Sheryl Burgstahler Director, Accessible Technology Services

1. Promising practices that address ICT access & other challenges for students with disabilities in transition: Example of program evidence base, practices, outcomes Sheryl Burgstahler Director, Accessible Technology Services

2. Our two Centers at UW: Access Technology Center • 1984– • To ensure ICT procured, developed & used at UW is accessible DO-IT Center • 1992– • Supported with grants • 2007– DO-IT Japan Disabilities Opportunities Internetworking Technology

3. DO-IT goal To increase the success of individuals with disabilities in postsecondary education & careers, using technology as an empowering tool.

4. Evidence base for DO-IT practices: Literature reviewhttps://uw.edu/doit/about/evidence-based-practices/literature-review/college-preparation-transition-self-determination Ongoing outcomes of DO-IT projects Suggestions from practitioners Input from participants Ongoing formative evaluation

5. Evidence-based transition support practices for women & racial/ethnic minorities Summer academic/bridge enrichment programs Mentor, peer support Academic, career awareness/advising & networking (e.g., conference attendance) Skills-building programs (e.g., ICT, study) Work-based learning (e.g., Internships) Research experiences Combinations are most effective!

6. Correlations of predictors & positive postschool outcomes in (1) education (2) employment & (3) independent living for students with disabilities 1/2 inclusion in general education (1,2,3) paid employment/work experience (1,2,3) independent living skills (1,2,3) student support (1,2,3) career awareness (1,2) interagency collaboration (1,2) occupational courses (1,2) self-advocacy/self-determination (1,2) social skills (1,2)

7. Correlations of predictors & positive postschool outcomes in (1) education (2) employment & (3) independent living for students with disabilities 2/2 transition program (1,2) vocational education (1,2) community experiences (2) high school diploma status (2) parental involvement (2) program of study (2) work study (2) Source: Test, D. W., Mazzotti , V. L, Mustian, A. L., Fowler, C. H., Kortering, L., Kohler, P. (2009). Evidence-based secondary transition predictors for improving postschool outcomes for students with disabilities. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 32(3)

8. evidence-based interventions applied at critical junctures within a lasting community

9. Examples of DO-IT projects that engage students with disabilities DO-IT Scholars

10. Example: DO-IT Scholars Wide range of disabilities Begin as high school sophomores & continue through college, employment & beyond Loaned computers & assistive technology

11. DO-IT Scholars— 3 Summer Studies @ UW Independent living, self-determination/advocacy, social skill development & practice Computer activities Academic labs, lectures College & career prep, including field trips 3rd year internship

12. DO-IT year-round E-mentoring & peer support, evolving into mostly mentoring for older participants On-site meetings Individual advising/consultation Leadership opportunities Technology & other internships Parent support group

13. DO-IT Scholars long term Advocate for & mentor others Make programs & employment more welcoming & accessible to people with all types of disabilities wherever they may be It is harder to get out of DO-IT than it is to get in!

14. Introduce yourself, including your disability (in functional terms). Tell about something YOU do to make yourself successful, including technology use. Request an accom-modation & say who will do what. DO-IT Highlight: Faculty interaction

15. DO-IT Highlight: Training on design of accessible websites Training: Technical Employment Self-advocacy “I went fromunderstanding design to understanding good design.”

16. DO-IT Highlight: Informal scienceaccessibility reviews Promoting accessibility for all types of disabilities

17. DO-IT Highlight: Including student perspectives in publications In Moving On: Transitioning to Graduate School

19. DO-IT Scholars Report DO-IT participation helped them prepare for college, employment, & independent living; develop ICT, self-advocacy, & social skills; experience higher self-esteem; & persevere.

20. DO-IT Scholars report that facilitated online communication helps them stay close to friends & family; get answers to specific questions; meet people from around the world; communicate quickly, easily, & inexpensively with many people at one time; & communicate independently without disclosing their disabilities. gain psychosocial support & further their academic & career interests.

21. DO-IT Mentors report talking to Scholars about disability college careers computers assistive technology the Internet

22. DO-IT parents report that their children increased in interest in college; awareness of career options; self-esteem; & self-advocacy, social, academic, & career skills. & also expressed appreciation for DO-IT’s coordination of parent-to-parent support

23. Students who participated in work-based learning opportunities reported increased motivation to work toward a career; knowledge about careers & the workplace; specific job-related skills; ability to work with supervisors & coworkers; & skills in self-advocating for accommodations.

24. DO-IT external evaluation, 2009, SRI Most important for successful transition outcomes, DO-IT participants gain: Sense of belonging (both academic & social integration) Involvement (in academic & social life) Sense of purpose (through internships, workshops, networking, mentoring, …) Self-determination skills (skill building, practice)

25. ALTS evidence of Scholar success 1993- AccessSTEM/AccessComputing/DO-IT Longitudinal Transition Study (ALTS) https://www.washington.edu/doit/2016-report-accessstemaccesscompu3-tingdo-it-longitudinal-transition-study-alts Educational status when starting in DO-IT

26. ALTS participant disabilities

27. Access to ICT & mentors Access to assistive technology: from 31% to 64%. Access to mentors: from 55% to 92%.

28. ALTS vs. National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) college-bound respondents 96% in ALTS enrolled in college, 31% of NLTS; ALTS respondents are achieving higher levels of high school & college graduation. About half of NLTS & ALTS participants who attended postsecondary school did so at a technical/two-year college.

29. Employed ALTS participants were more likely to be DO IT Scholars (where they received more tech support & training in ICT) were more likely to participate in conferences, workshops, panels, job preparation activities, informational interviews, & job shadows.   rated college transition workshops &/or camps as significantly more valuable than did those not yet employed.

30. Value of interventions ALTS respondents rated (from 1 = not valuable to 4 = very valuable) access to computer technology (3.7), work-based learning (3.5), college transition workshops/camps (3.3), mentoring (3.3), & career transition workshops/camps (3.0).

31. 2004-5 & 2010-11 UT professors Takeo Kondovisited DO-IT in Seattle Modified practices & materials to Japanese culture 2007 first DO-IT Summer Study, U. Tokyo

32. “It is fair to enable people to do challenging things in the way they can do best.”

33. “My view of the world has drastically changed through DO-IT”

34. “A PC is my pencil and eraser.”