[music]
Anita: Hi guys!
Group: Hey!
Anita: How's it going?
Group: Good!
Narrator: For more than twenty years
the University of Washington's DO-IT Center
has been an advocate for students with disabilities
empowering them and providing a supportive community
as they enter college.
Sheryl Burgstahler is the founder and director of DO-IT,
which stands for Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology.
Sheryl: I felt there was a real need.
We have special ed programs, we have services for people with disabilities
but I thought there was a need
to actually connect with teenagers who have disabilities
and help them transition from one phase of their life to another.
And there isn't a safety net there.
So my idea was to connect with teenagers with disabilities
and have them become part of a community.
Erika: My name is Erika and I'm deaf.
And I'm planning on majoring in English with interest in business.
Kayla: Hi my name is Kayla
and I am a sophomore here at the University of Washington
where I am double majoring in law, society and justice; and disability studies.
I want to take that and eventually become a disability rights lawyer.
And I was born a congenital amputee, missing three of my limbs.
Sheryl: I also thought there was a need to have more leaders
in the disabled community
and students don't become leaders if they don't have leadership experiences
and so within the DO-IT program
we provide them with experiences to become leaders
like mentoring younger students.
Narrator: That happens every summer at DO-IT summer camp held at UW.
Students from all over the state who have disabilities
learn about college, technology, and each other.
Sheryl: What they find out
when we bring together other students with disabilities with them is that
there other students that are facing some of the same challenges that they are.
But they also learn about different kinds of disabilities.
So a student who has dyslexia, for instance,
will learn about challenges faced by a student who's blind.
Narrator: At the camp, Anita, who uses a wheelchair,
talked with Eric about macular degeneration.
Anita: How do you cope with your disability, Eric?
Eric: I mostly just ask for help a lot.
Like I need larger print papers for all of my tests
and I need extra time because my eyes get tired really easily.
Narrator: DO-IT's goal is to prepare the students for successful careers.
And in order to get there, they need to succeed in college.
Sheryl: It's important that people with disabilities
are able to access programs and resources
just simply as a matter of social justice.
Scott Bellman: The amazing thing about being here such a long time
is seeing some of the students who just kind of grow up right in front of me.
When I started 15 years ago the students I met were 15 years old
and now they're 30.
And it's really fun to see them all, you know, find their way
and create a life for themselves.
Narrator: DO-IT has taught them they can do anything.