DO-IT Intern Kayla Wheeler and DO-IT Phase I Scholar London look at new Microsoft products.

On the first Friday of Summer Study, we took a tour of Microsoft, led by Sean Marihugh and Chris Schlechty, two DO-IT Ambassadors that work for Microsoft. During the tour, they stressed self-advocacy and universal design for Microsoft products.

Our first activity was a demonstration of Eye Gaze technology. Eye Gaze is a program that allows people to use technology, move around, and communicate using only their eyes. For this activity, a tablet was hooked up to the Eye Gaze camera, and each of us played a game.

After that, there was a panel of employees with various disabilities. We had a Q&A session, and they spoke about self-advocacy and getting accommodations in the workplace.

We were also introduced to the new Windows 10 operating system. It was quite fascinating, as the computer allowed us to draw on webpages and talk to a personal assistant named Cortana. This was our favorite part, because new technological advancements have always excited and inspired us.

Next, we participated in a team activity to design a robotic companion, including features, name, slogan, and price. Everyone created a worthy product, and we got to see a wide variety of great ideas. After the designs were completed, we concluded our visit to Microsoft. It was a great experience, and one that we will not forget.

DO-IT Scholars celebrated Hailey’s (right) birthday during craft night at Summer Study 2015.

Katelyn’s perspective: How could you celebrate a birthday for someone you barely knew? I didn’t know until now. It’s one thing to just say “happy birthday,” but learning all about someone to celebrate your roommate’s birthday was fun. The first thing we did was help find the perfect birthday outfit. Many people like to dress up in a fancy outfit for their birthday, and Hailey definitely did. We also asked staff if we could get her a special treat, like a cupcake or special coffee. Just let them know that today is special even though they can’t be with their family and friends—they have new friends!

Hailey’s perspective: I had my first time being away from home on my birthday. It ended up being a great day. We went to Microsoft. In the evening, other Scholars got me a cupcake and sang me happy birthday. The best part of my birthday was that people wished me a happy birthday all day! By going to this program, I’ve learned not to be scared to tell people about my disability; it feels great knowing I am not the only one. I learned something this year on my birthday away from home and family—I suddenly knew it was time to be myself and not to let it bother me if others say anything about me being different. 

Aspen: I never thought about wrestling until the wrestling coach approached me freshman year and told me to check out pre-conditioning. Two weeks later, I decided to try it out, and, before I knew it, I fell in love with the sport and ended up being on the team.

Tasha: I have been wrestling for five years. I started because one of my good friends came up to me and asked me to join so she wouldn’t be the only girl on the team. I wanted to try something new, and I ended up loving it! Now wrestling is the main sport I do every year.

Aspen: Being deaf affects my playing because I can’t wear my cochlear implant during practices or matches. This means I can’t hear what my coach is trying to tell me what to do and it’s very hard to concentrate on the interrupter. On the other hand, I am easily able to drowned out the crowd noise and additional unnecessary noises as well. Because deafness had caused me to be more aware of my surroundings and be more sensitive to what I am feeling, I am easily able to make the next movement based off sight and vibrations.

Tasha: Wrestling is a hard sport, and it doesn’t help when you have a disability. I have sickle cell. Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that causes red blood cells to break down. Having sickle cell makes is hard for me to do some of the wrestling workouts and go on long runs in the cold, because I end up in a lot of pain. This can cause me to miss school if I have to stay home and heal. However, I love the person I am, even if sickle cell helped make me who I am.

Aspen and Tasha: Wrestling is a difficult and challenging sport. It’s hard finding girls that want to be on the team and compete. We try to inspire other girls to be on our teams by talking with them and discussing their worries. We like to share our wrestling success stories and challenges. Wrestling can be challenging, especially eating the right amount to stay in your own weight class. However, wrestling can make you stronger and feel very accomplished.

Shortly after breakfast on Saturday, we hopped on the bus to go to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. We first went to the IMAX theater for the movie Humpback Whales 3D, and we both enjoyed it. One thing we learned was the way the whales communicated with each other to capture fish for food. Many humpback whales surround the fish and blow bubbles, while others dive deep in the water so they can drive the fish towards more shallow water. This bubble net technique allows them to swallow thousands of fish in one gulp.

After the movie, we ate lunch outside the café. We then looked at a few small exhibits on our way to the laser dome for the Michael Jackson Laser Show. The laser show was cool because the lasers were shaped in ways that fit well with the Michael Jackson songs that were playing.

We split into groups and went to the rest of the exhibits. We visited the butterfly area and then explored the Grossology exhibit, which features facts about the human body. Finally, we visited the current research exhibit, where we were able to see an UpTempO buoy, which is what Dr. Mike Steele and his team use for polar ocean temperature research. This was great to see, since he was also the presenter for our Summer Study oceanography class.

After a busy day exploring and learning at the Pacific Science Center, we travelled back to the UW campus in time for dinner.

Having a buddy during Summer Study gives Scholars a go-to partner for activities.

After a long journey to the wonderful University of Washington campus, learning about the dorms, and meeting some of the Scholars, you still have one more adventure to attend to before dinner and rest. This is meeting your new roommate. Having a roommate is very interesting, especially when it’s your first time living in a dorm, and it gives you a connection and friend throughout Summer Study. Your roommate is probably just as excited and nervous about DO-IT Summer Study as you are.

As nice as it is to have a roommate, you still want to keep a few small things in mind. Remember to respect and be nice to each other, communicate, and look out for each other. You are both new at this and could use an ally. It’s important that you and your roommate help each other and remember you both have different strengths and weaknesses. Hold the door open, pick things up for each other, and walk to your next activity together if possible. Also be there for your roommate to talk to if they need emotional support. If you and your roommate are respectful to one another then you will become fast friends. 

Going to sporting events in Seattle is an amazing experience that will give you everlasting joy, but there are some challenges people with disabilities face when attending.

One main obstacle faced when going to sporting venues is their accessibility of seating. There are only a few wheelchair specific seats available around CenturyLink Field. If you plan on transferring out of your walker/wheelchair, there aren’t specifically allocated places where you can leave your equipment in eyesight. However, staff can take your equipment to a storage room and return it to you during half-time or as requested.

An obstacle faced by people who find it hard to hear is that there is no captioning on any of the monitors located inside the stadium, which means that you can’t get the full game experience that everyone should be entitled to.

CenturyLink field did have great staff members who provided assistance. They wanted to make sure we had a positive experience, so they made everything as accessible as they could.

What the DO-IT program has taught us is that we need to be self-advocates for what we need, and that it is okay to ask for accommodations or help. Our disabilities do not define who we are or what we do.

All the Phase II Scholars join together to sing karaoke at Summer Study 2015.

We both really enjoyed karaoke night! The song selection was unparalleled to any we have seen--the binder full of songs is about four inches thick! It even featured songs from musicals, which was an exciting surprise, since many of the students this year really like musicals. We also loved karaoke night because of the culture of acceptance DO-IT promotes. Even if you were a bad singer, it was easy to go up and have a good time, and there was a lot of positive support from everyone.

Another great part of karaoke night was sharing a love of music with everybody through voice. Even when you love to sing, you don’t get to show it off often. By the end of the night, some of our throats were sore from all the singing. We can’t wait for next year’s karaoke night!  

Whenever we roll through a crowd of able bodies, the looks on their faces read, “Why are they so cool, and we’re not?” Naturally, we know that they are jealous of our hot rides. The scooter is like the limo of the accessible fleet: Long and hard to drive, but surprisingly comfortable. Here are our top three tips on how to roll through life in style.

• If someone’s staring, stare back. This can make people feel awkward and look away.
• Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn. This can be helpful to tell people they are in your way. The horn is not your enemy, it’s your best friend!
• If you need something, say something! You are your best advocate. A little sass can translate into a lot of class. You have a disability—use it to your advantage!

This year, five of the Phase II Scholars took part in producing their own short videos. In collaboration with Seattle-based Reel Grrls, an organization mainly for girls to feel empowered and discover their potential through media production, our students planned their own stories, learned film techniques, investigated how disability is portrayed in the media, and edit video footage.

We started our workshop with a presentation on the Disability Rights Movement. The purpose of this presentation was to give us a background on the negative stereotypes associated with of people with disabilities, along with the medical and social models of disability. We also watched videos related to disability rights, such as comedian Stella Young’s TED Talk on people with disabilities as objects of inspiration, an episode of a video series called, “My Gimpy Life,” and various notable clips featuring people with disabilities in movies.

At the same time, we developed basic abilities to record and edit videos through mobile devices, including the iPod Touch and the iPad. We learned the different types of shots, such as wide-shot, medium shot, and close-up. The purpose of these videos was to convey a message regarding a stance on disability and an issue, guided by the creator’s story.

DO-IT Intern Hannah uses some of the tools in the UW CoMotion Makerspace.

Need a place to build, as well as get inspired and find your creativity? The CoMotion MakerSpace is the right place for you. The CoMotion MakerSpace at the University of Washington (UW) is a place built for UW students and the UW community to freely express their ideas and collaborate to create projects together. As DO-IT Interns, we were invited to go and experience the opportunities at the makerspace.

On the first day, we made a prototype of our ideal wallet. We worked in groups to sketch a design, and we interviewed each other on how an ideal wallet would look and function. The challenge to the activity was a 10-minute time limit and a limited amount of materials; we could only use cardboard, straws, paper clips, tapes, sticky notes and blank papers.

After the challenge, we discussed how we could make current and future makerspaces more accessible to people with disabilities. We brainstormed positive and negative aspects about the accessibility of this makerspace. One positive was that most tables and whiteboards in the workstation area used wheels, which make it easier for wheelchair users to move around in the large space. On the other hand, one of the problems was that some of the tools provided for students may not be accessible for students with disabilities, especially wheelchair users. There were also no large prints or braille signs to help people who have a visual impairment. As a group, we came up with ideas of what kind of improvements the CoMotion MakerSpace needs to improve its accessibility.

We are really excited and looking forward to see the improvements we came up with to improve accessibility for future makerspaces so both able-bodied and people with disabilities can collaborate.

[Note: A checklist for making an accessible makerspace can be found on the DO-IT website.]

Phase II Scholar Jason operates Chester, the TurtleBot, in his robotics workshop at Summer Study 2015.

The picture most people have of a robot comes from science fiction movies. Robots are generally seen as futuristic entities that can gain self-awareness at any time. In general, robots are programmed to perform certain tasks, have partial autonomy, and have at least two degrees of freedom. A microwave oven or a cell phone could arguably be considered simple robots.

Maya and Sarah ran the robotics workshop. We worked with robots named Chester, a TurtleBot, and Rosie, a PR2. Rosie was large, had arms that moved in many directions, and numerous cameras with varying ranges. Chester was much smaller, did not have arms, and used an Xbox Kinect as a camera. The Scholars discussed ideas for a scenario to conduct using the robots, deciding on a restaurant scene. Chester was the waiter and Rosie was the chef. Chester was programmed with the programming language Python. We programmed it to greet and seat the guests, take orders, deliver food, and collect payment.

Everyone learned something, even the Interns. Mike and Kennedy were proud to say that they learned just as much from their programming failures as they did from their programming successes. Vanessa enjoyed the experience of working with real-life robots. Jason liked the challenge of programming, and Sangha enjoyed coming up with real-world applications for the robots. The greatest takeaways were lessons in teamwork, programming, and real-world applications of robotics. We greatly appreciate all the time and effort the workshop leaders put into making this experience possible. 

Martha Bosma studies the spontaneous calcium activity in embryonic mouse and chick brain stems, analyzing spontaneous electrical activity in nervous system development. While the lab was fairly accessible, two Phase I Scholars had difficulty accessing high-placed equipment and fitting through the narrow aisles. These issues could be solved with small adjustments in the lab.

The Scholars experimented with mice embryos and cockroaches. They saw how nicotine and other drugs affected the mouse’s heart reactions and the cockroach’s leg and spine movements. Scholars learned how to identify axon potentials and to graph patterns for calcium channel reactions. By the end of the workshop, Scholars learned the inner workings of neurons in real time.

Phase II Scholar Sangha (center) practices his job interview skills at Summer Study 2015.

It was truly a privilege and an honor to serve as a DO-IT Intern at Summer Study this past July. Having gone through the program in previous years as a Phase I and Phase II Scholar, I gained invaluable skills and support that have been vital to my success as a student and as a person. I jumped at the opportunity to pass down my newly-acquired knowledge to the new Scholars. We participated in countless activities throughout the 10-day experience; here are a few highlights:

• Scholar/Intern panel—I enjoyed being able to answer the Scholars’ questions and provide them with advice with regard to navigating college life with a disability.
• Visits to the Pacific Science Center and Woodland Park Zoo—It was fun seeing the exhibits and hanging out with everyone.
• Resume workshops/mock interviews—Having gone through the employment process, I was able to share with the Scholars my experiences, simulate real-world situations and offer them tips on how to “sell themselves” to employers.

Overall, Summer Study was an outstanding success. I sincerely hope everyone involved (Scholars, Interns, and Staff) uses this experience to grow and pave new paths for themselves. I will continue to do my part to improve myself and strengthen the connections within the DO-IT family.