Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Training & Awareness

CISA-Funded Project Enables Students With Disabilities to Learn Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity workforce development organization CYBER.ORG on Monday announced the launch of Project Access, a national effort to provide cybersecurity education to blind and visually impaired students.

Cybersecurity workforce development organization CYBER.ORG on Monday announced the launch of Project Access, a national effort to provide cybersecurity education to blind and visually impaired students.

Courtesy of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Cybersecurity Education and Training Assistance Program (CETAP) grant, the program will include a series of summer camps meant to introduce students aged 13 to 21 to key cybersecurity topics and help them develop skills that will allow them to pursue potential careers in the industry.

The program was piloted in 2017 in collaboration with Virginia’s Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI), to create a cybersecurity curriculum for the blind and vision impaired. Ninety-four percent of the students participating in Virginia’s DBVI programming have shown interest in pursuing cybersecurity education and careers.

Nonvisual techniques will be used with students with no prior computer or technology experience, while those with secondary disabilities will have access to hands-on learning opportunities and STEM career exploration.

Under CYBER.ORG’s supervision, local teachers will lead Linux summer camps in Virginia (June 27 to July 1) and Michigan (August 1 to August 5), and robotics summer camps in Arkansas (July 18 to July 22), and Maine (July 25 to July 29). Students will also meet cybersecurity professionals.

In Linux camps, students will learn about network and server operations, how to set up servers, and how to verify if websites are 508 compliant. In robotics camps, students will learn basic coding skills, circuit construction, bot assembly, and best practices for cyber safety applications.

“We are always striving to try and find opportunities for students that help shatter the misconceptions that these students and others have about their blindness and their career prospects,” Carol Jenkins, deputy director of services at the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (NCBVI), said.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

“When we find strong programming in the STEAM field where our population is so often underrepresented, we embrace it enthusiastically. CYBER.ORG workshops and curriculums are designed intentionally and allow for the independence of every student,” Jenkins continued.

Related: New Mexico Lawmakers Propose $45M School Cybersecurity Fund

Related: U.S. Infrastructure Bill Allocates $2 Billion to Cybersecurity

Related: Targeting Remote Learning: Defending Against Cyberattacks in our Schools

Written By

Ionut Arghire is an international correspondent for SecurityWeek.

Click to comment

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

SecurityWeek’s Threat Detection and Incident Response Summit brings together security practitioners from around the world to share war stories on breaches, APT attacks and threat intelligence.

Register

Securityweek’s CISO Forum will address issues and challenges that are top of mind for today’s security leaders and what the future looks like as chief defenders of the enterprise.

Register

Expert Insights

Related Content

Management & Strategy

SecurityWeek examines how a layoff-induced influx of experienced professionals into the job seeker market is affecting or might affect, the skills gap and recruitment...

Training & Awareness

Google has announced a new training program for cybersecurity analysts and those who graduate will get a professional certificate from Google.

Management & Strategy

750 cyber specialists have participated in Defence Cyber Marvel 2 (DCM2), the biggest military cyberwarfare exercise in Western Europe.

Management & Strategy

UK-based cybersecurity training solutions provider Immersive Labs announced on Wednesday that it has raised $66 million in new capital.

Funding/M&A

Series A funding brings the total amount raised by cybersecurity training company to $15 million.

Application Security

Hack The Box Raises $55 Million in Funding Round Led by Carlyle

Management & Strategy

Tips for making a presentation that will help improve the state of security programs and reflect favorably on the presenters and their companies

Audits

The PCI Security Standards Council (SSC), the organization that oversees the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), this week announced the release...