San Diego, California – October
6, 2003 – Pangea Foundation today
announced that it has been awarded a $500,000
grant from the United States Department of Education
to create and expand after school technology programs
for youth with disabilities.
In partnership with the San Diego Unified School
District, Pangea Foundation will empower schools
to harness the power of information technologies
to deliver technology programs to students with
varying abilities. Over the past six years, Pangea
Foundation and the San Diego Unified School District
have worked together to address technology access,
training, and barriers to integrating inclusive
technology programs into daily learning environments.
The goal of the Department of Education grant
is to build upon and expand existing efforts to
implement information technology and training
programs for special education professional, students,
and parents. The grant is part of the President’s
No Child Left Behind Initiative. According to
Pangea Foundation’s Executive Director,
Kristin Berry “When properly implemented,
technology can promote educational, vocational,
and economic opportunities for youth with disabilities,
and thus truly ensure that No Child is Left Behind!”
Over the past six years, Pangea Foundation and
the San Diego Unified School District have set
up five Community Technology Centers, both at
high schools and middle schools with large special
education populations. These centers have been
equipped with hardware, software, assistive technologies,
information technology tools, and telecommunications
access.
This model has been extremely successful in eliminating
barriers that prevent youth with disabilities
from accessing technology. By placing Community
Technology Centers on school campuses, a safe
and convenient environment is created where students
with barriers like transportation and mobility,
can easily access technology and training programs
before, during, and after school.
About Pangea Foundation
Pangea Foundation was created with one goal in
mind: To bring state-of-the-art technology
to schools and community organizations. These
groups are historically among the last to
receive breakthrough technologies. Our goal
is to change that. Since its inception in
1996, Pangea Foundation has been developing
solutions that ensure all segments of the
community enjoy the vast benefits of technology,
particularly those underserved by traditional
institutions. We work closely with schools
and community-based organizations to implement
technology solutions that strengthen their
efforts to serve their communities. For more
information, please visit www.pangeafoundation.org.
