PeopleTech - CUNY

Please note that this document is subject to change based on need and as further information regarding our presenters is available.

Introductions and Greetings

this twelve-session course will provide a brief introduction to students with disabilities to three major aspects of academic life: using assistive technology, conducting library research and being self advocates. Taught by experts in their perspective fields, the course will take students through the process of obtaining accommodations, provide some meaningful strategies on conducting research by using assistive technologies, and provide hands-on experience with hardware and software that is needed to succeed in the academic world.

Starting with an introduction to PeopleTech and its mission, the project will immediately jump into the use of assistive technologies (or technology in general) for classroom and course-related work. Participants will learn the process of conducting library research and participate in activities that will make their academic lives easier when conducting research. Toward the end of the summer institute, students will learn about the laws affecting accommodations and advocacy. The institute will end with students participating in a final course presentation.

Brief Outline of Sessions

Session 1: Introduction & Assistive Technology – Karen Gourgey, PeopleTech & CCVIP Baruch College, Pratik Patel, PeopleTech & CUNY

The first session will provide a brief introduction to the PeopleTech Project, its mission, and introduce the planned activities. The session will describe the course requirements and provide information on assignments. The second part of the session will begin with an introduction to assistive technology and take the participants through some basic uses of assistive technologies.

Session 2: Assistive Technology (continued)

Continuing from the foundation in session 1, the second session will begin describing some detailed use of assistive technology with such programs as Internet Explorer/Firefox, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel

Session 3: Assistive Technology (Continued)

Session three will introduce scanning and optical character recognition tools and provide information on the use of Dragon Naturally Speaking. This session will also briefly introduce some commonly-used technologies for accessing math and science material for classroom use.

Session 4: Library Research – Rebecca Adler, College of Staten Island

Session 4 will start introducing one of the most important aspects of college life: library research. This session will begin discussion of what types of online and campus resources may be available and how to use these resources in the best manner possible. Students will also be given assignments to complete

Session 5: Library Research (continued)

Session 5 will take students through hand-on exercises regarding research. Students will continue to research topics of interest and will prepare for their final presentation.

Session 6: Advocacy – Sheryll Porter, PeopleTech & College of Staten Island

In the first session on advocacy, students will hear from invited guests from agencies such as the Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (CBVH) and the Vocational and Rehabilitation Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID). In addition, students may expect to learn about federal, state, and local laws that affect their rights as students with disabilities.

Session 7: Advocacy (Continued)

In the second part of the advocacy session, students will transfer their knowledge to their own campuses and talk about concerns related to campus life, including social aspects of campus existence. Students will discuss strategies about working with faculty members and will learn about campus procedures.

Session 8: Culmination – all

This session is intended to bring every aspect of the learning together in a student presentation. This session will also provide the participants opportunities to have some general discussions regarding being students with disabilities.

For further information about the PeopleTech Summer Institute, Please see our Summer Institute page. You may also fill out the application on the web site.

if you have any additional questions after reviewing this information, please use our contact page. We will be in touch with you as soon as we can.