Matt Chase is a 19-year-old sophomore at Dutchess Community College, majoring in anthropology. On Friday, Dec. 7, he served as a panelist for the Building Bridges workshop at the James and Betty Hall Theater on DCC’s Poughkeepsie campus. Sometimes it can be tough for students to make the move from high school to college, especially those with learning and other disabilities, but Chase is living proof that students who are differently-abled can achieve success in their college years.
With more than 300 attendees including students, parents, teachers, guidance counselors and social workers, the Building Bridges workshop, in its fifth year, is an informational college fair for students with disabilities seeking a higher education.
Representatives from various colleges were on hand with information about the myriad of college choices awaiting prospective students, including DCC, The Culinary Institute, SUNY Ulster, Marist and Vassar. Attendees were treated to coffee and tea between sessions which focused on bridging two seemingly different worlds. Titles of each session reflected this gap: “Bridging The Worlds: Differences Between High School and College,” “Crossing The Bridge,” “Foundations and Footings,” “How to Work a College Tour” and “Let’s Hear It From The Schools” were the various offerings of the day, which also included lunch in the cafeteria.
The intention of the workshop is to, “bridge the gap between the K-12 setting and the college setting” said Paula Perez, one of the organizers of the event and coordinator of the Office of Disability Services at DCC.
“The No. 1 variable for students is for the students to think for themselves,” she said. Since there is no special education program in college, the workshop serves as a map for disabled students interested in pursuing their education, and the paths they must seek out in order to receive services under the Federal IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), she said.
IDEA guarantees a free and appropriate public education and governs special education services for all students identified by the school as being qualified, but there are no laws that provide special education services in college. Unlike in high school, these college students must disclose their disability to the Office of Disability Services by providing appropriate verification including assessments, evaluations and test results if they are seeking special services in their college years.
“We don’t want them to show up on campus unknowing of the reality of college” said Marilyn McGaulley from Dutchess BOCES Transitional Services. Students also must arrange their own weekly schedules, communicate with instructors and arrange their own accommodations for each class, and depending on the individual disability, obtain their own personal attendants, tutors and individually fitted assistive technologies.
The workshop is designed to help students with disabilities “learn to seek their own help” in the college setting, McGaulley explained, adding that “students who utilize disability support services graduate at a higher rate.”
Support services in place
The workshop provides an in-depth outlook for soon-to-be college students with physical, emotional and learning challenges through informational packets, panels and various speakers. “It’s a positive event with an incredible turnout” noted Ed Placke, assistant deputy director of the New York State Education Department, who also served as keynote speaker for the day. Placke also made sure students were aware that the Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID), located on Rt. 55 in LaGrange, can “provide support mechanisms and alert individuals to the possibilities offered by New York State and the federal government” and “can also provide training and employment” to people with disabilities in and out of the college setting.
Beyond the services and tools that are available for disabled students, the day focused on empowerment. Moving from the culture of special education to the culture of college, Onaje Benjamin, DCC’s minority affairs consultant, spoke to a full house. “If you’re sitting here, your journey to college has already begun,” he stated to rousing applause.
Onaje drew from his own personal experience of having attention deficit disorder, starting college at the age of 52, and the importance of applying oneself in order to find support in the college setting. “It starts in the mind,” he said. “You may have a disability, but you are not disabled.”
Reminding students to “believe in yourself,” Onaje introduced a panel of students and former students to the audience which included Chase, someone who has crossed the figurative bridge that Building Bridges is designed for.
“It takes me longer to process and learn information, and it took me a little while to utilize the services here, but by my third semester, it became easier,” Chase said. Now in his third semester, and fairing well in his classes, Chase is looking into colleges that he can transfer to in order to complete his bachelor’s degree.