Greetings and Welcome to the Lift, Inc. Blog!
Hi!
I'm Carrie Smoot, the Christopher Reeve Intern for communications and outreach for Lift, Inc. (www.lift-inc.org), a national, nonprofit corporation that combines information technology training and placement with corporate clients for men and women who have significant disabilities. I have always thought that computers are cool tools. Occasionally I've written about them. I enjoy learning about gadgets, assistive technology and everything else in between.
I hope this will be an informative resource for everyone about technology, employment and disability, perhaps reframing everyone's thinking. I'd like people to see that we who have significant disabilities are just like anyone else. We're not "supercrips," "overcomers" or miracles. Riding the subway every day is not heroic.
Most of all, we expect to work in challenging positions with competitive salaries and the ability to move up. We aim high and want more than entry-level opportunities or call center employment. And we will work to get there. All of us want to contribute and participate in life in meaningful ways. National Disability Employment Awareness Month begins today, but of course it should be observed all year. A great place to start learning about disability employment issues is the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy.
A career is a lifetime journey. No matter what paths you choose, information technology and personal computers will play a large role in your position. Look way beyond disability issues and stay curious about everything. Lifelong learning is a must, and it's fun! But through it all, love what you do. Build positive relationships with everyone and be happy. Remember that your work is what you do, and not who you are.
If you love tinkering with your own computer or building one from scratch, and can't get enough of Java, HTML, SQL Server, C++, VisualBasic or QBasic, you already know IT is for you. It's a telltale sign of an excellent fit if your favorite reading material is about programming languages and you belong to a systems architecture book discussion group. But information technology isn't just about working with machines, code and data. It's about working with people--people who need the reports your data generates, or who need advice about what data they need to collect to make critical business decisions. Organizations want to know how to create those stunning, convemient and useful Web sites that everyone goes back to again and again. Teammates need your help when their computers have frozen or something doesn't work. It's up to you to keep everything humming. There are so many options.
Deep in your heart, if you know that working with code, data and daily new challenges would frustrate you, consider another career.
I'm Carrie Smoot, the Christopher Reeve Intern for communications and outreach for Lift, Inc. (www.lift-inc.org), a national, nonprofit corporation that combines information technology training and placement with corporate clients for men and women who have significant disabilities. I have always thought that computers are cool tools. Occasionally I've written about them. I enjoy learning about gadgets, assistive technology and everything else in between.
I hope this will be an informative resource for everyone about technology, employment and disability, perhaps reframing everyone's thinking. I'd like people to see that we who have significant disabilities are just like anyone else. We're not "supercrips," "overcomers" or miracles. Riding the subway every day is not heroic.
Most of all, we expect to work in challenging positions with competitive salaries and the ability to move up. We aim high and want more than entry-level opportunities or call center employment. And we will work to get there. All of us want to contribute and participate in life in meaningful ways. National Disability Employment Awareness Month begins today, but of course it should be observed all year. A great place to start learning about disability employment issues is the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy.
A career is a lifetime journey. No matter what paths you choose, information technology and personal computers will play a large role in your position. Look way beyond disability issues and stay curious about everything. Lifelong learning is a must, and it's fun! But through it all, love what you do. Build positive relationships with everyone and be happy. Remember that your work is what you do, and not who you are.
If you love tinkering with your own computer or building one from scratch, and can't get enough of Java, HTML, SQL Server, C++, VisualBasic or QBasic, you already know IT is for you. It's a telltale sign of an excellent fit if your favorite reading material is about programming languages and you belong to a systems architecture book discussion group. But information technology isn't just about working with machines, code and data. It's about working with people--people who need the reports your data generates, or who need advice about what data they need to collect to make critical business decisions. Organizations want to know how to create those stunning, convemient and useful Web sites that everyone goes back to again and again. Teammates need your help when their computers have frozen or something doesn't work. It's up to you to keep everything humming. There are so many options.
Deep in your heart, if you know that working with code, data and daily new challenges would frustrate you, consider another career.
posted by Carrie | 8:15 PM
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