WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:01.402 --> 00:00:04.080 What we're trying to do in the DO-IT Center is 00:00:04.080 --> 00:00:06.240 to help students with disabilities 00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:09.260 be successful in college and careers, 00:00:09.280 --> 00:00:12.000 but also using technology as an empowering tool. 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:14.560 I founded the DO-IT program in 1992 00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:16.960 with a grant from the National Science Foundation, 00:00:16.960 --> 00:00:20.960 and the idea was to help students with disabilities from high school, 00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:24.640 transition to college, into graduate school and onto careers. 00:00:24.640 --> 00:00:26.480 We have summer programs for teens with disabilities 00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:27.920 to get ready for college. 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:29.840 We have an online mentoring program. 00:00:29.840 --> 00:00:32.960 And we work with faculty to help them make their courses accessible 00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:35.280 and technology companies in making their technology 00:00:35.280 --> 00:00:36.960 accessible to people with disabilities 00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:38.720 and even with parents, to help their children 00:00:38.720 --> 00:00:40.480 with disabilities prepare for adult life. 00:00:40.480 --> 00:00:43.520 One of the things that makes the DO-IT Center unique 00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:47.256 is that we embrace students with a wide variety of disabilities 00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:49.300 and so as we engage in all of our activities, 00:00:49.300 --> 00:00:53.120 students learn about one another's challenges 00:00:53.120 --> 00:00:55.264 and the access barriers that they face. 00:00:55.264 --> 00:00:56.560 Many of our projects are funded 00:00:56.560 --> 00:00:57.840 by the National Science Foundation, 00:00:57.808 --> 00:00:59.920 for example, AccessComputing. 00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:02.880 We work with computing faculty, nationwide 00:01:02.880 --> 00:01:06.320 to help them include students with disabilities in their programs. 00:01:06.320 --> 00:01:08.480 We have a similar project called AccessEngeineering, 00:01:08.480 --> 00:01:10.640 where we work with engineering faculty. 00:01:10.640 --> 00:01:15.120 Another project that we have is called AccessISL, Informal Science Learning and 00:01:15.120 --> 00:01:18.560 there we're working with people that develop museum exhibits, 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:22.041 helping them make them more accessible to people with disabilities. 00:01:22.041 --> 00:01:24.000 The DO-IT Scholars program 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:26.337 is where we work with teens with disabilities, 00:01:26.337 --> 00:01:29.423 to get them ready for college and careers. 00:01:29.423 --> 00:01:30.880 The DO-IT Scholars program draws students 00:01:30.880 --> 00:01:32.468 from all over the State. 00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:36.560 And we really work with each student to help them identify 00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:40.080 what post-secondary experience will be best for them and their family. 00:01:40.080 --> 00:01:42.800 What we find most important is to talk with that student, 00:01:42.800 --> 00:01:45.731 about what they are interested in, where they want to go, 00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:47.566 and help them go there. 00:01:47.600 --> 00:01:50.640 For the DO-IT Scholars program, we'd like to start engaging students and families 00:01:50.640 --> 00:01:52.240 when they're sophomores in high school. 00:01:52.240 --> 00:01:54.160 We invite them to come and live with us 00:01:54.160 --> 00:01:56.480 on the University campus for three summers: 00:01:56.480 --> 00:01:58.960 after their sophomore year, after their junior year, 00:01:58.960 --> 00:02:01.580 and then as they're graduating high school. 00:02:01.600 --> 00:02:03.840 When the DO-IT Scholars are at summer camp, 00:02:03.840 --> 00:02:06.800 they take a lot of classes and courses with us, 00:02:06.800 --> 00:02:10.548 and so some of those are related to leadership and advocacy. 00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:12.800 Some of those are related to different career fields 00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:14.080 that they might want to learn about 00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:17.280 and some of it is related to college access 00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:21.392 and how to advocate for what you might need in a college environment. 00:02:21.392 --> 00:02:23.280 We always love working with the DO-IT Scholars. 00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:26.080 They bring energy, creativity and innovation 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:29.920 to every program, whether it's the classroom, a summer program 00:02:29.920 --> 00:02:33.040 or another event going on on campus. 00:02:33.040 --> 00:02:36.320 AccessEngineering is a program where our goals are to both 00:02:36.320 --> 00:02:40.080 encourage more individuals with disabilities to pursue careers in engineering 00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:44.080 and to also train all of our engineers in principles of universal design. 00:02:44.080 --> 00:02:49.420 AccessEngineering has partnered tightly with the DO-IT Center and the Scholars. 00:02:49.440 --> 00:02:54.000 Each summer we run instructional programs to help the DO-IT Scholars 00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:56.635 explore different career paths in engineering. 00:02:56.640 --> 00:02:59.972 However, the DO-IT Scholars also have helped us immensely in making the campus, 00:02:59.972 --> 00:03:01.120 in making the campus, 00:03:01.120 --> 00:03:03.840 and in particular, engineering, more inclusive. 00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:07.438 For their third summer, as high school graduates, 00:03:07.440 --> 00:03:09.520 many of whom have been accepted into college, 00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:12.160 they work as leaders and mentors to the younger students 00:03:12.160 --> 00:03:14.000 who are with us for the summer. 00:03:14.907 --> 00:03:18.720 I was one of the first DO-IT Scholars. 00:03:18.720 --> 00:03:22.800 The mentorship that I had early on from DO-IT 00:03:22.800 --> 00:03:29.001 was sufficient to show me how to actually mentor people, 00:03:29.001 --> 00:03:34.500 and that has specifically influenced my career because I manage people now. 00:03:34.885 --> 00:03:38.960 What my high school didn't necessarily have 00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:42.480 and the DO-IT program did was a community 00:03:42.480 --> 00:03:45.200 that focused on disability empowerment. 00:03:45.200 --> 00:03:48.080 It's very nice to finally be in a community 00:03:48.070 --> 00:03:52.232 where I didn't feel as isolated as I did in the past. 00:03:52.235 --> 00:03:54.240 The DO-IT Scholars program taught me 00:03:54.240 --> 00:03:59.323 that I really need to be willing to advocate for myself, 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:03.520 not just out in the typical everyday world, 00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:06.880 but in classes with professors and saying, 00:04:06.880 --> 00:04:12.002 That's not going to work for me or I really need my extended time. 00:04:12.211 --> 00:04:15.440 I got into the program when I was a junior in high school 00:04:15.440 --> 00:04:21.095 and that was the first time that I met other people with disabilities who 00:04:21.120 --> 00:04:25.200 wanted to go to college, who had expectations 00:04:25.200 --> 00:04:27.184 that they were gonna go to college. 00:04:27.200 --> 00:04:31.188 and were thinking about a career even beyond. 00:04:31.271 --> 00:04:33.040 I've hired a lot of people in my life, 00:04:33.040 --> 00:04:36.318 and I've never hired them because of what they can't do. 00:04:36.320 --> 00:04:38.362 It's always because of what they can do 00:04:38.400 --> 00:04:40.960 and the DO-IT program, these kids have an opportunity 00:04:40.948 --> 00:04:45.440 to meet adults that see their opportunities before them 00:04:45.440 --> 00:04:48.400 and figure out how they can maximize the use of those skills and 00:04:48.400 --> 00:04:51.041 interests they have to be successful.