Today’s Client Story features Cameron Asaf, a 20-year-old graduate of Clear Creek ISD. Cameron has autism and first became a BridgingApps/Easter Seals client in summer 2023, through our Comcast-sponsored Digital Literacy Training Project.
More recently, he’s received a BridgingApps-distributed laptop with a mouse and a plug-in keyboard and monitor. The laptop of course has a built-in trackpad, keyboard, and monitor, but Cameron favors the detachable tools: “A mouse is way better than a trackpad where I have to just keep dragging my finger around. And I like having two screens for working on multiple things at once.”
What You Can Do with a Laptop
Cameron likes the independence and flexibility his new laptop offers. “I can browse the web just like I do” on a smartphone, he says, but now he can also “download anything that might be useful, like a Word or PowerPoint document I need.” And the laptop is almost as portable as a smartphone or tablet: “I can just use it [while sitting] on my bed, or I can just go from my bed to my desk,” or take the laptop along to school and work.
He uses the laptop for study, hobbies, and online reading. And for troubleshooting and online learning: if he gets stuck on a task, he can search Google for “a YouTube video about it, or I’ll ask somebody in a live chat service. It helps me get to understand better how things work.” If he needs to know even more, he’ll run simulations to see a task’s likely outcomes.
He also appreciates AI as an information-finding tool: “It’s easy to use. When I search Google, the AI will automatically summarize everything, in detail.” His best advice on using AI: Don’t be afraid of it, but do recognize it isn’t always perfect. “AI is correct at most times, but sometimes it can be wrong,” he notes. It gets “probably like 90%” of the facts right, but it’s not a replacement for human fact-checking.
Getting an Education in Digital Technology
Cameron first came to us through High School/High Tech & R.A.M.P. (Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program) when Yvonne Kelly, Transition Career Activities Coordinator for Easter Seals Greater Houston, helped him secure a summer internship. He was placed in a hands-on laptop repair job with Clear Creek ISD: disassembly, cleaning, and parts replacement on student devices. “I was doing a lot of laptop repairs,” he says, “where I’d take things apart and replace them—cleaning and everything.” He estimates that over that summer, he personally fixed “probably like 17 laptops” by himself.
The digital-literacy training was equally appreciated. Favorite skill he learned: how to “create a website as a way to showcase your skills and what you’ve been able to do, as you’re looking for a job or for higher education.” In August 2026, he will enter Kolbe College to study more advanced technology skills—especially coding, engineering, and game design.
“It’ll help me learn everything I want to learn,” he says, and “help me get a higher-paying job.” Looking ahead, he feels that these educational opportunities will help him “get far in life,” combining education, technology, and work experience for greater independence and success.