Special Technology Access Resource Center

 

The Special Technology Access Resource (STAR) Center opened its doors in Seattle in 1999, benefiting from the hard work and dedication of the residents of Center Park, the Seattle Housing Authority, and individuals active in the accessibility community. The STAR Center's mission is to empower people of widely varying abilities and disabilities to build community using computers, the Internet, and assistive technology.

 

Today, because of funding from the CCNP's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, the STAR Center has state-of-the-art equipment and software to serve the diverse needs of its users. According to Executive Director Oscar Escalante, the STAR Center meets the individual needs of each client by determining what he or she can currently do with technology and adds skills gradually on a case-by-case basis. In past years, the STAR Center served an average of 150 clients with assistive technology. From January to June, the STAR Center has already served 142 clients this year.

In the STAR Center Technology Lab. Left to Right: Thomas Ross, Assistive Technology Specialist;  Oscar Escalante, Executive Director; Galia Dadiomova, Technology Training Coordinator;  and June Rhotan, Executive Assistant.

Thomas Ross, the STAR Center's Assistive Technology Specialist, provides one-on-one support to clients to facilitate their use of assistive technology, such as the JAWS screen-reading or Dragon Naturally Speaking speech recognition software. Additionally, the STAR Center provides Word Cue (predictive software for users with language acquisition difficulties) and Zoomtext (screen enlargement software for users with low vision), among many other assistive software titles. Galia Dadiomova, Technology Training Coordinator, teaches a variety of classes ranging from E-mail 101 to Microsoft Excel. Clients at the STAR Center benefit from a dedicated, informed staff with a well-rounded approach to assistive technology and skill development. 

 

To find out more about the STAR Center, visit the Network Directory Page.

Denny Terrace 3^rd Annual Computer Lab Celebration

  

On June 12, CCNP subrecipient Denny Terrace held their annual celebration to mark another year of successfully implementing new programming and acquiring new equipment. The celebration was hosted by the all-volunteer Denny Terrace Computer Lab Committee and Mike Pollack, the Grant Program Administrator. Larry Wisdom, a lab volunteer and technology instructor, distributed certificates to attendees who completed courses in basic and intermediate computer skills, as well as multimedia courses such as digital photography. CCNP Outreach Coordinator Amy Hirotaka accepted a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the EdLab Group. Attendees enjoyed refreshments and viewed an entertaining video about the Denny Terrace computer lab created by Larry Wisdom. 

Volunteer Larry Wisdom receives a Certificate of Completion and a Certificate of Appreciation.

SDK Bridge Hosts Game Design Training Workshops

 

SDK Bridge's Youth Technology Program works to expose teenagers to the most current technology to help them see the possibilities of a career in the field. They combine cultural knowledge and competency with technology to help youth from underrepresented groups see the technology industry as a place where they belong. 

 

SDK Bridge will lead game design and programming workshops in Seattle and Yakima this summer. Peter Gruenbaum, President of SDK Bridge, will provide training for CCNP subrecipient staff and volunteers at partial-day sessions. The train-the-trainer model builds the capacity of workshop attendees to host youth technology courses at their public computing centers. 

 

In the Game Design workshop, students learn to design simple 3D video games using Kodu from Microsoft. Kodu is a drag-and-drop game engine that allows students to build a variety of computer games, such as racing, shooting, mazes, and tower defense. Students create lists of behaviors for characters that result in a game.

 

In the Game Programming workshop, students learn to create simple 2D video games using Scratch from MIT. Scratch is a drag-and-drop programming language that teaches the basic concepts of programming, such as loops, if-then structures, and variables. A large variety of games can be created using Scratch.

For more information about Communities Connect Network (CCN), please contact Leslie Rae Schmitz, Senior Project Director for Digital Inclusion at lschmitz@edlabgroup.org or 425.477.4741 x 4778.