Kenna Chase on her Gold Award project;
“I wanted to use Tech (Technology) to Connect. “Special Friends” are often overlooked or isolated in their
technology endeavors. This is often caused because their needs are not understood or they may be
socially awkward. Additionally, many people do not know where to start creating an inclusive
environment, so many STEM workshops are not built for “Special Friends”. I wanted to empower “Special
Friends,” (especially those on the ASD spectrum who struggle with social skills and communication
skills), through a series of workshops designed to expose them to a variety of technology and increase
their confidence. By teaming up with older, neurotypical peers to act as mentors, I was able to have
effective communication and collaboration skills training through these workshops designed to help
support special friends in their technological endeavors. Rather than my original specific target group, I
found a more general group that did include some special friends as well as those with disabilities.
Many groups of people are often overlooked or isolated in their technological endeavors based upon
initial judgements or stereotypes. Women, people of color, or those with disabilities are among those
often isolated or excluded from pursuing their technological endeavors in STEM due to stigma and
stereotypes. This project addresses the root causes of exclusivity, more specifically towards “Special
Friends” who struggle with social and communication skills from Autism Spectrum disorders. This
project aims at creating a fun, inclusive environment where everyone could feel like they belonged. This
project strives to empower those in isolated, overlooked groups through a series of workshops that
expose them to computer science principles, while working on communication and collaboration.”
Please visit Kenna’s Gold Site at https://sites.google.com/view/techconnects/