The Freedom Scientific Student of the Month Program features K-12 students living in the U.S. who are blind or visually impaired and use Freedom Scientific technology to achieve educational goals. The Student of the Month for February 2024 is Darren, a college freshman from California.
Darren has been using JAWS and ZoomText since elementary school, and said he uses it in all his classes. “I use JAWS for everything from accessing email to writing documents and doing research.”
Darren also uses refreshable braille, and cited the new Split Braille feature in JAWS 2024 as extremely useful. “I really like being able to access information from a document and web page at the same time.”
After college, Darren plans to work in the field of Computer Science, concentrating in web design. “A friend taught me the basics of HTML, and I learned the rest on my own, along with CSS and JavaScript. I have always been interested in web design and the fundamentals of assistive technology.”
Darren is also the creator and host of a podcast called The World of Being Blind with Darren Dizon, where he talks about technology for the blind, discusses other blindness-related topics, and answers common questions pertaining to daily life. He also interviews well-known guests in the assistive technology field. “It’s all about how people who are blind navigate the world. I love hosting because I think the world needs to know about visual impairments and that we are capable of doing more than what the sighted world thinks we can do.”
Darren’s podcast is available on services like Apple, Spotify, and iHeart wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit the Acast page for ways to access it.
Darren encourages others who are blind to embrace assistive technology for all aspects of their lives. “Use Fusion. You never know how it’s going to go and how your experience might be. I would be stuck without Fusion.”
Learn more about Darren in this video.
Nominate a Student
Complete our nomination form to self-nominate or nominate a student. Visit the Freedom Scientific Student of the Month page for details and watch our blog for the next winner and that student’s story.
Winners receive a $300 Amazon gift card and a five-year license for JAWS, ZoomText, or Fusion. Their story will be featured by Freedom Scientific on our blog and social media—X, (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Mastodon, and Instagram.
In partnership with Computers for the Blind, each winner can also receive a free, refurbished computer along with a free one-year Home Annual license of JAWS or ZoomText, which is already installed. Learn more about Computers for the Blind and their partnership with Freedom Scientific on their order page.
Have questions? Send an email to training@vispero.com.