DO-IT Co-Sponsors Institute on Technology and Transition for People with
Disabilities

On April 7th and 8th, DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking,
and technology) at the University of Washington will co-sponsor a unique
collaborative event. This National Capacity Building Institute is titled
"Technology and Transition: Empowering Students with Disabilities as They
Transition to College and Careers." The institute will be held in Seattle,
just prior to the Annual Conference of the Council for Exceptional
Children.

"The timing of this event is perfect", declares Dr. Sheryl Burgstahler,
conference speaker and DO-IT Director. "We have reached a point where
technology offers almost limitless opportunities to level the playing
field. But much work needs to be done before the potential is realized."
Policy and practice issues at the precollege, postsecondary education, and
career levels that impact the value of technology access and use for
individuals with disabilities will be explored by Institute presenters and
participants.

Target audiences for the Institute include pre-college educators,
administrators and policy makers, secondary and postsecondary career
guidance counselors, transition specialists, technology specialists,
postsecondary education support personnel, rehabilitation counselors,
individuals with disabilities, researchers and other persons interested in
access to technology or individuals with disabilities. As pointed out by
one participant, "This is an opportunity for a group of stakeholders with
a wide range of perspectives to sit at the same table and identify
challenges to old strategies for assuring that individuals with
disabilities can access and apply empowering technology in academic and
employment settings."

The Institute agenda will include pre-Institute readings and online
discussion, presentations by nationally recognized speakers, interactive
discussion groups, and panels of technology users and technology
specialists. Besides DO-IT, sponsors of the Institute include the National
Center on Secondary Education and Transition, University of Minnesota; and
the National Center for the Study of Postsecondary Educational Supports,
University of Hawaii.

In addition to Dr. Burgstahler, invited speakers include Bob Stodden and
Megan Conway, University of Hawaii; Chuck Hitchcock, Center for Applied
Special Technology; Terry Thompson, DO-IT; Peg Lamb, NSF Bridges
Transition Project, Michigan; and Richard Luecking, TransCen, Inc.

Take this opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people with
disabilities. As stated by a successful college student with a disability,
"I've had computers with me for a long time- as long as I can remember.
And, you really feel proud of yourself when you actually are able to make
progress and do something without having to ask somebody else. You know,
like you actually did it yourself- yea!"

You can register for this event at http://www.ncset.hawaii.edu. For more
information or to register by mail, please contact Velina Sugiyama, Center
on Disability Studies, 1776 University Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96822, Tel:
808-956-5688, Email: [log in to unmask]