workshop recaps

Mentor Training
March 22, 2003
CTP hosted our first Mentor Training on Saturday, March 22, 2003 in the GAIA Building’s spectacular Panoramic Room in Berkeley, CA. CTP staff welcomed representatives from PartnersTM for Youth with Disabilities (PYD), our collaboration partner from Boston, MA. Ty Holt from PYD presented the Mentor Training to ten CTP graduates who volunteered to become mentors to youth with disabilities interested in technology careers.

Regina Snowden, PYD’s founder, presented the history of PYD’s pioneering work in providing group and one-on-one mentoring for youth with disabilities. A highlight of the training was a PYD-produced video featuring several mentor matches and interviews with youth participants. Their stories describing the impact and importance of having a mentor in their lives provided great inspiration to CTP’s own mentors.


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Technical Careers Employment Panel
June 9, 2003

East Bay Conference Center

Plaza Rooms A & B
Dalziel Building
353 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza
Oakland @ the 12th Street BART Station
Oakland, CA

For youth and young adults with all types of disabilities interested in technology careers, please join us as the Computer Technologies Program (CTP) and the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) present a Technical Careers Employment Panel. Professionals with disabilities will talk about their technical jobs, the obstacles they have faced, and industry trends. Questions welcome. Refreshments provided.

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Meet the Panelists

Peter Cantisani: Peter was born in a small town in central Italy, came to America with his family when he was 10 and landed in New York. He lived in New York until he went to college — where he attended music school, played in bands and when he realized that this was not the most lucrative way to earn a living, decided to study computer science. He is a graduate of CTP’s Programming track. Since his graduation, he worked for Sensory Access Foundation, Berkeley Systems where he participated in the design of outSPOKEN for Windows (a screen reader supporting both speech output and Braille.) He is currently working at R&L Associates in San Francisco as the manager for their Assistive Technologies Department.

David Chan: According to the bio that David provided, he has always been interested in computers; what’s inside the box and how it works has always fascinated him. He takes them apart and reassembles them whenever he gets his hands on one — his own or not. This experience has given him enough knowledge to get a job as a computer technician when he couldn’t find a job as an accountant. After he was laid off from a non-profit where he worked, he attended CTP and completed his internship with Wells Fargo Bank, where he was subsequently hired as a network administrator. He is still with Wells Fargo and currently working as a software building engineer.

Elizabeth Kwok: Elizabeth graduated from CTP in 1999. She came to CTP with a background in engineering. Prior to her training at CTP, Elizabeth worked for several years as an engineer in both public and private sectors. The stress of work in the engineering field led to a long period of inactivity and disability.

When given a chance to return to work in 1997, she decided to change fields and go into computer programming. What attracted her to computer programming is its “relative lack of pre-requisites at entry and a salary level that offers her financial independence”.

Elizabeth currently works for the University of California, Office of the President as a programmer/analyst. When not studying or working or volunteering for CTP, Elizabeth enjoys reading, cooking and playing with her three cats.

Mark Mellenger: Born profoundly deaf, Mark grew up orally and attended various public schools and colleges. He didn’t learn American Sign Language until in his late teens. He graduated from CTP’s Office Systems Training (OST) track in 1998. Mark has worked in various large companies such as Lockheed, Sun Microsystems, MGM Grand Hotel, Oread Pharmaceuticals. He is currently working for Corixa Corporation in South San Francisco as an Electronic Submission Specialist.

Mark loves to cook, do some arts and crafts and is an avid scuba diver. At one time, he was president of a deaf scuba diving club and he is also an avid skier.

Roland Smith: When asked to provide his bio, Roland told me: “Just tell them that I am the most famous flunky that CTP ever had!!!!” Roland has also proudly laid claim to be the biggest pain in the a__ for his instructor at the time — Joe Quinn!!!!
Roland is a graduate of Class #32 — graduating class of 93. At the time, CTP’s Programming track was focused on learning COBOL. So Roland did his internship as a COBOL programmer at Kaiser Permanente. He was hired by Kaiser as a programmer/analyst on a development project. He continues to work for Kaiser today. And during all this time, he has filled many positions: tester, quality assurance lead, application consultant, business analyst and now his current position at Kaiser is as a business consultant. He has been involved in many projects: from batch programming, test programs, development and implementation of print strategies, screen designs, he was part of Kaiser’s Y2K team, he was a leader of a test team and currently he is working on Kaiser’s HIPAA project.

One of the roles that Roland forgot to mention is how we at CTP regard him in many ways as CTP’s Ambassador of Goodwill.

Shenell Steward: Shenell hails from Louisiana and moved to California in 1998. She became blind as a result of a car accident. She graduated from CTP’s OST track in 2002. Her prior work experience has been in sales. Now she works in customer service for the Association of Industries for the Blind. She is a single parent of five boys. Between her professional career and parenting, Shenell makes sure that she finds the time for two of her passions in life: music and theater.

John Webber: John was born in Portland, Maine. Soon after in graduation in 1978, he moved to Tahoe where he worked as a cook until August of 1981 when he was injured in a car accident. He enrolled at CTP in March of 1983 and is a graduate of Class 14. In the summer of 1984, he was hired as a student trainee by State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF) where he has worked ever since. Nineteen years later, now as a Network Analyst working in the Network Support & Training Unit of Network Systems — specifically working for SCIF’s home office Helpdesk doing a variety of support functions from monitoring major changes to the WAN/LAN to solving simple permissions problems — John continues to find his work challenging and interesting.

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2004 Workshops

Wednesday August 11th 1:00 to 3:00pm. Mentorship Workshop and Employment Panel of People with Disabilities in Technology Careers with Youth Services group at Center for Independent Living (CIL), Berkeley.

Thursday July 22nd Noon to 1:30pm at California State University Hayward Workability Project. Employment Panel of People with Disabilities who are working in Technology Careers. Also will share information about both CTP's Mentorship Project for Youth with Disabilities (sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation), and Partners Online Project (Online Mentorship program through grant with Partners for Youth With Disabilities)

Tuesday June 29th 2:30pm meeting with Merritt College High Tech Center for People with Disabilities to plan for upcoming presentation.

Tuesday June 22 2:30pm meeting with CIL Berkeley Youth Services to plan for upcoming presentation.

Monday June 14th Noon meeting with representative of Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, to discuss upcoming California Youth Leadership Forum conference.

Wednesday May 26th 3pm presentation regarding Mentorship Project at UC Berkeley Workability Job Club Meeting.

Thursday May 20th 10:30am meeting with representatives of the Disabled Students Program at Vista College in Berkeley to discuss the CTP Mentorship Project.

Wednesday May 19th to Friday May 21, planning meeting in Boston with Partners for Youth with Disabilities to discuss CTP/PYD partnership and working with the Partners Online mentorship software.

Thursday May 13th 1:30pm at California School for the Deaf (CSD) Fremont, Employment Panel of Deaf Graduates of CTP currently working in Technology positions, and presentation about CTP's Mentorship Project to group of Deaf high school students.

Monday May 3rd meeting with Cal State University (CSUH) Hayward Workability Project to discuss partnering to present an Employment Panel, and to discuss the possibility of their students' involvement in the Mentorship Project.

Wednesday April 28th 9:30am meeting with teachers and counselors involved with transition to jobs programs at California School for the Deaf (CSD) in Fremont to plan Employment Panel and Mentorship Presentation at CSD.

Wednesday April 14th 10:00am presentation to the Bay Area Job Developers Consortium in Hayward, a group of Job Developers for people with Disabilities (including youth), regarding CTP's training and mentorship programs.

Wednesday March 10th 4:00-8:00pm CTP Open House to celebrate moving into our new building, and to inform Disability community members, Dept. of Rehabilitation Counselors, and representative from Bay Area Businesses about our training programs, and our Mentorship Project for Youth with Disabilities.

Wednesday March 3rd to Friday March 5th Annual Conference of the Association of Rehabilitation Programs in Computer Technology in Tucson, Arizona. Presentation by Computer Technologies Program and Partners for Youth with Disabilities regarding their "Tech Mentoring Coast to Coast" Partnership Sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF). Demonstration of Partners Online Mentorship Software, and outreach to Computer Training Programs for people with Disabilities across the US and Canada who might be interested in becoming a replication site.

Monday February 9th 10:30am outreach meeting with Center for Independent Living, Berkeley Youth Services Coordinators.

Monday February 3rd 2:30pm outreach meeting with staff from Center for Accessible Technology, Berkeley.

Thursday February 1st 10:30am outreach meeting with Director of Through the Looking Glass, Berkeley.