¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo, un poco tarde! (Happy belated Cinco de Mayo!) This week’s Bulletin welcomes our newest staff member, shares exciting news about a new Sensory Store in Grand Junction, has highlights from recent community events, and spotlights our Ascent Program.
 Get to Know the Division's Staff: Please join us in welcoming Jennifer Pfau, our new Rural and Legal Communication Access Coordinator. Jennifer brings over 25 years of experience in community advocacy and connecting people with communication access services in Colorado.
In her new role, she will focus on building partnerships and ensuring effective communication access for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind individuals in Colorado’s rural areas and within the Colorado State Courts. She is excited to travel around the state and connect with different groups. If your organization, agency, or community group would like a presentation, workshop, or training on legal or rural communication access services, email her at cas.cddhhdb@state.co.us.
Outside of work, Jennifer loves spending time with her family, trying out new recipes in the kitchen, exploring the outdoors, and spoiling her dog, Kolt. Even though she was born and raised in Denver, she still views Colorado as a giant playground with endless places to discover. We are excited to have her on the team!
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Ascent Program Now Accepting Requests: We are excited to announce that the Ascent Program is ready for new requests! This free program connects Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind (DHHDB) Advisors with families of DHHDB children and with DHHDB students (up to age 21). In person or virtually, Ascent Advisors share lived experiences, support, and resources in families’ homes and at schools and events. You are welcome to submit a visit request or learn more about the program. If you can help us spread the word about the program, please use our English and Spanish flyers. If you are wondering how Ascent differs from the Colorado Shared Reading Project (CSRP), CSRP focuses on teaching parents to share books with children in ASL and to build early language and literacy skills, while Ascent Advisors provide broader mentorship as described above. If you have questions, please email coehdi.cddhhdb@state.co.us.
 Sensory Store: The Colorado Disability Opportunity Office (CDOO) recently shared an exciting update about a new retail space opening in Grand Junction this July. The Sensory Store is a new business dedicated to supporting individuals with autism and sensory processing disorders by offering items like weighted blankets, tactile learning aids, and calming lighting. This collaborative project is a true community effort, as it is backed by the state's Rural Jump-Start program and partners with Colorado Mesa University for student internships. All profits go to support The Arc Mesa County. We cannot wait to see the positive impact this new resource will bring to the area!
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Out in the Community: Last Saturday, our team had a wonderful time connecting with the community at the Deaf Coffee Chat hosted at the Caffeinated Cow. We also attended DOVE (Deaf Overcoming Violence through Empowerment)’s powerful Clothesline Project event. We were happy to share important resources while supporting the communities we serve. Thank you to everyone who took the time to organize and host these events and for chatting with us!
Due to a lack of demand, ASL and Spanish Translations for Division Bulletin are available upon request by contacting office.cddhhdb@state.co.us or 720-457-3679.
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