On May 8, 2008, we celebrated our students' accomplishments at the annual CSM Scholarship Convocation. After a year of fund raising by the ATC Staff, we were excited to award five students assistive technology scholarships. The awards were: Kurzweil 3000 text-to-speech software, Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition software, a Victor Reader Classic DAISY player, an Alpha Smart keyboard and a 4 gb USB drive. Congratulations to Javier Meneses, Kyle Day, Carolyn Kell, Ben Medlen and Andrew Collins! Thanks to the untiring work by the ATC staff, fundraising has continued. On May 4, 2009, three more scholarships were awarded to Kaitlyn Schuck, Michael Shanahan, Steve Morales and Brenda Salem. Well done!
Here are some of the reasons these students applied for the scholarships:
- "The Kurzweil Reading Program has been paramount in helping me read to such an extreme degree. Never before have I ever been able to sit down and comprehend my books because I am an auditory learner. The Kurzweil has opened doors to abilities and passions that I have never been able to experience before. A good example is my discovered love of philosophy and learning the writings of authors such as Nietzsche and Kierkegaard, all possible through the Kurzweil. My life has been inspired by them and all because I was able to understand a philosophy class. Listening feeds my brain directly and reduces my distractions."
- "I have used Kurzweil 3000 for my school work and leisure reading since the sixth grade. While my verbal skills are strong, my disability limits my written expression. The Dragon system will allow me the freedom to do my work at home and around my own schedule.
- "My long term goal is to achieve my undergraduate degree in History with a concentration in Naval Science. Ultimately, I want to earn my PhD in History and either teach or work as a naval curator. I fully understand the value of a good education in our highly competitive society and have every plan to be a success."
- "I have been attending College of San Mateo for three years now. I have been involved in Student Government for two years and have served this school and students by listening to concerns and fighting for student rights. I have learned a lot and have grown because of it. I have not seen myself as "disabled," but as someone who needs help, like most students at this school. I have learned that being involved in your school, not just your academics, is crucial to a person's growth as an individual. A person needs to be involved in the school's affairs to know what's going on. A sense of unity with one's school is important to being well-rounded."
- "I have found the AlphaSmart keyboard to be a tremendously useful device in the three semesters I have been loaned one. With it, I am able to quickly take legible notes in class or write drafts for papers, which I am then able to take off later and save to a computer. I am also able to download text from the computer and store it to the AlphaSmart for later review. With it, I no longer have to rely on my often faulty memory and atrocious handwriting. I never have to concern myself with a lack of paper and pencil with the AlphaSmart, as all its notes come in electronic form.
- "The AlphaSmart would be a deeply cherished possession of mine. It is one that I would use to write upon for years to come in my academic career and my life beyond. I wish to study to be a paleontologist at San Jose State."
- "My long term goal is essentially to gain an advanced degree so that I can teach psychology at a community college. I am very interested in the worth of the community college experience for students who intend to transfer to a four-year institution and I am determined to contribute back to the community college system in the future.
- "Because my reading ability is severely limited by my [visual] disability, I need auditory materials to support my learning experience. The Victor Reader will allow me to hear my textbooks."
Congratulations! We are so proud of you!
