The program pays for a telephone line to the student's home, so the student can dial up the Internet, the informal, international network of computers. The university arranges a hookup with the nearest local access to the Internet, so there are no long-distance charges. The computer network provides an electronic community of support to encourage and guide students along their way to a job. Camp participants can stay in touch with each other throughout the year by electronic mail. They also can communicate with mentors they are matched with in the scientific field of their choice.
Computers offer disabled kids opportunities unimaginable less than a generation ago.
But technology is the great equalizer. A student's physical disability just no longer is an issue. If someone doesn't know them, they don't even need to disclose that they are disabled. It's a whole new freedom that opens a lot more doors. For someone like Sederstrom, reading newspapers or books means waiting for them to become available in large print - and few are.