Access to Technology

Add problem-solving savvy to technology skills, and anything is possible. Own your own businesses, develop a life-saving product, travel the world. Here are a few jobs that require these skills, and can get you out of the cubicle, into the world, and feeling good about what you do for a living.

To prepare for CCNA certification Nurayy Guerler, 32, studied networking hardware with her hands at SFZ Förderzentrum Academy in Chemnitz, Germany, a vocational training center for people with visual impairments. Though Nuray is legally blind, she is now a successful IT trainer at an engineering office.

Kwame Ohemeng and Zoe Rose did not expect to become IT networking professionals. Yet, they both went from being IT tinkerers to working side-by-side with Cisco engineers to build a massive network for Cisco Live as members of the Networking Academy Dream Team.

Connected Living, a Sodexo Partner, as the Exclusive Connection Provider for Families, Friends and the Community
Woodland Pond and Connected Living join forces to bring a new communication platform in New Paltz, connecting seniors, employees and families.

This time of year, our thoughts are often full of colorfully-wrapped gift bags or boxes with big bright bows. While the holiday season is a special time for giving, we are thankful as well for the opportunity to strengthen lives and communities all year long. Whether through mentoring students, teaching digital skills that lead to higher-paying jobs, or supporting entrepreneurs working to make a difference in their community, our employees and our thousands of nonprofit partners are improving lives every day.

PT Freeport Indonesia started a program in 2013 in the remote Papuan highlands called LIMAR, which is an acronym for People’s Independent Electricity as written in the Indonesian language.

According to Pew Research, 44% of Americans making less than $30,000 a year do not own a desktop or laptop computer. To bridge the digital divide, eBay seller ReviveIT refurbishes computers and provides this commercial-grade technology to small businesses and schools at a lower cost than new—making technology more accessible to these organizations. ReviveIT also donates technology to programs that aide low income families.

Watch teachers and students at Ann Richards Middle School in Dallas, TX use Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Discovery Education’s computational thinking model, Ignite My Future in School.

The future belongs to those who can build digital technologies — and those who can use them to solve problems. We need everyone’s participation. We’re challenging team members, partners & leaders to spend 1 hour with a girl talking about careers in technology. Do they know technology is the backbone of business today? Are they aware of technology’s role transforming industries & addressing society’s biggest challenges? Start the conversation. Ignite change.

Looking for a job, learning how to type, using an ATM, creating a budget, or making social connections online – these are all skills many of us take for granted as technology is so ingrained in our everyday life.

However, for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), accessing these skills can be a challenge. That’s why The Arc has partnered with Comcast NBCUniversal to create Tech Coaching Centers across the country, including at The Arc Southern Maryland to put tech in the hands of people with I/DD, along with individualized instruction and support to help them pursue goals that are important to them.