Our Individual Study students had a great time touring the Microsoft Inclusive Tech Lab this quarter. This community activity provided students a great opportunity to observe the physical nature of a work environment such as the noise level, temperature, physical layout, job duties and physical requirements, and work attire. Since the goal of the course is for students to more clearly define their career pathway, observing various work environments helps them identify careers they can envision themselves in and discuss accommodations and/or adaptations that might be needed in their chosen career pathway.
Some of the accommodations they learned about were how desks can be adjusted to accommodate wheelchairs, braille signage, and adjustable lighting.
In addition to observation, students asked questions about the work environment such as what a typical work day looks like for a product developer, what specific skills and education requirements for an entry-level position, the pay/benefits for the position, and what’s required to advance to the next level. They also inquired about the challenges that come with this position, and advice for someone pursuing this career.
Students also got to play video games in the inclusive labs to learn first-hand how their challenges can be accommodated by Microsoft products to fit their needs, including the opportunity to try out the various adaptive gaming controllers. Bryce Johnson (Hardware designer/Staff software/game design team) shared some personal stories about gamers with disabilities that are posted on the wall.
Individual Study is one of the many courses OLS Students take to obtain their associate degree from OLS. More information about our curriculum is available on our website. To learn more about our program register for an Information Session.
Last Updated March 19, 2019