Foster Schwarz Wins the Yes I Can Award
Arlington, Va., February 27, 2023 – Foster Schwarz, of Hoxie, KS, received the 2022 Yes I Can Award for
Technology from the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Foster will be honored this March, along
with other Yes I Can recipients at the CEC Convention and Expo in Louisville, KY.
The Yes I Can Awards celebrate the achievements of children and youth with exceptionalities,
encouraging these individuals to seek their highest potential and increase public awareness of the
abilities, aspirations, and personal qualities of those with disabilities.
Foster is a student in the 21+ Program at his high school in western Kansas. Foster is diagnosed with
Cerebral Palsy and Schizencephaly and is quite familiar with technology, as he has used it throughout his
life to aid in communication and accessibility. He loves to socialize with others using modified sign
language and by accessing and tablet with AAC applications.
He is familiar with a large array with applications on both his tablet and touch screen computers. He
works on vocational skills utilizing technology to make shakes, cupcakes, and snacks. He has also used
assistive technology devices to help him make gifts for others in his life. When at school, he utilized
various technology to complete work tasks, including doing laundry, shredding paper, sanitizing tables,
scanning returned books, and making snacks. He loves to listen to music on his tablet, especially during
his various therapies.
Throughout his life, Foster has overcome several surgeries on his hips and knees. Whenever he gets
fitted for a new wheelchair, the engineers are always impressed by how easily can maneuver his chair
with one hand. He’s a pro at using the stair lift to get to home room, and even offers to give friends a
ride along.
Erica Carter, a member of Foster’s educator community, says “Access to technology has provided Foster
with many learning opportunities, entertainment, and independence. Foster has always found his own
way to do all that he loves, using many different assistive devices in order to help him. Despite his
disability, he has never allowed it to control what he can do- always having a “YES I CAN” attitude!”
Contact: Annie Drinkard, 703-264-9455, adrinkard@exceptionalchildren.org