WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:02.600 --> 00:00:10.880 [music] 00:00:10.980 --> 00:00:11.900 Hi guys! 00:00:11.940 --> 00:00:12.520 Hey! 00:00:12.520 --> 00:00:13.560 How's it going? 00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:14.360 Good! 00:00:14.860 --> 00:00:16.680 For more than twenty years 00:00:16.820 --> 00:00:19.320 the University of Washington's DO-IT Center 00:00:19.460 --> 00:00:22.720 has been an advocate for students with disabilities 00:00:22.820 --> 00:00:26.340 empowering them and providing a supportive community 00:00:26.340 --> 00:00:27.960 as they enter college. 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:31.480 Sheryl Burgstahler is the founder and director of DO-IT, 00:00:31.480 --> 00:00:36.940 which stands for Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology. 00:00:36.940 --> 00:00:38.739 I felt there was a real need. 00:00:38.740 --> 00:00:42.960 We have special ed programs, we have services for people with disabilities 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:43.920 but I thought there was a need 00:00:43.960 --> 00:00:47.280 to actually connect with teenagers who have disabilities 00:00:47.300 --> 00:00:51.440 and help them transition from one phase of their life to another. 00:00:51.440 --> 00:00:54.600 And there isn't a safety net there. 00:00:54.640 --> 00:00:59.260 So my idea was to connect with teenagers with disabilities 00:00:59.260 --> 00:01:02.640 and have them become part of a community. 00:01:02.649 --> 00:01:06.160 My name is Erika and I'm deaf. 00:01:06.160 --> 00:01:11.020 And I'm planning on majoring in English with interest in business. 00:01:11.160 --> 00:01:11.940 Hi my name is Kayla 00:01:11.940 --> 00:01:15.180 and I am a sophomore here at the University of Washington 00:01:15.180 --> 00:01:19.460 where I am double majoring in law, society and justice; and disability studies. 00:01:19.480 --> 00:01:22.900 I want to take that and eventually become a disability rights lawyer. 00:01:22.900 --> 00:01:27.060 And I was born a congenital amputee, missing three of my limbs. 00:01:27.060 --> 00:01:29.700 I also thought there was a need to have more leaders 00:01:29.700 --> 00:01:31.640 in the disabled community 00:01:31.640 --> 00:01:36.160 and students don't become leaders if they don't have leadership experiences 00:01:36.160 --> 00:01:37.980 and so within the DO-IT program 00:01:38.040 --> 00:01:41.460 we provide them with experiences to become leaders 00:01:41.560 --> 00:01:43.680 like mentoring younger students. 00:01:43.680 --> 00:01:46.660 That happens every summer at DO-IT summer camp held at UW. 00:01:46.660 --> 00:01:51.180 Students from all over the state who have disabilities 00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:54.960 learn about college, technology, and each other. 00:01:55.020 --> 00:01:56.120 What they find out 00:01:56.120 --> 00:01:58.900 when we bring together other students with disabilities with them is that 00:01:58.900 --> 00:02:03.580 there other students that are facing some of the same challenges that they are. 00:02:03.680 --> 00:02:06.300 But they also learn about different kinds of disabilities. 00:02:06.300 --> 00:02:09.360 So a student who has dyslexia, for instance, 00:02:09.440 --> 00:02:12.280 will learn about challenges faced by a student who's blind. 00:02:12.300 --> 00:02:15.720 At the camp, Anita, who uses a wheelchair, 00:02:15.720 --> 00:02:18.960 talked with Eric about macular degeneration. 00:02:18.960 --> 00:02:21.900 How do you cope with your disability, Eric? 00:02:21.900 --> 00:02:25.440 I mostly just ask for help a lot. 00:02:25.440 --> 00:02:28.720 Like I need larger print papers for all of my tests 00:02:28.740 --> 00:02:32.460 and I need extra time because my eyes get tired really easily. 00:02:32.480 --> 00:02:36.680 DO-IT's goal is to prepare the students for successful careers. 00:02:36.720 --> 00:02:40.620 And in order to get there, they need to succeed in college. 00:02:40.660 --> 00:02:42.940 It's important that people with disabilities 00:02:42.940 --> 00:02:45.380 are able to access programs and resources 00:02:45.380 --> 00:02:47.900 just simply as a matter of social justice. 00:02:47.940 --> 00:02:50.360 The amazing thing about being here such a long time 00:02:50.360 --> 00:02:53.860 is seeing some of the students who just kind of grow up right in front of me. 00:02:53.860 --> 00:02:57.780 When I started 15 years ago the students I met were 15 years old 00:02:57.780 --> 00:02:58.980 and now they're 30. 00:02:59.020 --> 00:03:02.780 And it's really fun to see them all, you know, find their way 00:03:02.780 --> 00:03:06.360 and create a life for themselves. 00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:10.620 DO-IT has taught them they can do anything.