Background

Computer Centers

Digital Promise formed in the spring of 1997 to address the growing problem of the Digital Divide. Originally known as the Washington State Neighborhood Networks Consortium, Digital Promise focuses on the needs of residents in low-income, elderly, and disabled housing communities in Washington. By supporting Computer Learning Centers in these facilities, we help the most underserved populations learn to use computers and the Internet.

A diverse and powerful coalition of people and resources, Digital Promise works in partnership with the private sector, community-based non-profits, government agencies, affordable housing centers and residents to realize the vision of a community where no one is left behind.

To date, the organization has helped start and maintain over fifty Computer Learning Centers in low-income housing developments in Washington, and distributed over $400,000 in funds, technical assistance, hardware, software, and project support.

Success Stories

What better way to describe the program than to share real success stories about real people.

A blind client has created two web pages for selling hand crafts on the internet. A blind client who is in a computer user group has learned to do a variety of new PC functions, including downloading programs; setting up programs; using yahoo mail (with JAWS); and sending E-cards to friends and family. Another blind client has learned to burn CD's to assist him in his training to become a professional disk jockey. A client who has cerebral palsy has increase the speed of writing his life story from one sentence per hour to one page per hour, using a word prediction program. A client who has some brain damage and paralysis in her right arm and hand has learned the voice recognition program which allows her to re-enter the work place.

My Amazing Job at the STAR Center Of Seattle Computer Learning and Resource Center

This account is a gift written by Dean S. Williams, CPRC Board of Directors, Member CPRC, Sporting Events Activity Director, Star of Seattle Computer Maintenance Specialist/Volunteer.

Our center functions solely on community partners, donations and grants to provide Assistive Technology and computer skills to those people both handicapped or not that want to learn to use the computer. Each and every one of our clients have a challenge they have to face everyday and our center is designed to work around that and look beyond and eliminate the term "handicapped" and turn it into "handy-capable" for lack of a better term. We're all equals at the center. There is no such thing as handicapped there. If you want to learn the computer, we'll make it happen, and if we don't have the proper tools for you that you need in order to operate, see and hear in order to use it, we'll find that proper Assistive Technology that'll work for you and make it happen.

We are a pro ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) center. We strive to give you the tools that will help you function as well as you possibly and physically can not only with the computer, but in life in general so that you can go find a job, or work from home, and we help our clients by providing community resources to them if they're looking for housing, medical, food, travel, and any other kind of resource they'd need. We show them how to find it on the internet. In essense, we open up a whole new world for our clients that most of them never thought was even possible

Several of our clients are blind, so we have a Screen Reader program installed on our computers called JAWS for Windows that reads everything on the computers. No matter pops up on your screen, the program reads it and tells you with a voice synthesizer what it is. It also tells you what keys you pressed. Another program we have is called Word Q which is a word prediction program. You type a letter or two and it brings up a list of words with in which you have to press the corresponding number next to the word and the word is typed out for you. That program is mainly used for people who's dexterity is almost non-existant. It also assists people with a lack of cognitive skills to be able to spell as well. Another program we have is a Braille Embosser and Translation program called Duxbury. Duxbury is designed to translate and convert written documents into Braille so that blind people can read them. We also have the normal windows programs like Word®, Excel®, Access®, Powerpoint®, Frontpage®.

Another Assistive Technology program we use is called ZoomText for those people that have visual impairments and can only see larger icons and print. It enlarges everything on your computer screen. We also have a BAT keyboard (one handed keyboard) for those people that use of only one hand. You press a series of buttons simultaneously and the keyboard types it. We also have something called Intellikeys. How Intellikeys works is by the use of a large board where you can slip specially designed sheets drawn out like a computer keyboard in very large print into it so that the user can see it. Each sheet inserted into the board has a microchip in it that the board reads so that it can convert the board to recognize the configuration of how the rest of the sheet that has the keyboard drawn on it is styled so that anywhere you touch will produce some kind of reaction associated with the location you pressed. For example, if you press the part of the board that is drawn out like the letter "A", the board will recognize that and show that on your screen.

We also have a program called Drangon Naturally Speaking that is a voice recognition software designed to type as you talk to it. It's primary function is to be used as a tool for those people that really don't have the mentality to spell well, and who also don't have any use of their arms at all. You can type emails with it, letter, anything you want with it just by talking to it. You can also do functions with it like "Edit", "File" and so on. Anything you want to do on the computer, all you have to do is give a verbal command for the specific thing you want to do and it'll happen. The possibilities are endless when it comes to computers.

Everyday there seems to new and better Assistive Technology that keeps popping up that will make a person's life better you can't keep up with it. It just keeps coming and coming like the ENERGIZER bunny. I've worked at the Star Center Of Seattle computer learning and resource center for over about a year now and it still never ceases to amaze me how lucky I am to have such a stable enjoyable job that makes me want to come to work everyday. I never get paid for it with money, but I do get paid in the sense of that my boss gives me gifts every once in awhile. Another way I get paid is by the looks on all the client's faces when they become amazed at the fact that they're actually grasping each and every concept that they may be learning from one of our skilled volunteers or our center Director.

I too have learned so much that I never actually knew. It's broadened my knowledge of computers in the technical sense since I am now the maintenance specialist for the center to make sure all the computers are running properly each and every day and to make sure that the the center's internet connection is always working properly and stays connected, which isn't always the case because the connection doesn't always like to stay on even though you would think that a Cable connection would be more stable most out there. It's really not. It always gets disconnected. My wireless broadband connection at home is more stable than the connection at the STAR Center.

Regardless of the problems the center has, it's still an amazing center to work for and you have to always keep in mind that not everything is perfect. If we always looked for perfection in all things, we'd truly be wasting our time. The center never goes without giving rewards, not only to the clients and staff, but to the community as well. I think our center is a way to bridge the gap between dreams and reality so that we can make those dreams that anyone might have come true. We believe that dreams do come true if you just believe, and we base what we do on that exact belief.

Some text and images are from the Digital Promise website.

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