Christine, from Naramata, British Columbia (new window), was referred to the Distance Computer Comfort Program by our partner site, Footprints to Technology (new window), in Penticton (new window). Christine has been working with an online tutor for the past few months.

Christine was looking to be able to enjoy her computer and everything it has to offer. Initially, she set her goals on learning basic, every-day computer skills, and familiarizing herself with the different programs available. With her training, Christine was able to send pictures back and forth to friends, find topics of interest online, and even learned a bit about how to find employment ads. The distance learning (new window) aspect of the program was a great fit for her as she was able to work from home and therefore didn’t have to worry about transit.

Christine was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (new window) and sometimes literacy presents a bit of a struggle for her. WordQ (new window), a computer program provided through Computer Comfort, was installed on her computer and it helped her to read and write independently. It reads sentences aloud and predicts text based on Christine’s writing.

Part way through her participation in the Distance Computer Comfort Program, Christine landed a job with her local A&W restaurant (new window). The pre-employment training required for the job was available online, so Christine was able, with the assistance of her tutor and WordQ (new window), to exercise her knowledge of a computer and she successfully completed the training. Together, her and her tutor learned everything from safety regulations to how to build a Mama Burger (new window)!

Christine has been working at A&W (new window) for a couple months now, and recently, e-Learning Manager Chad Leaman, was able to have a delicious breakfast with her during his recent trip to the Okanagan.

Way to go Christine!