UWA McCusker Centre for Citizenship student Capri King has contributed 100 hours towards valuable work being done at the Centre for Accessibility (CFA) Australia, a local not-for-profit with a strong focus on promoting digital accessibility, ensuring that people with disabilities can have equal access to technology and the internet.
Capri, who is studying a Bachelor of Science Majoring in Psychological and Behavioural Sciences and Human Resource Management, undertook the project at CFA Australia through an internship with UWA’s McCusker Centre for Citizenship, which she pursued through a desire to make a difference to communities in need.
“In the beginning, I felt naïve that I had no knowledge of the obstacles people with disabilities face daily,” said Capri.
“However, my supervisor mentioned to me that accessibility is often not something you see until it is staring you right in the face. The internship ignited a passion in me to help educate others, especially individuals my age, about digital accessibility,” she said.
“Technology is our future, so it is vital that we ensure it is accessible to everyone to use independently. My internship will have a lifelong impact on how I ensure all my future work is inclusive and accessible,” said Capri.
Capri’s role saw her provide marketing support with the development of CFA Australia’s news articles and newsletters. She also assisted with grant applications that could assist the CFA Australia to gain funding for their “life-changing” services.
“The most rewarding aspect of my internship was seeing first-hand the difference my work, even the smallest of tasks, made to lives,” said Capri.
“For me, knowing that I could help make the lives of people living with disabilities a little bit easier each day and hand back some of their independence was the most rewarding aspect for me,” she said.
The CFA Australia team were impressed with Capri’s efforts throughout the internship.
“Capri made a significant contribution to CFA Australia through her work on an assortment of projects, applications and new stories. It was a pleasure to support Capri in raising awareness in the field of digital access and great to see the interest area grow during the internship,” said CFA Australia CEO, Dr Scott Hollier.
Capri is thankful for the experience working with the CFA and says she has gained “invaluable” learnings from the internship.
“Working under Dr Scott Hollier and the CFA team was an experience I am most grateful for. They all taught me many important skills to take forward and provided a platform for me to learn and experience something I never had,” said Capri.
“My time at CFA is not something I will ever forget as I learnt so much and my eyes were opened to a whole new community of people and the issues they face, which we can all work together to solve,” she said.