October is Disability Awareness Month. This year's National theme is "Americans with Disabilities: Ready for the Global Workforce." In recognition of Disability Month, the University of West Florida and the ADA Compliance Office scheduled events to raise awareness of disabilities and promote the abilities and skills that individuals with disabilities have to offer employers.

October 2 UWF hosted the Mobile Patriots for a game of wheelchair basketball. There were over 150 in attendance at the game this year.

October 5 UWF hosted Disability Awareness Day. Events included an opening ceremony, guest Speaker David Bigoney, numerous vendors and exhibitors and an experiential forum conducted by Dr. Michael Beechem.

Computer Drive

January 16 - 20, 2007

Recycling your old computer is a great way to get it into the hands of someone who can use it. The Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST) Gulf Coast Demonstration Center located at the Center for Independent Living of Northwest Florida Inc. (CIL) wants to recycle your old computers. It works best for everyone involved if you donate your equipment to a nonprofit rather than directly to a charity or school. Our refurbisher will ensure that equipment is passed on to our consumers with disabilities and is working well and runs legal copies of software. It's important that you remove your personal information from any equipment you donate. If you erase the hard drive, it's very useful to the next user if you reinstall the computer operating system using the factory install disk and make sure you include that CD-ROM with the donated computer. Computers have traces of your personal information, surfing habits, and other sensitive data. If you can't delete your personal information, then you should definitely donate it to FAAST so that our refurbisher can wipe your hard drive and reinstall new operating systems. We will provide the highest level of security to your computer as we provide to all our consumers. Computer equipment that individuals or companies would like to pass on directly to FAAST should be no more than three years old, in working condition, and Internet-capable. Consumers will use them mostly for the following applications: Internet browsing, e-mail, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and finances. Therefore, computers should meet the following standards: at least Pentium II computers with 128 megs of RAM and 10 gigabyte hard drives. We will also accept up to three-year-old working laptops. Finally, laser printers are in high demand, as are 15-inch or larger working monitors, mouse, keyboards, and cables. Non-working equipment and equipment older than three years old should go to commercial recyclers. If you have a computer you would like to donate you may drop it off at the ADA office, Bldg. 20W/RM 158. For assistance or questions contact Fred Callaway at (850) 474-2518 or email: tcallaway@uwf.edu