Watch CBS News

Students Help Replace Stolen Braille Signs

By Melissa Garcia

DENVER (CBS4)- Students at the Metropolitan State University of Denver are offering to help some of Colorado's blind and visually impaired residents.

In May, someone stole all 37 signs from the Braille Trail in Genesee Park. The signs provided information in braille about the trail's sights, sounds, and other features in order to assist them in experiencing the outdoors.

braille signs theft
(credit: Denver Parks & Rec)

The 2,000 acre park is located west of Denver in Jefferson County near Interstate 70 and exit 253. The half-mile loop Braille Trail sits on the park's north end.

Samantha Donen, who studies industrial design at MSU Denver is heading up an effort to design and produce new replacement signs for the Braille Trail under the leadership of MSU Professor Scott Mourer.

TRAIL BRAILLE THEFT 5PKG.transfer
(credit: CBS)

Mourer and Donen believe MSU's new Aerospace Engineering Sciences building provides all of the necessary tools to create new signs that would help the visually impaired to enjoy the nature and beauty that surrounds them on the Braille Trail.

"It's what our culture's about here in Colorado. No one should be left out of that," Donen told CBS4's Melissa Garcia.

BRAILLE TRAIL FOLO 6PKG_frame_311
CBS4's Melissa Garcia interviews Samantha Donen (credit: CBS)

In addition to her efforts earning her Industrial Design Bachelor's degree, Donen is also a frequent hiker who noticed on her recent trek along the Braille Trail that the stolen signs still had not been replaced more than six months after someone stole them.

Surveillance cameras showed the thief removing the signs from their metal stands more than six months ago. Authorities have not caught the thief.

TRAIL BRAILLE THEFT 5PKG0=.transfer
(credit: CBS)

Nicki Zakroff, a visually impaired hiker who took her parents to the Braille Trail on Mother's Day in May was disturbed to find that the braille signs were gone.

"That just makes me frustrated and sad that someone would do that because it takes away part of the beauty of this place," Zakroff said.

When CBS4 initially reported the theft in May, a Denver Mountain Parks ranger said the agency planned to replace the temporary paper way-finders with permanent plaques within one to three months.

Now in December, the plaque's stands remain bare, and useless to the visually capable and the visually impaired alike.

BRAILLE TRAIL FOLO 6PKG_frame_0
Samantha Donen (credit: CBS)

"So we started to ideate. Because that's what we do as industrial designers. We're like, 'How can we fix this?'" Donen said.

There are many possible ways to go about the task of signage replacement.

In MSU Denver's woods lab, students laser cut wood and metal prototypes based on their own digital designs.

BRAILLE TRAIL FOLO 6PKG_frame_2250
(credit: CBS)

Drill presses in the metal lab next door punch holes that may allow for a specialized attachment that could make the new braille signs harder to rip-off.

The school's 3-D printers, albeit a more expensive tool, could also create state-of-the art replacements.

"It would be amazing to start next semester and have something like this ready to go for the summer," Donen added enthusiastically.

Bob Finch, Denver's Director of Natural Resources, was not available for an on-camera interview, or to discuss whether Denver Mountain Parks would consider accepting MSU Denver students' help to replace the signs.

TRAIL BRAILLE THEFT 5PKG.tra6587nsfer
(credit: CBS)

He told CBS4's Melissa Garcia over the phone last week, however, that the main reason the city did not replace the braille signs as expected was because officials are considering the possibility of re-locating the Braille Trail to a spot that would be more accessible for the visually impaired. He also said that replacing the signs is costly, at taxpayer's expense.

In response to Friday's news story, Cyndi Karvaski, a spokeswoman with Denver Parks and Recreation, provided the following statement: "Denver Parks and Recreation is considering relocating the current Braille Trail to provide easier access for sight-impaired people to enjoy our Denver Mountain Parks and trails. We are also reviewing options for replacement of interpretative signage for the current trail to enhance the park experience for the visually impaired."

Additional Information from Jefferson County Sheriff's Office:

If you recognize this individual or have any information about these incidents, please call Investigator Fehringer at (720) 497-7860, the Sheriff's Office tip line at (303) 271-5612, or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at (720) 913-STOP (7867); reference case number 17-13308.

Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.