An employee at Hewlett Packard in Pleasanton is helping to enrich the lives of the disabled by participating in a job training program called Computer Access Project.

Sue Porter, a sales support associate, arranged for her company to donate six computer terminals that will help establish a job training program at United Cerebral Palsy of Alameda-Contra Costa Counties in Oakland.

"The idea is to train these severely disabled people to have marketable skills," said Porter. "I'd like to help them feel like they'll be part of the future."

Porter is one of 14 members of the project's business advisory board that helped lay the groundwork for the six-month job training program.

Other firms that are represented on the advisory board include Hercules Graphics in Berkeley, Short Accountancy Corporation in Danville, Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco, Lotus Development in San Francisco, Merritt-Peralta Hospital in Oakland, IBM in Oakland, Q-Tech in San Ramon and Certified FlexStaff in Oakland.

Because each company will donate equipment, students can learn accounting and computer drafting skills on the latest in computer technology, according to Kathleen Martin, project coordinator for United Cerebral Palsy.

"Sue Porter has not hesitated to help us with anything we needed," said Kathleen Martin. "She helped interview the first students and now she is helping us locate the proper equipment. She's been super supportive of the entire project."

Classes for the first group of students are scheduled to begin in January. Martin said that the Oakland chapter plans to establish a cottage industry where disabled individuals could work on a contract basis for small businesses.

Since HP's Sue Porter was so active in the program, Martin said that Porter was selected to be the subject of a video-taped interview which will air on KGO's channel 7 on January 18 and 19 during the United Cerebral Palsy National Telethon.

To see a reproduction of the original article and edition of Pleasanton Pathways, visit: January 13, 1986 Pathways.