EMPOWERTECH APPOINTS NEW DIRECTOR OF BLIND & LOW VISION SERVICES

Veteran Educator Nicolas M. Crisosto to Lead One of Los Angeles-Based Non-Profit’s Core Service Offerings
FEBRUARY__ —LOS ANGELES: EmpowerTech, a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization that provides computer training to persons with physical and developmental disabilities, announced the appointment of Nicolas M. Crisosto as Director of Blind and Low Vision Services.
Mr. Crisosto has been a Lecturer in Computer Science at California State University Channel Islands, an instructor at The Society for the Blind in Sacramento, CA, and is a former chapter president and California State Treasurer for the National Federation for the Blind. He graduated from the University of California Berkeley with a degree in Mathematics, and is an alumnus of the Colorado Center for the Blind’s Independence Training Program.
EmpowerTech Executive Director Joan Anderson commented, “I am excited to welcome Nicolas Crisosto to the EmpowerTech team. Our Blind and Low Vision programs require a Director with experience, expertise, and a passion for helping others. Nicolas is the complete package. When it comes to learning intricate computer technologies, he has sat on both sides of the desk—as a teacher and a student—and he knows firsthand the challenges and the rewards of mastering non-visual techniques. The positive impact that I expect Nicolas will make on our students and on our organization is difficult to overstate.”
After an initial evaluation of EmpowerTech’s Blind and Low Vision service offerings, Mr. Crisosto plans to enhance the agency’s core curriculum to include instruction in advanced computer software applications and more advanced Assistive Technology programs. In addition to his collegiate-level instructional experience in basic computer literacy involving the full suite of Microsoft applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Internet Explorer, Mr. Crisosto also is proficient in a broad variety of Assistive Technologies including including JAWS, OpenBook, VoiceOver, WindowEyes, Guide, Duxbury, JulietPro Embossers, scanners, BrailleNote, and LaTeX.

Mr. Crisoto commented, “When I was given the opportunity to join EmpowerTech in a leadership capacity, I leapt at the chance. Giving people the freedom and independence to manage their lives through technology that so many take for granted, is a rare opportunity. I am excited to work with my new colleagues to enhance EmpowerTech’s existing programs and to make an even greater impact on the community we already serve so well.”