2024 Scholars Share Their Experiences at DO-IT Summer Study

This article features quotes from many of the 2024 Scholars. Some of the 2024 Scholars are not featured in this article because they shared longer, more in-depth personal stories that fit better as stand-alone articles. 

Last year, 2024 Scholars got the opportunity to share about their experiences on campus. Many of them loved the same classes and activities, but there were also many unique perspectives shared about students’ time on campus. Ivy described how the Scholars program makes it easy to share opinions. “DO-IT Scholars is a program for people with disabilities of all different kinds. DO-IT is an environment where you aren't judged for who you are; everyone encourages each other and enjoys being themselves,” Ivy said. 

The Greenhouse 

One of the most enjoyed activities was the tour of the University of Washington greenhouse. “Plants are very important to the environment and preserving them is important,” said Ana. “You can learn about and take care of plants regardless of disability, which is why the class stood out to me. Plants are an important part of the environment and something everyone can take an interest in.” Oscar agreed with this sentiment. “I really liked this class because it taught me about the different types of plants. Even though I'm not a plant person, I found it fascinating,” said Oscar.  

The greenhouse offered the opportunity to engage with science and the environment in- and outside of the typical classroom. Touring the greenhouse is a way to make learning interactive. Ana shared, “I personally found several new plant species in the greenhouse I really enjoyed, and it was nice being back in nature while being in the heart of a big city.” AJ agreed, saying “It showed a different vibe to campus.” 

The Seismology Lab 

Another highly-rated class was at the seismology lab, where Scholars learned about earthquake science, “including the geography involved, the technology used to measure seismic activity, and the methods that we ourselves can use to stay safe during an earthquake,” shared Alex. Nick agreed, adding “I really liked this class because it taught me more about earthquakes, such as the earthquake stations, the technology of earthquakes, and about fault lines.” 

“Learning about earthquakes was very interesting, and I particularly enjoyed that the lead staff member answered all the doubts I had had for years,” Jesus recounted. Alex continued to discuss how the class affected him and others. “This class provided an opportunity to explore something new and interesting, and it also teaches everyone with and without a disability how to stay safe during an earthquake.” 

Accessible Technology 

Many of the Scholars shared that they enjoyed learning about accessible technology, including both specific assistive technologies and overall accessible practices in technology. “Accessible technology provides the tools to people who need it,” AJ said. “Web accessibility helps kids with disabilities use technology such as laptops, computers, and keyboards,” Oscar shared. 

In accessible web design, Vi loved learning about how so many of our modern technology was originally designed for people with disabilities. “It’s cool how something like the ergonomic computer mice, something that I already had been using, was actually originally intended for use as adaptive interfaces,” Vi shared. “This experience can also expose [students with disabilities] to types of accommodations that they didn't previously know existed—such as when I learned about the FM device or the technology tips and tricks for working with ADHD.” 

The Scholars also got to work with actual staff at the University of Washington to make their departmental websites more accessible. Eliot stated, “Helping an institution make its site more accessible to all is a tremendous and essential experience for all who partake. During my time here, the most impactful experience was when we were helping the institution with its site accessibility. It was really fun messing around with a lot of sophisticated software to find issues with the site and feel almost like an expert!” Jesus also shared similar sentiments, enjoying his time exploring web accessibility. “It was very interesting to see if you can use websites only with a keyboard. I’m also colorblind so learning about color contrasts was very helpful,” Jesus said.  

Aspen and Ramona also teamed up to share all they had learned about the accessibility built into Google products (particularly Docs and Slides), such as “very accurate speech-to-text recognition,” “built in website screen reader,” “braille support with third-party braille software,” and “easy to use keyboard tabbing and focus indicators that are easy to see.” Google products also have a lot “of features within the toolbar that are all clear and have well-designed images… and It’s also easy to add extensions with other accessibility tools you might want to use.” 

Other DO-IT Experiences on Campus 

Miles described how much fun it was to learn math in a hands-on way. “I loved when the Math Guy came to teach us how we can use math in creative ways. The class was super interesting and fun. We built kites by creating tetrahedrons and tying them together with ribbon, and it was cool that we got to fly them outside after we built them.” 

Owen shared that he had only ever learned about disability history in passing and never in school. “It raised awareness to me of how important the intersectionality of disabilities with other identity constructs is,” Owen said. “This class can be connected to issues today, and it encouraged me to think about how I and other people treat those different from us. It also did a great job of reinforcing that it's good to have diversity and differences in any community.” 

Scarlett enjoyed how much DO-IT encouraged expressing your own style and opinions. “Expression is a natural aspect of life and can come in many forms… In this similar focus of expression is disability; if understood, the need for being different is extreme. Biodiversity is the major trait of all organisms on Earth and, like biodiversity, all artists have different styles. My style is all over the place; ADHD taking the wheel.” 

Ari loved evening times together in the dorms, where Scholars could connect with each other over shared hobbies and passions. “I brought my ukulele to DO-IT Summer Study when we stayed on-campus. I didn’t think I’d play it much, but I ended up jamming out with fellow musicians and music lovers in the lounge every day after classes. During that time, I got to finish writing three mini-songs. On Wednesday, my new friends from the program and I even recorded one of the songs. It’s called 'Spider on the Ceiling' because I wrote it based on a spider we saw on the ceiling. It was a really fun experience to record together.” 

Meals and Snacks 

Scholars also shared their positive experiences about the food on campus. “Snack time is important, if not essential at any summer camp,” Mira noted. Ivy also shared that mealtimes went above and beyond just sustenance. “Scholars each have a food card so everyone can learn how to budget too.”