from existing poems and rearranging them to create new meaning. McDowell student Chasity Singleton chose Traveling through the Dark by William Stafford as her inspiration:

That road is narrow;
Beside that mountain road, I hesitated
By glow of the taillight, I stumbled
And around our group, I could hear the wilderness listen.

As Chasity and McDowell Recreation Therapist Patrice worked together on the poem, they discovered how deeply the theme of “the dark” connected to experiences of low vision and blindness. Although Chasity was hesitant to share at first, she used her phone to enlarge the text so she could confidently read the poem aloud to the group herself. She also shared how tools like “Be My Eyes” can support her writing process.
By stepping outside her comfort zone, Chasity created something meaningful and showed great courage in sharing her work.

Photo: Chasity using her phone to assist with reading and writing her poem.