clients

[12.27: this is a list of people whose needs

my software should address ]

8.11: co.adds/clients/sabe:

Self Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE)`Mission

. To ensure that people with disabilities are treated as equals and that

they are given the same decisions, choices, rights, responsibilities,

and chances to speak up to empower themselves; opportunities to

make new friends; and to learn from their mistakes.

8.16: news.adds/childcare/Dean Kamen`FIRST

(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)

http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/science_news/4289466.html

"To create a world where science and technology are celebrated...

where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes"

usfirst.org

. founded by inventor Dean Kamen in 1989 in order to develop

ways to inspire students in engineering and technology fields.

The organization is the foundation for the FIRST Robotics Competition,

FIRST LEGO League, Junior FIRST Lego League,

and FIRST Tech Challenge competitions.

. famous for inventing the AutoSyringe, the portable dialysis machine,

the iBOT self-balancing wheelchair,

and, of course, the Segway human transporter.

But he is most passionate when talking about his nonprofit organization,

FIRST, which tries to get kids excited about science and technology

by having them build 120-pound robots to slug it out

on a rough-and-tumble field of play.

"We're not competing with science fairs,

we're competing with Britney Spears and Shaquille O'Neal"

for the attention of teenagers.

. American culture needs a geek over .

" The next president better make sure that all kids

are part of the solution, not part of the problem.

And with 50 percent of the kids in the 20 largest school districts

not graduating high school, they're part of the problem.

This is unsustainable. It has to change.

What teachers and parents and FIRST can do is give kids the inspiration

that will allow them to work really hard

at doing something important.

FIRST makes the fun stuff.

We want to be Shaquille O'Neal and the Super Bowl.

We want to be an aspirational, inspirational thing

that will be an influence on kids that says,

"If I'm really willing to work really hard,

day after day for 10 years of my life, the world is my oyster.

I can do these things. I have choices."

If you look at the distribution of skill sets,

and the amount of time and energy kids put into things,

we're cheating kids if they spend 10 years chasing an illusion.

They need an understanding of what matters and what's important.

One of your FIRST mentors uses the term "gracious professionalism,"

and it seems to underpin a lot of the philosophy at FIRST.

What does it mean?

I love the sports model, right down to regionals and locals

and little league and celebrations.

Everything we do is modeled after sports,

because in our culture, we're obsessed with them.

In our sport, they're learning something that's

way too serious for the nonsense that's in other sports.

They're not learning how to bounce a ball.

They're learning how to think, and solve problems,

and become serious citizens who are going to inherit the future.

We've got to make everything in our sport live to a higher standard,

so we use the term "gracious professionalism."

We want to keep the sport fiercely competitive,

but they have to help each other.

They work in the pits supplying parts to each other.

The judges' awards are for "the team that helps the next team."

The whole culture around FIRST is people helping each other.