Meet Jamie

See Jamie at the Lift Zone LabJamie is a 19-year-old high school student in Kitsap County, WA. He has been diagnosed with Autism, and his mental health and behavioral challenges have presented barriers to his community involvement throughout his life. Jamie has been especially anxious as he thinks about leaving high school and entering the workplace.

A one-year grant from the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation was awarded to Easterseals Washington in 2022 to develop a digital literacy and employment training program. It aims to train young adults with disabilities in digital literacy skills and place them in paid internships in their community to help them gain professional experience.

As a Digital Literacy Program participant, Jamie overcame his social anxiety to attend classes in our Comcast Lift Zone Lab with new students and staff. He focused on the lessons and learning how to use his very own new Chromebook computer. When asked what he liked best about the program, Jaime shared that he enjoyed the practice interviews, as interviewing can be stressful. He then put his new computer and social skills to work at the SEA Discovery Center, a marine environmental education facility operated by Western Washington University, where he performed his paid internship. It just so happens that Jaime’s favorite animal is the jellyfish – and his internship required that he test the temperatures and pressures in the aquariums, enter the data on a computer, and take care of brand-new baby jellyfish! 😊

Thanks to Comcast NBCUniversal and Easterseals Washington, Jaime has the ability to use technology safely, added work experience to his resume, and developed great relationships that could help him to get started in the career of his dreams.

Do you own a business? Would you like to help place people with disabilities in skilled jobs around Washington? Reach out to our Workforce Development Director, Miranda Fort, at mfort@wa.easterseals.com to learn about partnership opportunities available today!

Powered by Blackbaud
nonprofit software