A DO-IT Presence at "See It. Be It. Explore Your Future Career"
By Debra Zawada, DO-IT Staff
Through collaboration with the Seattle College Access Network (SCAN) and Seattle Public Schools (SPS), DO-IT participated in the preparation and execution of the third annual "See It. Be It. Explore Your Future Career" event held on November 16, 2013 at Seattle City Hall. Over the last three years, DO-IT has provided input on increasing accessibility for students with disabilities in all aspects of the event, including outreach.
The event designed for middle and high school students to learn about careers and what it takes to succeed attracted over three hundred participants. Not just your run of the mill career fair, industry representatives provided interactive, engaging, and hands on activities for students. Highlights included climbing aboard a coast guard vessel, racing to don "gumby" survival suits within a one minute time limit for safety, and testing diving helmets used by Port of Seattle Police. At one booth, Boeing engineers worked with students to assemble mock operating systems used to build some of their largest jets.
DO-IT Ambassador Sean Marihugh assisted at the ExoLabs booth, which demonstrated the new focus microscope camera. Sean pointed out how the camera benefits students with disabilities in terms of accessibility. One student with a visual impairment shared how the equipment allowed her to see enlarged images on the screen instead of through the microscope.
In addition to foreign language translators, sign language interpreters were on hand to interpret for students and family members who were deaf. As always, DO-IT representatives explained program options and handed out resources for students with disabilities.
DO-IT NEWS, January, 2014, Volume 22, Number 1