News

A special post by Saul Cuevas-Landeros about his internship experience at CTP. When I was first assigned the task of working with the mBot robots at CTP, I didn’t think I would have to think about and consider so many different perspectives. Looking at the mBots, I thought they would be basic introductory toys, and on one level, they are. …

Aubrey Green co-facilitating the ‘Talk the Mock’ workshop at Google SF with a mix of Computer Technologies Program (CTP) students and Google employees. The goal of the event was to improve student’s self-confidence exercises, resume development, and mock interviews. Everyone had a great time and it was a big benefit for CTP students. Big thanks to the folks at HandsOn …

CTP was proud to have a graduation event on March 25th for the “Professional Retail & Customer Service Training” class representing 63 graduates spanning a two year period. Alex Tabony, the Executive Director of CTP gave the introduction, and all of the CTP instructors were on hand to celebrate Alafia Stewart, Cara Sperry, and Jasper Hill. Director of Employment Services …

Startup your engines! Did you know that since 2014, there has been a 23% increase in jobs available in Berkeley startups? In an effort to both get Berkeley even more involved in the startup universe Localwise, a local community online job board will be putting on a first of its kind Berkeley Startup Job Fair. Localwise has partnered with several …

Come join in an evening of food and laughter with The Comedians with Disabilities Act (CWDA) as they perform A Perfect Evening for a One Night Stand. CWDA has performed at colleges and comedy clubs across the country, including such famous venues as San Francisco’s Punchline and the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles.  The San Francisco Examiner called them “the most unconventional comics to …

Wow!  The KNFB Reader app for the Apple iPhone could be a life changer for people who are blind or visually impaired.  Just take a photo of any item–say a restaurant menu–and instantly listen to a high-quality audio read-back of the printed words captured by the camera.  Alternatively, it can translate directly into braille for use with a refreshable braille display.  It even recognizes …

It’s time, once again for the annual Ever Widening Circle & Policy Summit, presented by the World Institute on Disability (WID).   This day long discussion of disability-related issues also features a very special lunchtime interlude–a performance by comedian and disability activist Nina G. Neil Jacobson will deliver the keynote address, “Take Charge for Change”.  Neil is the founder and CEO …

One hundred and fifty nations have now ratified a UN treaty called the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which has been in force since 2008 and has seen one of the fastest rates of ratification of any international human rights treaties.  The Convention states the obligations of participating nations to promote, protect and ensure the equal rights of all people with disabilities …

Assistance (service) dogs have greatly expanded their “jobs” beyond assisting those with seeing and hearing impairments to include medical response (such as alerting someone to low blood sugar), mobility and task assistance for a person using a wheelchair, psychiatric support for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), to name a few. Many of these functions may be for an individual …

Independent work experience may improve autistic symptoms.  That’s the finding of a recent study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 153 adults aged 19 to 53 participated in the study, which followed them for 5½ years.  Representing the range of the autism spectrum, some had average or very high IQ scores, while about 70% also had intellectual disabilities. Most …