DO-IT participants can even reach by computer the famed British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease and is confined to a wheelchair. Most of us depend on our computers each day to help us with our work, access our bank accounts, and amuse our children. If you have a disability, however, a computer may be more than just a convenient tool. A two-week program at the University of Washington demonstrated that a computer can provide the key to communication. Among other things, DO-IT seeks to recruit and retrain disabled students in math, science, and engineering and to encourage them to pursue careers in those fields.
Computers are a main component of that plan.
DO-IT purchases and installs computer systems for students enrolled in the program. Students receive equipment designed to compensate for their disabilities and then are trained to use the system. Here they immediately learned the benefits of the Internet network. Students were matched with mentors who are post-secondary students or career scientists, mathematicians, or engineers. Communicating through email, the mentors and students built relationships as they asked and answered questions.