Lori Semas, who has cerebral palsy, examines a greeting card she made using a computer as part of San Jose's Young Life Capernaum Project.

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Determination pays off
S.J. PROJECT GIVES THE DISABLED THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO SUCCEED

it takes about half an hour for most people to create a greeting card using a computer.

It takes Lori Semas, 38, about half a workday.

Lori, who lives in San Jose, has cerebral palsy, a condition caused by damage to the brain that forces her to move at a very deliberate pace. Those close to Lori say that when you've known her for a while you can understand what she's saying.

She's closest to the people at San Jose's Young Life Capernaum Project, which helped Lori learn how to create greeting cards.

Nick Palermo, who founded the project in 1986, says Lori never misses an occasion to send a holiday or birthday card, so steering her toward making her own was a natural fit.

``She's a really delightful, warm, loving person,'' Nick says. ``She loves to make contact with people.''

Lori is involved in the project's Friendship Club/Jobs Program, which helps disabled young adults imagine their dream profession, create a job description and determine their own goals. The job program's motto is ``Dignified Work for Dignified Pay.'' The young adults -- with the help of volunteers -- improve their skills and work on behavior that might be obstacles to success. They receive a paycheck at the end of the month.

Lori has been able to earn enough money to buy her own computer and was in ``hog heaven,'' says her mom, Pat Lopes, who is a volunteer at the project.

The project focuses on fulfilling the intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual needs of its 150 members. The young people have even gone camping and rock climbing -- activities Pat says she ``never imagined'' her daughter would be able to participate in.

Two new computers ($700 each) (7A) would replace aging, donated models that frequently crash. Special keyboards with enlarged keys and other features ($100 each) (7B) would help students with a variety of disabilities. Screen-reading software ($600 each) (7C) and font-enlarging software ($600) (7D) also would be helpful. And adaptive devices such as trackballs ($160 each) (7E) offer an alternative to a computer mouse for those with special needs.