The DO-IT Team
The DO-IT Team
Grant-Funded Projects
DO-IT staff worked on many projects funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Ongoing projects included AccessComputing, AccessCSforAll, Access to Informal STEM Learning, AccessINCLUDES, and Neuroscience for Neurodiverse Learners. DO-IT also finalized the Access Engineering Research Centers (ERC) and ERC INCLUDES grants. In January, staff began AccessADVANCE. In 2021, DO-IT received funding from NSF for new AccessComputing and AccessCSforAll projects, Creating and Testing Data Science Learning Tools for Secondary Students with Disabilities, and two subawards: The Alliance for Identity-Inclusive Computing Education and The Alliance of Persons with Disabilities and Intersectionality for Inclusion, Networking, and Transition Opportunities in STEM. Staff also managed DO-IT’s state-funded Scholars program as well as maintained resources, activities, and collaborations related to legacy projects.
60+ Internships
DO-IT participants engaged in over 60 internships with a majority being paid internships in STEM fields. Locations included Dell, Google, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Facebook, Capital One, Amazon, Oracle Square, several universities, and others. Through internships, students build their professional networks, learn about career fields, improve strategies for requesting job accommodations, apply academic learning to real-world environments, and access state-of-the-art equipment.
1000+ Participants
DO-IT serves over 1,000 students with disabilities in our programs. Activities in 2021 included workshops, networking events, mentoring, disability advocacy events, and five weeks of college-preparation summer programs. Through these activities, students build job seeking skills, improve their resumes, learn how to be successful in college, gain access to assistive technology, and much more.
Participant Spotlights
Meenakshi Das, Auburn University / Microsoft
Meenakshi is a software engineer at Microsoft and a recent graduate of Auburn University with a master’s degree in computer science. She has been an active member of AccessComputing for several years, coordinating panels featuring students with disabilities at conferences, participating in conversations in our mentoring community, and attending a capacity building institute. In 2017, Meenakshi was awarded a minigrant to facilitate a one-day workshop for students who are visually impaired along with AccessComputing partner, Dr. Sarah Lee. Meenakshi has engaged in many activities that benefit the disability community, such as running a Facebook support group for working professionals with disabilities, Working With Disabilities. This group provides a space to discuss ableism, accessibility, and share useful resources with each other. Meenakshi says, “AccessComputing helped me realize my passion for accessibility which is an important part of the work I do today. Without their support, I wouldn’t have had a successful college career.”
Teresa Buchholz, Seattle University
Teresa is a senior at Seattle University working toward a bachelor of science in psychology and plans on pursuing a master of social work at Columbia University. She works to make a difference for people both locally and nationally, through leadership positions on campus and with the Seattle University Dance Team, as well as by mentoring and coaching the limb different community across America and through her goals to work with underprivileged incarcerated youth. She also plans on opening a gym with adaptive workout gear. Her goals are rooted in empowering others and continuing advocacy work for the disabled community. Teresa said “Engaging in DO-IT as a DO-IT Scholar and Ambassador, DO-IT prepared me to recognize what living in an able-bodied world looks like. They specifically taught us how to advocate, navigate, and be a change maker in a greater effort to destigmatize the world around us. The most important thing I took away from the program is the strength I gained in embracing my identity as a disabled woman. DO-IT is a program that serves to empower each person to embrace the beauty within their own disabilities while also amplifying the need for voices like ours to create a more just and humane world.”
DO-IT 2021 Highlights
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AccessADVANCE video |
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AccessComputing celebrated |
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DO-IT successfully ran |
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DO-IT hired two new staff |