One of our first Blind Beginnings programs ever offered was our Family Community Discovery program where BC’s children and youth who are blind or partially sighted and their families attended a range of outings in the community to learn new concepts through hands-on experiential learning.
The purpose of this program is twofold: 1) offer opportunities to children and youth who are blind or partially sighted to learn about their community and concepts at their own pace, and 2) offer families to spend leisure time together while meeting other families who form part of their network of support.

After the success in the fall, we will continue our family Community Discovery with our Online Baking with Blind Beginnings Program!

Each month, families who register for this program will receive the recipe and list of ingredients and equipment needed in advance. On the morning of the program, families will join us in the Blind Beginnings Zoom Room from their kitchens across BC. Together we will each prepare and bake that day’s recipe. We will be led through the process by one of our long-time Youth Mentors Jill Sloane. If you attended our online Independent Living Skills Workshop this summer, you know how competent and capable Jill is.

Jill grew up with a visual impairment, but lost her remaining sight at age 15, and had to learn how to do everything all over again. She now lives independently, a plane ride away from her family, and has direct experience on how vital these skills are, as she tells us:

“I always had plans to move to Vancouver and attend university, and without these life skills there’s no way that would have happened. In my opinion, life skills are one of the main things needed to become independent, and they are a great way of showing family and friends that you are capable and can do anything you put your mind to! I was so grateful to have the instructor I did teach me all of these things, and I am so excited to be able to lead the Baking with Blind Beginnings program.”

As Jill talks us through the steps to bake our delicious treats, families will follow along in their kitchens. If you are stuck, you can unmute and ask your questions. When our baking is in the oven, we can enjoy some social time together while we wait for, and then taste what we have made.

So what are we making? Prepare your sweet tooth, we’ve come up with a list of recipes that will be sure to please everyone in your household!

January 23 – Lemon Squares
February 27 – No Bake Cheesecake (please note: will require an electric mixer)
March 27 – Mini-Egg Cookies

Who can attend: Any Blind Beginnings family across BC
Please note: This is a family program, so we would ask that each child with a visual impairment is accompanied by at least one parent or responsible adult.

Recipes will be sent on the Friday, a week before the baking session to allow families time to purchase the necessary ingredients. If you know now that you wish to register for all 3 sessions, please include that information when you register.