WEBVTT

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[Music]

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>> Sheryl Burgstahler: What we're
trying to do in the DO-IT Center

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is to help students
with disabilities

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be successful in
college and careers,

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but also using technology
as an empowering tool.

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I founded the DO-IT
program in 1992

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with a grant from the
National Science Foundation.

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Many of our projects are funded by
the National Science Foundation,

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for example, AccessComputing.

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We work with computing
faculty nationwide

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to help them include students
with disabilities in their programs.

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We have a similar project
called AccessEngineering

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where we work with
engineering faculty.

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Another project that we have is called
AccessISL, Informal Science Learning,

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and there we're working with people
that develop museum exhibits,

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helping them make them more accessible
to people with disabilities.

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The DO-IT Scholars program

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is where we work with teens with disabilities,
get them ready for college and careers.

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>> Scott Bellman: For the DO-IT Scholars program,
we'd like to start engaging students and families

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when they're sophomores in high school.

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And that’s very intentional because
we invite them to come and live with us

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on the university campus
for three summers

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and we like to have
after those experiences occur

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after their sophomore year,
after their junior year

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and then as they're
graduating high school.

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When the DO-IT Scholars
are at summer camp,

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they take a lot of classes
and courses with us.

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And so some of those are related
to leadership and advocacy.

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Some of those are related to
different career fields

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that they might
want to learn about

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and some of it is related
to college access

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and how to advocate for what you
might need in a college environment.

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For their third summer
as high school graduates,

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many of whom have been
accepted into college,

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they work as leaders and mentors
to the younger students.

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>> Randy: I was one of the
first DO-IT Scholars.

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The mentorship that I had
early on from DO-IT

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was sufficient to show me
how to actually mentor people.

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And that has specifically influenced my career
because I manage people now.

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>> Anita: The DO-IT Scholars program
taught me that I really need to be

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willing to advocate for myself.

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>> Kayla Brown: I got into the program
when I was a junior in high school

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and that was the first time that I met
other people with disabilities who

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wanted to go to college, and were
thinking about a career even beyond.

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>> Sheryl: I've hired
a lot of people in my life

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and I've never hired them
because of what they can't do.

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It's always because of
what they can do

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and the DO-IT program, these kids
have an opportunity to meet adults

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that see their opportunities before them

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and figure out how they can
maximize the use of those skills

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and interests they have
to be successful.