Explore your blind spot in Northglenn

There are any number of ways to move through the world. Every day, artist and historian Chloé Duplessis makes the conscious decision to move in love. As a woman of color and person navigating life with a disability (Duplessis is legally blind as a result of Stargardt disease, a rare disease that causes early macular degeneration), it would be easy to live with nothing but negativity. But her work over the last four years - including Denver’s rst accessible “I VOTED” stickerdemonstrates a passion for providing all viewers an insightful glimpse into the lives and experiences of others.

“My diagnosis set me free,” Duplessis said. “If I don’t lean into my creative power now, when will I?”

Her latest show, Blind Spot, features 20 works of collage and fabric art that focus on history, accessibility and privilege. It’s on display in the free OZ Gallery, 9209 Dorothy Blvd. in ornton, through Friday, March 24. e gallery is open from noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on second Saturdays.

Duplessis’ work is largely inspired by the stories she hears while out touring the country, and by surveys she has audiences ll out centered on particular topics or themes. When the topic of what privilege looks like in modern society was raised, she knew it was important to examine.

“ e questions I asked people this time were, `Do you think privilege exists? Have you experienced privilege? And how do you de ne privilege?’” she explained. “ e responses I received showed that we’re all having these di erent experiences right next to each other, but aren’t sharing them.”

When unveiling a new collection, most artists participate in the opening night festivities and maybe a special event here or there, but Duplessis goes above and beyond by making herself available to anyone who wants a guided tour through Blind Spot.

“Opening receptions are great, but many people aren’t able to attend, so I’m doing tours three days a week,” she said. “It’s not just about increasing accessibility for the show, but doing anything I can to support the arts.”

As a dedicated historian, once the exhibit’s run is nished, Duplessis will use collected thoughts from those who have visited to make a new work to be donated to OZ, thus continuing the chain of powerful artifacts left behind for those who follow.

Duplessis’ work may be challenging at times, but there’s a de nite power in seeing others’ experiences honored and expanded upon. She hopes the work will have profound e ect on those who open themselves to it.

“I want everyone to see the exhibit in their own way and at their own pace,” she said. “If someone knows that privilege exits, they’ll be grati ed by what they see, and if they don’t think it exists, they should de nitely come see the work.” e Wheat Ridge eatre Company is staging Edmond Rostand’s immortal romantic dramady at its new home, 5455 W. 38th Ave., Unit J, through Sunday, Feb. 19. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.

For more details, visit www.thorntonco.gov/arts/Pages/exhibits.aspx.

Cyrano comes to the Wheat Ridge Theatre Company ere’s something about the story of Cyrano de Bergerac that just seems to never get old. Something about people using a go-between for romantic endeavors just seems to always resonate. Can’t imagine why.

Directed by Mellisa Taylor, the show follows the deeply witty and wise de Bergerac on his romantic quest to win Roxane, who is attracted to de Bergerac’s friend Christian. Christian uses de Bergerac’s words to woo Roxane. It’s all just a recipe for a broken heart or three.

Visit https://wheatridgetheatre. com/ for details and tickets.

To Infinity and beyond at DMNS

Seeing viewers have the opportunity to return to movie theaters has been one of the great pleasures of the post-shutdown world, and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd. in Denver, is making that return all the more eye-opening with the opening of its brand-new In nity eater

According to provided information, the theater received a serious upgrade, including “a new lobby entrance with brand new nishings, an impressive new laser projector and sound system, new audio and visual accessibility features, such as a hearing induction loop and updated closed captioning system, enhanced programming, 2D and 3D capabilities and much more.” e In nity is currently screening Ocean Odyssey 3D and Serengeti 3D Everything you need to know can be found at www.dmns.org/visit/in nitytheater/.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — 36 Chambers of Shaolin and A Ballet Through Mud at Boettcher Concert Hall and into preschool, but she worries about the families who don’t make that phone call. ree-year-olds whose parents don’t know how to navigate the system stand to lose out on free preschool altogether and 4-yearolds with disabilities could get just 15 hours a week, half what they’re supposed to. e low number of hours o ered to 3-year-olds also puts a burden on parents, said Elisa Aucancela, executive director of El Grupo Vida, a nonpro t that supports Hispanic families who have children with disabilities.

Sometimes a project just sounds cool, you know? e Colorado Symphony hosts a bunch of events like this, but their latest may just be the coolest one yet. e legendary RZA (a Colorado Symphony Imagination Artist and de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan) is teaming with the Symphony to bring audiences “36 Chambers of Shaolin and A Ballet rough Mud,” at the Boettcher Concert Hall, 1000 14th St., No. 15, in Denver, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17 and Saturday, Feb. 18.

According to provided information, this double feature features a performance of “36 Chambers of Shaolin” and a brand-new RZA work that blends together spoken word, live ballet, and the Symphony’s signature orchestration. is will surely be one of the year’s best live events, so get details and tickets at https://coloradosymphony.org/.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.

Hanson said those extra hours can make a big di erence since students with disabilities sometimes need double or triple the repetition and exposure to classroom learning compared with their typically developing peers.

Her brother, who has a 3-year-old daughter with a disability, is “still struggling due to the part-time [hours] for 3-year-olds” she said.

“It’s a really di cult challenge for some families because what are they going to do for the other half of the time when they need to work?”

Special education funding in question

Several school district leaders worry about how the state is handling $33 million that used to go to school districts to help cover preschool special education costs. ey fear the money — which amounts to $36,000 a year in small districts like Englewood and up to $4 million in large districts — now will be mixed into the general universal preschool funding pot, and won’t be set aside or heard about students being harassed or discriminated against, and 45% said if their school engages in equity work, they are not asked to be involved in such work. for services for students with disabilities.

If that happens, districts will have to use local dollars to cover lost state money since they’re legally required to cover special education services. Hundley said that means funding for sta like psychologists and speech therapists who provide mandated services to students with disabilities gets diverted from other district priorities.

Even thoughstate funding for special education has increased in recent years, districts still cover about two-thirds of those costs out of their local budgets.

State o cials estimate they’ll spend at least $33 million — and possibly more — on what they call “general education” seats for students with disabilities. But Hundley said school districts want the state to direct that money speci cally to special education services, which is last year. e number was higher for transgender students at 26%. how it has been used in the past. Beyond money, the uncertainty about funding raises questions about how two state agencies — the early childhood department and the education department — are divvying up overlapping responsibilities.

In response to Chalkbeat’s questions about funding for preschoolers with disabilities, the education department rst referred questions to the early childhood department. Afterthe two agencies signed an agreement this week outlining how they’d work together, the early childhood department referred questions to the education department. On Friday, the two departments released emailed answers together. Neither granted an interview.

Ann Schimke is a senior reporter at Chalkbeat, covering early childhood issues and early literacy. Contact Ann at aschimke@chalkbeat.org.

Education Association and a teacher in Colorado Springs. “What we’re seeing on an increasing basis is educators getting harassed over and over again for not supporting one particular viewpoint in the classroom.”

Teachers in the LGBTQ+ community reported higher levels of concern than their cisgender, heterosexual peers. According to the survey report, 85% of LGBTQ+ educators reported not being “out,” at school, and 80% reported working in a school without gender-neutral restrooms.

Additionally, 40% of LGBTQ+ educators said they had witnessed e 2022 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey also told a dismal story for LGBTQ+ children: around 20% of gay, bisexual and lesbian youth reportedly attempted suicide in the authors said that was likely an undercount based on several factors. recommends better data collection and disease surveillance, collaboration between various institutions and improved care access for patients facing challenges at home, work or school.

Several education association leadership members said LGBTQ+ teachers being mistreated is an issue both for the teacher and for LGBTQ+ students, as students gain a perception of the “real world,” at school.

“It’s important to understand that these statistics of how welcome or unwelcome our LGBTQ educators feel at their schools provide a mirror of how our LGBTQ students feel at their school as well,” Baca-Oehlert said.

Another data point about the impact of long COVID comes from insurance claims. The Center for Improving Value in Health Care provided the state with a dataset of claims from a database of state insurance carriers, including Medicaid and Medicare.

It found around 16,000 Coloradans had gotten a long COVID diagnosis between Oct. 1, 2021, and Aug. 31, 2022. The report’s

The office has also hired a senior policy advisor on long COVID, Dr. Mirwais Baheej, who was unavailable for an interview.

“As far as we know, there are no other states undertaking similar work at this time although the White House has published two reports on long COVID,” said Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera in an introductory letter to lawmakers and the governor. “We do hope to partner with the federal government as we move forward.”

This story is from CPR News, a nonprofit news source. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org.

“I think it also sends a message to the students in that building that if the educator isn’t accepted, what does that mean for me, as a student,” said Kasey Ellis, counselor and president of the Cherry Creek Education Association.

As American public spaces are plagued by gun violence, 67% of respondents reported feeling “very” or “somewhat” worried about a mass shooting at their school. While some politicians have proposed increasing school security and arming teachers with guns, most respondents said carrying guns would make them feel even less safe. What would help increase feelings of security, 39% of respondents said, is increased access to mental health resources.

While the state legislature con- venes over the next several months, education association members said they hope legislators prioritize affordable housing, higher teacher’s salaries, education licensing, educator working conditions and mental health for both students and teachers.

“Though Coloradans often pride themselves on being progressive and championing inclusion, our state’s budget on education tells a different story,” Baca-Oehlert concluded.

This story is from Rocky Mountain PBS, a nonprofit public broadcaster providing community stories across Colorado over the air and online. Used by permission. For more, and to support Rocky Mountain PBS, visit rmpbs. org.

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