DO-IT Scholar Profile: Kayla

SPEAKER 1: DO-IT
Scholar Profile: Kayla.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

For more than 30
years, the University

of Washington's Disabilities,
Opportunities, Internetworking,

and Technology Center,
also known as DO-IT,

has hosted programs to
promote equal access

within challenging
post-secondary programs

and careers.

Some projects work
directly with students,

such as DO-IT Scholars.

This video features a
DO-IT Scholar named Kayla.

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KAYLA BROWN: So
my name is Kayla.

And I am a program coordinator
at the DO-IT program.

I'm also a past Scholar.

I was a Scholar in 2005.

And right now, I work
with students who

are in our Scholars Program.

| have a form of
muscular dystrophy.

So essentially, I
just use a wheelchair

because my muscles are weak.

And I also have panic
attacks and anxiety

as my invisible disability.

When I was in high school, I was
really looking for opportunities

to get new experiences,
find a community,

build my support system.

I'm a first-generation
college student,

so I really needed
some outside support

in figuring out if it was even
possible for me to go to college

because back then,
it just seemed

so insurmountable to get there,
to get to adulthood even.

I actually had a paraeducator,
who knew me fairly well,

recommend that I apply
to the Scholars Program.

And I actually applied the
day before the deadline.

I just went for it.

I thought, why not
apply, see what happens.

[VIDEO PLAYBACK] I like roller coasters.

And I like to go boating.

And like, someday I
would love to skydive.

[END PLAYBACK]

I really enjoy hearing
other points of view,

so whether it be political
or different hobbies,

it's always fun to
experience different things.

I think what I noticed
right off the bat

when I started the
Scholars Program was

that I was meeting so
many types of people

with different disabilities and
learning what a community looked

like in that context.

I hadn't met a lot of people
with disabilities who were

interested in going to college.

And so that was
really the first time

that I felt like I was being
pushed out of my comfort zone

into thinking about a
lot of challenging parts

and of my journey ahead.

Long term, I just got a lot
of support and encouragement

for applying to scholarships,
applying for internships,

creating a resume.

There are just a lot of
things that you don't

realize you need support with.

And so I got ongoing support.

It doesn't just end after
you start going to college.

You get support for as
long as you need it.

I think that DO-IT influenced
a lot of my decisions

on what I wanted to study,
what I wanted to do as a career

because it allowed
me to experience

all different types of fields.

So for example, I was able to
network with faculty members

at the University of Washington
during our Summer Study program.

And at the time, I was really
interested in psychology.

And so I met with a
psychology professor

and got to talk a
little bit about it.

But I also was able to
take workshops and get

exposed to other type of
experiences in biology and STEM

majors and careers that I really
didn't have interest in before,

like web design.

When I transferred from
high school to college,

I realized that starting
out at a community college

would be better for me instead
of going right to a university.

I think for any
student, you're kind of

skeptical about
going to college.

Like, it seems like
this huge deal.

And you're not sure if you can
actually be successful in that.

And so to participate
in a program

with other students who also
have disabilities and you're

kind of all learning
this together,

it was great because my
confidence level just

skyrocketed at that point.

When I started
working for DO-IT,

it made me realize that I had a
passion for disability advocacy.

And so I realized that social
work might be a career path

that I could pursue after I
got my undergraduate degree

in psychology.

And so I went into social work.

And I connected it to my
passion for working with people

with disabilities
because I bring something

to the table that maybe
other people don't because I

have a disability and
I know what it's like.

And so DO-IT really does value
the peer-to-peer mentoring

model, which is why I think
I got the confidence here

to continue working for DO-IT.

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SPEAKER 1: To learn about
how you can get involved,

or for more resources about
supporting students with

disabilities,
consult uw.edu/doit.

Copyright 2025,
University of Washington.

Permission is granted
to use this material

for non-commercial
purposes, provided

the source is acknowledged.