By John T. Moore

Silicon Valley

Young adults learning the art of a good multimedia presentation through the Digitally Abled Producers Project are getting more out of the program than just an education in technology or community spirit.

They are discovering that despite their physical, mental and emotional differences, each of them are strikingly similar in courage and determination.

Warren Hegg, president and founder of the Digital Clubhouse Network, says he's witnessed dramatic changes in kids from the time they started until they've been in the program for a while.

He described one student, Erik Dove, as a shy teenager who didn't have a lot of experience with technology when he started the program, but has developed into a "true cyber citizen" who is now acknowledged within the program as an effective DAPP team leader.

He authored a multimedia movie titled "Volunteers" and, for each movie he's a part of, he can complete the captioning, CD-ROM cover art, give technical support and more.

"He demonstrates the power of this experience," Hegg says. "He's someone who may have been overlooked without [the Digital Clubhouse]."

Another youth, Shira Leeder, has severe cerebral palsy that didn't allow her to use her talents at the level she would have liked. Hegg says the clubhouse freed her from that pigeonhole and she's now giving advice to new students coming into the program.

Leeder was DAPP director on the CD-ROM project for the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, in which the DAPP teams put together a multimedia presentation for the Washington, D.C. nonprofit.

But perhaps one of the most memorable stories to emerge from the DAPP program is that of two young brothers, Peter and Michael Almendarez, who both were confined to wheelchairs due to their Muscular Dystrophy.

Rayna Aylward, executive director of the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation met the two when she visited the Silicon Valley clubhouse earlier this year. DAPP receives some of its funding from the foundation.

The skills the brothers developed at the clubhouse gave them the drive to make careers in multimedia production, Aylward says.

"They were very excited because they were both accepted into a college that specializes in video production," she says.

A few months after Aylward's visit, she heard from Michael that his brother, Peter, was in the hospital, where he died just a few weeks later. He was 26 years old. Aylward says the news hit her and her colleagues very hard, as it did everyone at the Digital Clubhouse.

The American Computer Experience created a scholarship in honor of Peter's memory. The youth from the clubhouse were charged with the task of voting on a deserving kid to get the first scholarship.

"Rather than nominating someone from the clubhouse," Hegg says, "they selected a girl living in a homeless shelter in San Jose."

A related story about DAPP's work for the Mitsubishi Foundation can be viewed here.

John T. Moore can be reached at
johntm@mindspring.com