WEBVTT 00:00:05.046 --> 00:00:07.906 What do you tell your friends? 00:00:20.306 --> 00:00:24.686 Whether everything's going well or life is a mess, the first thing a lot 00:00:24.686 --> 00:00:26.236 of us do is check in with our friends. 00:00:26.236 --> 00:00:30.096 Sometimes the best way to do that is electronically. 00:00:30.096 --> 00:00:32.086 I have friends from all over. 00:00:32.086 --> 00:00:35.406 And emailing them and keeping in touch with them, that's great. 00:00:35.406 --> 00:00:36.506 I like that. 00:00:37.006 --> 00:00:49.896 The Internet opened up a new world because it gave me a way 00:00:49.896 --> 00:00:58.236 to talk with all my friends and family. 00:01:04.236 --> 00:01:09.916 Hi, I'm Sheryl Burgstahler, Director of DO-IT at the University of Washington. 00:01:18.656 --> 00:01:21.846 I'm going to tell you about DO-IT Pals. 00:01:36.766 --> 00:01:41.876 If that description fits you, you'd make a great DO-IT Pal. 00:01:41.876 --> 00:01:44.786 Here's a little more about what that means. 00:01:49.786 --> 00:01:54.686 DO-IT Pals are interested in exploring careers in science, engineering, technology, 00:01:54.686 --> 00:01:57.796 business, and other challenging fields. 00:01:58.796 --> 00:02:02.876 I'm interested in the space sciences and medical sciences. 00:02:02.876 --> 00:02:06.676 I'm interested in majoring in ecology. 00:02:06.676 --> 00:02:12.056 I'm thinking about majoring in computer science and programming. 00:02:13.056 --> 00:02:16.216 Your goals are supported when you're part of DO-IT Pals. 00:02:16.216 --> 00:02:21.206 You get information about college entrance requirements, application procedures, 00:02:21.206 --> 00:02:27.196 college survival skills, reasonable accommodations, internship opportunities, 00:02:27.196 --> 00:02:30.606 and resume and interviewing tips. 00:02:30.606 --> 00:02:35.166 You learn about resources that can help you make your career dreams a reality. 00:02:35.166 --> 00:02:40.036 Like for me, I have a learning disability, so I can go on 00:02:40.036 --> 00:02:46.976 and ask other people questions that like how to find a job, how to talk to my boss 00:02:46.976 --> 00:02:53.846 about my learning disability, what college to go to, what would be good. 00:02:53.846 --> 00:02:57.946 They may have a career interest that's similar to yours and be able 00:02:57.946 --> 00:03:00.336 to give you advice or maybe even a job. 00:03:00.336 --> 00:03:04.726 And it's very interesting because I see something on the news or something I want 00:03:04.726 --> 00:03:10.486 to ask questions about, and you can just go online, email anybody, just the entire list, 00:03:10.486 --> 00:03:15.626 and we get Mentors, Scholars, everybody with different points of view, giving us feedback. 00:03:15.626 --> 00:03:21.236 I've made some new friends, it's kind of fun, 'cause I'm kind of the only one 00:03:21.236 --> 00:03:28.666 in my school in a wheelchair...so...it's nice to know there are other people out there. 00:03:33.296 --> 00:03:36.356 I'm for sure it will help me with my college plans 00:03:36.356 --> 00:03:41.156 because it will open a huge support group for me, I won't be nervous, I won't have to depend 00:03:41.156 --> 00:03:47.736 on my mom to get all the information for me and go and make sure it's all okay, 00:03:47.736 --> 00:03:49.456 I'll be able to do it all myself. 00:03:49.456 --> 00:03:52.346 Pals talk to mentors on-line. 00:03:52.346 --> 00:03:54.706 I'd like to discuss with those that have gone before, 00:03:54.706 --> 00:03:57.366 and have been through the college experience, have had to try 00:03:57.366 --> 00:04:00.986 and find a job, what worked best for them. 00:04:00.986 --> 00:04:05.586 And you can find people who have just about the same situation that you're in, 00:04:05.586 --> 00:04:07.086 and you don't necessarily have to talk 00:04:07.086 --> 00:04:10.406 to someone who's never experienced a physical disability. 00:04:10.406 --> 00:04:14.536 They encourage me to do things, like, things that people say you can't do, 00:04:14.536 --> 00:04:17.916 they encourage me, so that's been a lot of help. 00:04:17.916 --> 00:04:21.756 Whenever they need help, I'm there. 00:04:21.756 --> 00:04:25.256 Mentors are college students, faculty, and other professionals. 00:04:25.256 --> 00:04:28.566 Many Mentors have disabilities themselves. 00:04:28.566 --> 00:04:33.186 Greg Smith, for example, has a mobility impairment and works at Microsoft. 00:04:33.186 --> 00:04:34.656 Getting the career you want, 00:04:34.656 --> 00:04:37.846 the prerequisite to that is thinking that you might be able to do it. 00:04:37.846 --> 00:04:43.076 And so just having someone who might be in a position that you think you might want to be 00:04:43.076 --> 00:04:46.496 in allows you to consider that possibility. 00:04:46.496 --> 00:04:51.326 Bridget's mentor, who has a hearing impairment, became a role model for her. 00:04:51.326 --> 00:04:56.226 He helped her picture her life as an adult, and offered ongoing encouragement. 00:04:56.226 --> 00:04:59.146 Since I can't use the telephone, email is a valuable part of my life, 00:04:59.146 --> 00:05:04.816 and Ed and I email every once in a while to find out how the other person is doing. 00:05:04.816 --> 00:05:08.726 And he always seemed very concerned about how I was doing, and that made me feel 00:05:08.726 --> 00:05:13.706 like I had someone who cared about me, who really wanted to see me do well. 00:05:13.706 --> 00:05:17.506 Being a DO-IT Pal can even help you with school projects. 00:05:17.506 --> 00:05:21.366 You could fulfill those high school community service requirements. 00:05:21.366 --> 00:05:25.366 You might tutor a younger student, or you could give a presentation on the need 00:05:25.366 --> 00:05:28.386 for assistive technology in a computer lab. 00:05:28.386 --> 00:05:31.426 And DO-IT Mentors are there as your resources. 00:05:31.426 --> 00:05:35.306 DO-IT Pals can come from anywhere in the world, 00:05:35.306 --> 00:05:38.336 because most of what we do happens on the Internet. 00:05:38.336 --> 00:05:42.996 Well, I email my friends from all over. 00:05:42.996 --> 00:05:47.156 In Nebraska, all my friends are about a hundred or so miles away, 00:05:47.156 --> 00:05:52.486 and what I like to do is keep in touch, and those that have email, it's a lot easier, 00:05:52.486 --> 00:05:54.566 because you don't have to pay long distance phone charges. 00:05:54.566 --> 00:05:59.806 The Internet is kind of like a gateway for all of us to keep in touch with one another. 00:05:59.806 --> 00:06:05.506 It's also really fun because we can share things with more than one person at a time. 00:06:05.506 --> 00:06:10.626 And it's a great way to just check in with people at 3 o'clock 00:06:10.626 --> 00:06:12.356 in the morning, if you feel like it. 00:06:12.356 --> 00:06:15.626 Sometimes in the afternoon, in the morning, during the day, whatever, 00:06:15.626 --> 00:06:17.216 it's great to be able to talk with people. 00:06:17.216 --> 00:06:19.896 You know, I get to know more about other people, they get to know more 00:06:19.896 --> 00:06:23.216 about me, it's great, it's really fun. 00:06:23.216 --> 00:06:26.606 Of course, safety is a concern on the Internet these days. 00:06:26.606 --> 00:06:32.276 The discussion list for DO-IT Pals is closed to anyone other than participants in the program. 00:06:32.276 --> 00:06:34.756 This helps protect Pals from unwanted messages. 00:06:34.756 --> 00:06:39.886 And of course, DO-IT administrators oversee all the communication on the list. 00:06:39.886 --> 00:06:45.536 If there's issues around netiquette where somebody's saying something offensive 00:06:45.536 --> 00:06:50.256 to someone else, we'll do the direct contact to them and try to iron out issues. 00:06:50.256 --> 00:06:55.776 As a DO-IT Pal, you have a few responsibilities of your own. 00:06:55.776 --> 00:06:58.566 These are the things we expect: 00:07:23.886 --> 00:07:25.056 So that's it. 00:07:26.056 --> 00:07:32.746 DO-IT Pals is fun, it's easy, and it offers you a whole new group of friends and resources. 00:07:32.746 --> 00:07:34.256 Check us out. 00:07:35.256 --> 00:07:44.526 To apply, send email to: 00:07:44.526 --> 00:07:45.876 We look forward to hearing from you.