Agencies Serving People With Intellectual Disabilities Finding Success With 'Micro-Businesses'

http://articles.courant.com/2011-11-28/news/hc-disabled-jobs-1128-20111125_1_favarh-firewood-crew
By Julie Stagis
In the month since the Oct. 29 snowstorm that damaged countless trees throughout the state and knocked out power for some towns for up to 12 days, The Arc of Farmington Valley's wood-bundling crew has worked nonstop to supply local businesses and residences with packaged firewood.
"We were getting calls left and right. … It was a real motivating factor for the crew," said Stephen Morris, executive director of the organization, which is commonly known as FAVARH. "They took an ordinary job and it allowed people to stay in their homes, which was … really a critical need."
The wood-bundling crew is one of several "micro-businesses" run by FAVARH, known as such because it was originally called the Farmington Valley Association for the Retarded and Handicapped.
FAVARH, like many other organizations throughout the state and nation that help people with intellectual, cognitive and developmental disabilities, has developed in-house, small businesses to provide jobs for those who want to work.
"Small businesses here are how we've responded to the economy," Morris said. "I like to think we're helping to right-size the economy. There aren't jobs for everyone who wants one."
"The folks that we support are the last hired and the first to go," Morris said. "In a down economy, it's even more obvious."
Some clients still work in groups, rolling silverware in restaurants or organizing magazine racks at the grocery store, and others are able to be employed individually, many as cashiers or store greeters. But organizations have found success in creating unique opportunities for those they help.
Hartford's Oak Hill, formerly known as the Connecticut Institute for the Blind, runs the New England Assistive Technology (NEAT) Disability Equipment Center, where used medical equipment is refurbished and sold at a steep discount to people who might be uninsured.
When it started nine years ago, 54 pieces of equipment were sold, according to Vice President Bruce Stovall. Last year, more than 1,500 pieces of equipment were sold.
"We're not just employing people with disabilities, we're helping them," Stovall said.
FAVARH has found success in recent years with a firewood operation, a landscaping crew and with shredding, bulk mailing and scanning businesses.
Last year, the wood crews sold more than 10,000 bundles of firewood to local gas stations and stores. The bundles are sold for $6 each, or $4 each when a store buys 50 or more, with free delivery included. After the storm, the crews sold 2,000 bundles in two weeks.
Using agencies like FAVARH for such services is beneficial to all involved, Morris said.
"It's cost-effective to use FAVARH, and it creates jobs for people with disabilities," he said. "People who use their services are playing a small part in balancing the economy to create jobs for everyone who wants them."
The agencies are finding niches in important jobs that companies sometimes don't want to pay their own staff to do — document scanning, for instance — and are also creating jobs based on their clients' abilities and interests.
At the Arc of Meriden-Wallingford, the Arc Eatery and Dot's Thrift Shop were both born from clients' dreams.
The restaurant was started as a pie-making enterprise years ago because it was hard for the individuals to find jobs in food service and, for many, "it's their real love," according to Pamela Fields, the agency's executive director.
When the agency moved to its 24,000-square-foot facility on Research Drive in Meriden in 2007, the full-scale, state-of-the-art kitchen opened.
The restaurant employs 17 people, has a full menu and operates from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. And it has "regulars," many from surrounding businesses.
Chef Joe Berg oversees the operation and works with people like Ray Weise to help them reach their goals.
Weise, 21, dreams of going to culinary school and eventually opening his own restaurant.
As recently as 10 years ago, much of the employment at places like FAVARH and the Arc of Meriden-Wallingford consisted of what was called sheltered workshops — generally, piecework from factories where clients would sit in a room and put together nuts and bolts, or whatever the factory needed. At the time, the Meriden Arc had 107 people doing that type of work, according to Fields.
Today, there are 10 people doing piecework there.
"The goal [today] is to get them out in the community," Fields said.
The state Department of Developmental Services, the national Arc and other organizations have started to steer agencies toward getting individuals more independent work, Fields said.
In addition, the economy has forced many of the factories and other businesses that used to employ those with disabilities to either close or cut back.
"Individuals used to be able to get a piece of a job," like only operating a cash register or fryer at a fast food restaurant, Fields said. "A lot have lost jobs because now they're expected to multitask."
When hundreds of people are going for a job, Fields said, people with developmental disabilities have a much smaller chance now because disabled people tend to need "set tasks."
"They look at us, and then at someone who has a family — they're going to hire the person who has a family," said Charles Monti, job developer for Cheshire-based Abilities Without Boundaries.
So the agencies have to get creative, because those they support "want to work," Monti said. "It's gnawing at them."

Helping student with Autism navigate college

A radio program about how Eastern Michigan University is accomodating students with autism.
http://michiganradio.org/post/helping-autistic-students-navigate-college-life

College Urged For ‘Glee’ Character With Down Syndrome

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2012/07/24/college-glee-down-syndrome/16092/

By Michelle Diament July 24, 2012 Text Size A A

When students on Fox’s “Glee” graduated this season, many considered college. Now a Twitter campaign is calling on the show’s writers to make the same plan for a character with Down syndrome.
Using the hashtag #College4Becky, a social media push launching this week is encouraging the “Glee” writers to send Becky Jackson to college at the end of the show’s next season. Though the character is believed to be a rising high school senior, little has been said about her future.
“All of Becky’s friends on the show are heading off to college next year. That’s something she can do too — but we haven’t yet heard what her plans are after graduation,” reads an open letter to the writers of “Glee” from the campaign’s organizers at Think College, a national clearinghouse on college options for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities that’s housed at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
“If you make college plans for Becky, you’ll be raising the expectations of all your viewers with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities,” the letter reads.
Currently, Think College’s database lists 199 postsecondary programs at colleges and universities across the country specifically for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Nonetheless, awareness of college options for this population often remains limited.
“We want to plant a seed,” said Meg Grigal, the co-director of the group behind the campaign. “College is a real option for people with intellectual disabilities.”
Lauren Potter, 22, the actress with Down syndrome who plays Becky Jackson on “Glee,” attends Irvine Valley College in Irvine, Calif. in real life.
“I know she will love the idea (of Becky going to college) because she loves the idea that she is in college,” Potter’s mother, Robin Sinkhorn, told Disability Scoop, adding that she had not yet had an opportunity to discuss the campaign with her daughter who was traveling Monday. “It would be a great storyline.”
Potter’s character has long been a fan favorite in the disability community and the actress has not shied away from taking a stand. She’s used her platform as a “Glee” cast member to raise awareness about bullying of people with disabilities among other issues and currently serves as a member of the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities.
Officials at Fox did not respond to a request for comment about the Twitter campaign.
“Glee” returns Sept. 13 on Fox.
Correction: This article has been corrected to reflect the fact that not all characters on “Glee” indicated plans to attend college.

Federal Government Works to Hire Workers with Disabilities

www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/federal/bs-md-federal-disabilities-20120713,0,1553346.story

baltimoresun.com

Government falls short of goal for hiring of the disabled

Government behind pace to meet Obama's goal

By Alison Knezevich, The Baltimore Sun

10:30 AM EDT, July 14, 2012

When Christopher Booher opens his email at work, a robotic voice rapidly reads the words to him.

As a blind employee at the National Institute of Mental Health in Rockville, Booher relies on the screen-reading software. But the 33-year-old says it's not just technology that makes him comfortable at work. When he interviewed for a job as a grants manager four years ago, the supervisor was open to working with someone who is blind.

"That sort of drew me toward this," Booher said.

After a decade in which employees with disabilities made up fewer than 1 percent of the federal workforce, President Barack Obama pledged in 2010 to make the federal government a "model employer" of people with disabilities. But hiring is behind the pace needed to meet the goal of 100,000 new workers to which he committed the nation.

The Government Accountability Office reported in May that the government had taken on 20,000 new employees with disabilities since Obama issued his executive order in 2010.

The GAO, the watchdog arm of Congress, said better planning is needed to meet the hiring goal.

An Office of Personnel Management review found that 29 of the 66 agencies that submitted hiring plans did not set numerical goals for new employees with disabilities, investigators wrote. Nine of the agencies did not identify a senior-level official responsible for their plans.

OPM itself, meanwhile, has not finished developing required training programs for the hiring managers and human resources personnel, the investigators found.

Veronica Villalobos, director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at OPM, said the agency agreed with the GAO's recommendations and is working to implement them.

"We are proud of the progress made to increase the number of individuals and veterans with disabilities in the federal workforce and are continuing to work hard to meet the goals of the executive order," she said in a statement to The Baltimore Sun.

'Set an example'

Nick Pezzarossi says he always wanted to work for the federal government.

"I have a family to support," said Pezzarossi, the father of an infant. "I like to work … for the good of people, and the federal government offers that."

Pezzarossi, a human resources specialist with a Rockville office of the National Institutes of Health, is deaf. He uses a video phone to make calls at work. When he needs an interpreter, he can make a request online.

The 37-year-old called the NIH "very progressive." But Pezzarossi, who is vice president of the group Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Government, says deaf people elsewhere in the federal government don't have access to interpreters or feel they can't grow in their careers.

"Some of them feel quite isolated," he said.

Pezzarossi and Booher hope the government will focus on putting people with disabilities in top management positions.

Booher says some employers don't know about all the resources that are available.

"They don't really understand how someone who's blind can come in and do work on a computer," he said.

Helena Berger, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the American Association of People with Disabilities, speaks of other obstacles. Employers might think a person with disabilities will call in sick more, or that it will be too costly to accommodate his or her needs.

She said those attitudes can be much tougher for workers to handle than physical challenges.

"Many times, those are the barriers that need to be broken down," she said.

Valerie Gill, director of the client services division of the NIH's human resources office, said the Bethesda-based agency has worked to train managers on how to reach out to people with disabilities.

For the past two years, NIH has held hiring events for people with disabilities and for military veterans. Another is scheduled for August.

"It's basically a talent pool that's largely untouched," she said.

Unemployment is a major concern for the disabled, Berger said.

The unemployment rate for people with disabilities was 13.3 percent last month, compared to 8.2 percent for the general population.

Berger said the federal government, as the largest employer in the U.S., "should set an example and be a benchmark" on hiring.

The proportion of federal workers with targeted disabilities — including deafness, paralysis, blindness and mental retardation — fell from 1.1 percent in 2000 to 0.88 percent in 2010, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The overall number of federal employees grew during the same period.

The opportunities

The GAO examined four federal agencies, including the Woodlawn-based Social Security Administration, to assess progress toward Obama's goal of 100,000 new hires.

Investigators reported that Social Security has shown commitment from top leadership on meeting the goal. The agency has set concrete goals, they said, and "accountability for results related to the executive order is included in the performance plan of the senior-level official responsible for implementing it."

Social Security spokeswoman Kia Green said the agency recruits nationally for people with disabilities, offers career counseling and maintains "a robust reasonable-accommodation program with centralized funding."

The agency developed a five-year plan for hiring and supporting employees with disabilities three years ago, Green said.

The Arc of Maryland, a statewide advocacy organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, plans to work with Social Security this fall on a career development program. The Arc also participates in a federal contracting program in which people with disabilities maintain the grounds at the agency's headquarters.

"There are so many different opportunities that they have," said Doug McQuade, the Arc's assistant executive director. "They have so many jobs with so many diverse skill sets."

But he said the application process itself can be an obstacle. Often, the first step to starting a career, whether with the government or in the private sector, is submitting an application electronically.

"We're not just someone looking for a job," he said. "We have a story. For someone to take the time to listen to that story and to know you makes all the difference. … [With] kiosks and websites, somehow you lose the story."

Career Week at a Camp

Via West's Career Week in Cupertino caters to special needs campers

By Molly Vorwerck

mvorwerck@mercurynews.com

mercuPosted: 07/09/2012 02:05:29 PM PDT

July 13, 2012 10:56 AM GMTUpdated: 07/13/2012 03:56:58 AM PDT

In a serene alcove of the winding Cupertino foothills, the Via West campus, complete with a horse corral, two swimming pools and a hiking trail, presents itself as a state-of-the-art summer camp facility.

But for the 82 developmentally disabled adults, their experience at the campus was much more than a chance to go swimming and ride horses. They attended the inaugural session of Via West's Career Week.

Although Via West hosts themed summer sessions and weekend respites throughout the year that teach life lessons to camp participants, Career Week marked the first time a session was devoted entirely to cultivating valuable skills that one day might grant them the ability to hold a job -- and attain some measure of independence.

Sandy Keefe has been working at the camp for 11 years after first taking her daughter, Allie, who has Down syndrome, for a weekend respite. In September, Keefe, longtime health care manager of Via West, was promoted to associate director. She thinks that these camp sessions have taught Allie, who is participating in Career Week, how to be a leader within this community.

"They come here and they develop leadership skills," she said. "It's really hard for our children and our young adults to develop leadership skills in the developing world, because they're almost always the followers, the ones who need support. When (Allie) comes here, she's a leader, and that's a really good feeling."

As part of Career

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Week, camp participants ranging in age from 17 to 82 spent five days learning the abilities necessary to succeed in situations that might accompany them on their paths to employment.


During the session, attendees learned such skills as how to use public transit, handle money and read maps. Participants even prepared DVD introductions for potential employers in an effort to showcase their social skills. In the past, Via West campers have attained jobs at Starbucks and Safeway; one has even become a full-time counselor at the camp.

Via Services, the mother-organization of Via West, was established in 1945 as the Crippled Children's Society of Santa Clara County Inc. by a group of local women with the goal of improving the quality of life for special needs children. The program, which changed its name to Via in 1995, has expanded to include a multitude of resources to address developmental delays experienced by young children, as well as provide year-round outdoor education retreats, like "Career Week," for both children and adults.

While the camp caters to individuals with all sorts of conditions, the most common disabilities are autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy. Since their ailments often prevent them from caring for themselves, participants have personal counselors.

According to Leslie Davis, the director of Via West, the main goal of the counselors and staff during Career Week is to teach campers how to cultivate necessary life skills so they can one day function semi-independently, if not independently, in the real world.

"You want them to be able to do as much as they can for themselves without assistance, without their parents, without their caregiver," she said. "You want them to be able to live their own lives."

Since Davis has taken the helm, the facilities have undergone major renovations, including installing a horse corral and a walk-in freezer as well as repainting several lodges, the results of grants and donations from the community. The dining staff has even implemented a menu based on proper nutrition developed by "Deli-Dave" Gilbreth, the new services manager, to cater to the health needs of the participants, who often suffer from physical ailments in conjunction with developmental ones.

Beyond teaching these life lessons, however, Via West provides a community for the participants, many of whom return year after year.

Mike Montague, 49, has been attending Via West camps since 1996, after a car accident left him with a traumatic brain injury. "We're increasing our abilities," he said. "We all have special needs -- those are not ignored -- but they're not paid so much attention to that we can't grow and do more stuff."

Ultimately, however, he says that the greatest part of his experience has been developing "a feeling that I'm important because I am who I am."

Special education graduation rules could increase dropouts

July 12, 2012

http://adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/content.detail/id/531809/Special-education-graduation-rules-could-increase-dropouts.html?nav=5008

By JESSICA COLLIER - Staff Writer (jcollier@adirondackdailyenterprise.com) , Adirondack Daily Enterprise

TUPPER LAKE - School officials are concerned that new graduation requirements for special education students could lead to more students dropping out before finishing high school.

Kelly Wight, director of special programs in the Tupper Lake Central School District, told the school board Monday night that soon, the state plans to phase out diplomas that special education students are currently able to get, called Individualized Education Program diplomas, or IEPs.

Now, students with disabilities have the option of graduating with an IEP diploma if the district's Committee on Special Education decides that it would be very difficult or impossible for a student to graduate with a regular diploma. They instead create a plan for students with specific goals outlined that need to be met in order for them to graduate.

But because No Child Left Behind, the federal education act, dictates that all children should graduate high school with a standard diploma, the state has been working to get rid of the IEP diploma in order to keep getting federal funds.

This year, the state Board of Regents voted to eliminate the IEP diploma entirely. Next year's senior class will have the last students who can graduate with an IEP diploma, Wight told the school board.

"I think that this is the one of the biggest changes in special education since - in the last 20-plus years, really - since the laws for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act were passed," Wight said.

Students must have 22 credits and pass Regents exams in math, science, English and two social studies to graduate with a Regents diploma.

There was also an option for a local diploma, which was given to students who could pass a Regents Competency Test but not all the other Regents exams. That option was ended with students going into grade nine in 2011, Wight said. Juniors and seniors next year will be the last ones who can get local diplomas.

In the future, the only other option for students will be to earn a "skills and achievement credential." Wight said that option will be limited to students with the highest level of special needs.

"These are students typically who don't have language skills, don't have the ability to write and to do all the things to take a test," Wight said. "So a very, very small window of the population that would qualify for that," only about 1 percent of students, Wight said.

So almost every student, regardless of special needs, will need to meet those Regents diploma requirements to finish high school.

"It really means that in a very short period of time, essentially every student has to achieve every single standard and has to be prepared for the same outcomes as their non-disabled peers," Wight said.

To achieve that, Wight said the Tupper Lake district will need to move its special education resources more into the general education classrooms. That's something the district has been working toward in recent years.

School board members asked if the change would have an effect on the special education budget, but Wight said that since she's been working in that direction with staffing changes in the last few years, she doesn't think it will have a significant impact.

School board member Paul Ellis speculated that the change may keep students in high school for more years, costing the district more to accommodate students with special needs. Wight said that's possible, but she doesn't see it as likely.

"There are so few students who even see a fifth year of high school as something they're willing to commit to," Wight said.

Instead, it could lead to students dropping out before finishing high school.

"Before this affects budget, it's going to affect graduation rate," said district Superintendent Seth McGowan.

"That is my biggest fear, because we don't want students to see this as a hurdle they can't get over," Wight said.

Out of the 65 students who graduated this year, 15 had special needs. Four of them graduated with IEP diplomas, eight with local diplomas and three with Regents diplomas.

"It would significantly impact that group of kids," Wight said.

Ireland Concern over Disability Services

Concern over disability services

12th July 2012   

http://www.ireland.com/breaking-news/concern-over-disability-services/666356

One in four young adults with an intellectual disability or autism who left secondary school this year will have no further education, training, or day service placement in September.

The HSE said there was currently no place for 153 out of the 650 school leavers with an intellectual disability or autism who need further support from the disability services.

Several disability advocacy groups have demanded that Minister of State with responsibility for mental health Kathleen Lynch immediately address the issue and ensure a service is available for all young adults who require it in September.

Inclusion Ireland chief executive Paddy Connolly said the situation was not a new one. “This situation has repeated itself annually since 2008, yet young adults with disabilities and their families are again facing a summer of uncertainty and stress as they wait to be told whether a service will materialise in September,” he said

Mr Connolly claimed the development highlighted “disjointed leadership” and that Ms Lynch must take responsibility for it.

The Department of Health said in a statement that “the HSE is currently working with all relevant service providers to maximize the use of the available places”.

The HSE and disability service providers agreed that notifications would be issued to families from July 10th onwards if a place became available or if the young person was to be placed on a waiting list.

They acknowledge that the waiting period is a “difficult time for individuals and their families.”

“Every effort is being made to achieve an equitable and sustainable outcome.”

Tony Murray of the National Parents and Siblings Alliance, for family members of people with intellectual disability or autism, said even those who do secure some form of placement in September may not receive the service that best supports their needs.

“Many will get a three day service, when a five day service would better support them. When people are being squeezed into any available placements, then questions must also be raised about the quality of service,” he said

GAO Questions Effectiveness of Federal Disability Work Programs

By Nirvi Shah on July 11, 2012 10:07 AM

 

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/speced/2012/07/gao_questions_effectiveness_of.html

A new Government Accountability Office report found that there are 45 separate federal government programs designed to help people with disabilities find work.
From an education perspective, this could be heartening: The last 15 years or so have marked a turning point in expectations of students with disabilities. The goals for these students are more likely to include finding a job after high school or college than at any time in the past—a job in an integrated setting.
But consider that despite those increased expectations and all those employment programs, far more people with disabilities are unemployed than people without disabilities. Almost one in five Americans has a disability, the Census shows.
So perhaps its not surprising that the GAO wasn't impressed by the array of 45 programs attempting to improve employment for people with disabilities. A total of nine federal agencies oversee the different programs that are overseen by even more congressional committees, the GAO found. (The U.S. Education Department is home to nine of these programs.)
And the agency couldn't say whether or not the programs are actually effective at helping people with disabilities become employed.
In an earlier report about the hodgepodge of employment programs, the GAO said the federal Office of Management and Budget should consider establishing measurable, government-wide goals for the employment of people with disabilities, and continue work with executive agencies that administer overlapping programs to discern whether consolidating their programs could boost their effectiveness and save money.
"In fact, several of the programs we identified were created in order to help people with disabilities navigate this fragmented system," the GAO report notes. "In our February 2012 report on duplication and overlap in government programs, we suggested that OMB continue to work with executive agencies that administer overlapping programs to identify any opportunities for cost savings or streamlining, such as program consolidation. We continue to believe that such a review could result in more effective and efficient delivery of services to help people with disabilities obtain and retain employment."

LRE Applies to Transition Too

Feds: Least Restrictive Environment Applies To Transition Too

By Michelle Diament July 10, 2012 Text Size A A

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2012/07/10/feds-lre-transition/15988/

By law, students with disabilities are supposed to be included in general education to the greatest extent possible. Now, federal officials say the same tenet of inclusion should apply to transition as well.
Informal guidance issued recently from the U.S. Department of Education indicates that the requirement in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, that students be placed in the “least restrictive environment” extends beyond the confines of the classroom.
Specifically, the concept should apply to work placements if such experiences are part of a student’s individualized education program, or IEP, officials at the Education Department said.
“Placement decisions, including those related to transition services (including work placements), must be based on these (least restrictive environment) principles and made by the IEP team,” wrote Melody Musgrove, director of the Office of Special Education Programs at the Department of Education. “The IDEA does not prohibit segregated employment, but the (least restrictive environment) provisions would apply equally to the employment portion of the student’s program and placement.”
The guidance from Musgrove comes in response to a series of questions from officials at Disability Rights Wisconsin, a federally-mandated legal advocacy service, regarding the responsibilities school districts have in administering transition plans for students with disabilities. News of Musgrove’s letter was first reported by Education Week.
Much like traditional requirements for least restrictive environment in the classroom, Musgrove said that schools must offer supports at job placements if such assistance will allow a student to be successful in an integrated environment.
“Removal of children with disabilities from the regular education environment occurs only if the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily,” she wrote.

Unemployment Rises for People with Disabilities

Fewer People With Disabilities Landing Jobs

By Shaun Heasley July 9, 2012 Text Size A A

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2012/07/09/june-12-jobs/15972/

The unemployment rate for Americans with disabilities inched higher again in June as the economy continued to lag.
Some 13.3 percent of those with disabilities were jobless in June, according to a monthly employment report from the U.S. Department of Labor released late last week.
That’s an increase from 12.9 percent unemployment the previous month.
Meanwhile, the jobless rate for the general population remained flat at 8.2 percent as the economy added 80,000 new jobs, a figure seen by many as disappointing.
The Labor Department began tracking employment among people with disabilities in October 2008. There is not yet enough data compiled to establish seasonal trends among this population, so statistics for this group are not seasonally adjusted.
Data on people with disabilities covers those over the age of 16 who do not live in institutions. The first employment report specific to this population was made available in February 2009. Now, reports are released monthly.

Group Funds Internships for People with Disabilities

Group funds internships for the disabled

By Ana Veciana-Suarez The Miami Herald

A volunteer group of human resource executives and labor lawyers funds internships for the disabled to improve their chances of getting hired.

Buy Photo

Anastacia Mcloud, 22, piles food on plates for patients at Baptist Hospital. She was hired by the dining services operation after she completed a four-month internship through the sponsorship of the Miami-Dade EmployAbility Network.

MARICE COHN BAND / MIAMI HERALD STAFF

• Photo

More information For more information on the Miami-Dade EmployAbility Network, formerly known as the Miami-Dade Business Leadership Network, visit miamidadeemployability.org.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/08/v-fullstory/2887712/group-funds-internships-for-the.html

By Ana Veciana-Suarez

aveciana@MiamiHerald.com

It’s late afternoon on a hot summer day and the cafeteria at Baptist Hospital is buzzing and clanking with workers preparing patients’ dinner trays. Oblivious to the commotion around her, Anastacia Mcloud, in hairnet and gloves, is plopping large spoonfuls of yellow rice, topped by chicken, on plate after plate after plate.
“She’s really in the zone,” jokes her boss, Stan Hodes, manager of dining services. “When she’s doing something, she really concentrates.”
And that’s a good thing. It was her ability to get the work done under pressure that got her the job on the serving line after she interned for four months at the Kendall hospital. Mcloud, 22, of Florida City, is one of a handful of young adults with physical and developmental disabilities who have been given the opportunity to work through the Miami-Dade EmployAbility Network.
Formerly known as the Miami-Dade Business Leadership Network, the volunteer group has established an internship program that reimburses business partners 100 percent of an intern’s earnings, up to a maximum of 240 hours. The only requirement? The intern must be a disabled person. The intent is to educate businesses on the employability of the disabled while also providing an avenue of employment for interns.
“The idea,” says Bob Bromberg, the founding president of MDEAN, “is to push beyond the reluctance that some companies have because they can’t afford to hire. We provide the money so companies can do this.”
The network, made up of human resource executives and labor lawyers, made its first placements in 2007 at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics. The three interns worked in data entry and as staff assistants. All three were hired after the internship ended. Since then, Bromberg figures that the organization has worked with 30 employers and placed more than 60 interns, some of whom eventually were hired permanently.
Employers cover a broad cross-section of industries. There’s Baptist Health, of course, but also Lehman Brothers, Terremark Worldwide, United Way, Seaboard Marine, Publix and some law firms. One second-year University of Miami law school student with a physical disability who interned at Holland & Knight through the MDEAN program landed a coveted summer associate internship at the law firm during his third school year. The law firm chose not to seek payroll reimbursement so the EmployAbility Network could use those funds for another internship.
Though getting hired is every intern’s dream, the experience of working in a real-world situation can be just as valuable, says Iliana Castillo-Frick, a Miami Dade College vice provost who serves as MDEAN’s current president.
“They gain the opportunity to see what it’s really like on the job,” adds Castillo-Frick, “and they also get more confidence from the experience.”
That certainly holds true for Mcloud. “I learn patience, responsibility and getting along with other employees,” she says.
Though she likes the work — fixing salads, prepping food, arranging trays — she particularly enjoys the camaraderie with the other workers.
“Everybody encourages me and they tell me, ‘Good job.’ If I make a mistake, they show me how to do it right.”
Another intern, Duane Chin Loy, worked in the supply chain department at the hospital, assisting with such tasks as sterilizing towels. Though he wasn’t offered a job — no openings were available — the 29-year-old from Cutler Bay hopes that he’ll get an offer when a position comes up.
“I love working here,” he says. “It’s the best place, like one big family. Everything is organized and I like that.”
Chin Loy, who has cerebral palsy, thinks the Baptist experience, along with a vocational diploma in medical billing from Miami Dade College, will improve his chances of landing a job somewhere. His father, Douglas, agrees. “He’s a hard worker. He just needs the experience and the opportunity.”
Providing opportunity is MDEAN’s main goal. “We know how hard it is to find jobs these days,” Castillo-Frick says. “Having some work experience on your résumé can certainly help.”
It helped Jehu “J.J.” Pierre. He now works part-time for DeMoya Construction. Before that, he worked at Shake-a-Leg, a sailing and water sports center for at-risk and disabled youth.. His favorite task in his new job: operating the roller, a machine that flattens and evens out the road. But he also puts cones out to reroute traffic, digs when needed and picks up trash before leaving a construction site.
“It makes me feel good to work,” says the 22-year-old from Perrine. “I feel independent. I can work with no boss being around, too.”
To identify interns, the EmployAbility Network partners with various agencies, including Goodwill Industries, Best Buddies and Miami-Dade Public Schools. Like all prospective employees, the interns go through the regular hiring process, including interviews and testing. Employers are also coached about how to integrate workers with physical or development disabilities into work areas. To provide support, a job coach visits work sites.
At Baptist’s dining services, Hodes supervises three other disabled employees in addition to Mcloud. One was voted employee of the year by her peers. “They’re 100 percent productive,” he says of those employees. “And they’re a good influence on other workers.”
Mcloud, he adds, fits right in. “She always has a smile on her face no matter what she’s doing.”
The EmployAbility Network has no staff or office. The funds raised at its annual cocktail party go straight to the internship program. It recently began funding student internships at the Learning Experience School, an education center for the developmentally disabled in Miami, so students can learn administrative and office skills before they graduate. MDEAN is also partnering with Miami Dade College to provide seed funding for disabled students who want to start their own businesses.
Mcloud knows that her new job is a chance of a lifetime. “I feel very lucky I got a job,” she says. “Lots of people are just struggling to get one, but not me. I got one.”

Co-op to help students with with special needs with transition

New co-op to help special needs students from birth to 21

Published 12:42pm Saturday, July 7, 2012

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http://www.austindailyherald.com/2012/07/07/new-co-op-to-help-special-needs-students-from-birth-to-21/

It’s a new day for rural students with special needs.

The special education co-operative between five local rural school districts will open a new transition program for 18- to 21-year-old special needs students this fall.

“This is huge,” said Dan Armagost, director of special education for LeRoy/Ostrander, Lyle, Grand Meadow, Glenville/Emmons and Southland Public Schools.

The new transition program will start this fall inside what used to be the Adams Drugstore in Adams. It’s the culmination of almost five years’ worth of specialized services for these five districts.

“When we first started, we didn’t have any of our high needs students here,” Armagost said. “They were basically shipped off to other districts. What ends up happening is you end up contracting with districts who have high enough populations of special needs students to hire a teacher.”

That changed in 2008, when each rural district started to specialize their special education programs as part of a consortium agreement. For example, Grand Meadow houses a Developmental Cognitive Delay student program while Emotional/Behavioral Disorder students go to Southland.

The one missing piece was a 18-21 program, which helps special education students transition from a school setting to learn work and life skills.

“The kids come in and they actually learn those skills, those traits, in a safe environment,” Armagost said.

Yet rural students would normally attend Austin or Rochester schools to get that kind of education. With a new program close to home, Armagost said, students will be able to learn those skills while at the same time get work experience with local businesses and hopefully get employed in Mower County, as opposed to moving elsewhere.

“We want them to be able to get jobs and future employment right here in their home communities,” he said.

The former drugstore is undergoing renovations for the new program, which will contain aspects of retail, a kitchenette, and office settings so students can learn what to expect. Staff and faculty will begin training in August, and Minnesota Department of Education officials will be in Adams Aug. 6 to inspect the new building and staff.

“After we get this, we’re able to take care of our students in the co-op from birth to 21,” Armagost said.

LRE considered in Workplace too

'Least-Restrictive Environment' Must Be Considered at Workplace, Too

By Nirvi Shah on July 2, 2012 9:20 AM

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/speced/2012/07/least-restrictive_environment_.html

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Too often, when students with disabilities are moving from school to the workplace—a phase typically called transition—some of the basic tenets of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act are ignored, said Jeff Spitzer-Resnick, managing attorney for Disability Rights Wisconsin.
That includes being placed in the least restrictive environment—in other words, with nondisabled peers to the extent possible.
"We have long been concerned that children with disabilities in general were not getting what they needed in transition," he said. For too long, "transition" meant a pipeline to work in a segregated environment, often at so-called sheltered workshops, which typically pay less than minimum wage, he said, "without any real conversation about whether this was appropriate. What about a job coach? What about assistive technology? [These are] all the things they consider for the classroom environment?
While the problem is a stubborn one, in part because work options in some communities are limited in general and in part because of a lack of teacher training about transition, Spitzer-Resnick said there's hope.
A letter from the U.S. Department of Education to his organization last month about this issue emphasizes that the tenets of IDEA do apply to transition.
Melody Musgrove, director of the Office for Special Education Programs, said that if a school district decides that gaining work experience is the logical next step for a particular student, the least-restrictive-environment tenets of the IDEA apply. They don't preclude a segregated work setting—some students with disabilities are taught in segregated settings, away from students without disabilities, Musgrove wrote. But deciding on that placement should be discussed beforehand.
In other words, schools must consider whether these students could thrive in a more inclusive setting with the right supports.
Spitzer-Resnick said these conversations must happen more often, because often for students with disabilities, especially severe disabilities, the job they get after high school is the job they have for the rest of their lives.
Otherwise, while a lot has been done to improve the education of students with disabilities, serve them more inclusively at school, and demand more of them academically, that effort may be going to waste.
"It is clearly the IDEA's goal that children get an education so they can lead a productive adult life," he said. "If we are doing a good job in the earlier years... and we end like this, what a waste of resources."
The letter said that in statistics about students reported to the federal government about the integration of students with disabilities, states must count students placed in segregated work settings in those numbers, too, something Spitzer-Resnick said he doesn't think is happening often enough now.
"This letter a step in the right direction...to solve this problem," he said.

Bridging the Gap for Young People with Disabilities

Spectrum Center bridging gap between young people with developmental disabilities and employers

By Kristin J. Bender Oakland Tribune Contra Costa Times

 

http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_20981774/spectrum-center-bridging-gap-between-young-people-developmental

Posted:

CONCORD -- Evan Thomas can tick off the names of world leaders, tell you just about anything you want to know about trains and World War II, and confidently lead visitors on a tour of the learning center where he works in the deli and learns math and independent living skills.

He can also tell you that he has Asperger's syndrome, which is in the family of autism disorders and is characterized by poor social interaction, an aversion to change, physical clumsiness and atypical use of language.

Thomas' diagnosis at age 4 made him part of a statistic that has jumped -- possibly due to better diagnoses -- by 20 percent in recent years: One in 88 U.S. children is diagnosed with an autism disorder by the age of 8.

Now 19, the Concord resident is not, however, part of a new and also unwelcome statistic that shows that, even years after high school, one in three young adults with autism has no paid job experience or higher education.

Things are far different for Thomas, a jovial, speaks-his-mind high school graduate who, through the Spectrum Center Schools and Programs, works at the Safeway on Monument Boulevard in Concord, cleaning up around the store.

"He's a really good employee. We've watched him grow from when he first came in. He was kind of shy and we've watched him come out of his shell," said store front end manager Rodney Burnett. "He's very dependable and he's really proud of a job well done."

The Spectrum Center's WorkAbility Program is a bridge between would-be employers and developmentally disabled young people who want to live, work and learn in mainstream society.

"We look for what they can do rather than what they can't do," said Spectrum Center vocational coordinator Ray Myslewski. The workers are paid minimum wage through grant money and work a few hours a week at first.

"Employers look for skills that are transferable to a work environment: Being able to be a member of a team, manage time, work with tools safely, have good boundaries with customers and fellow workers, and show up when you are supposed to," Myslewski said.

Thomas wears a Safeway uniform and name tag just like everyone else in the store but for him, the job seems just as much about building self esteem as fattening his wallet.

"I think I can do things that other kids with autism can't do," he said. "I like to work. I like to show them I can do good and that I'm a hard worker."

But without the work program, it could be difficult for Thomas to find a job.

The center tests students to determine what types of jobs they are good at and what work they'd like to do. The center then partners with national chains to offer opportunities for on-the-job training, volunteering and job shadowing, Spectrum officials said.

That's good news for people with autism. A recent study shows that within two years of leaving high school, more than half of those with autism had no job experience or college or technical education, according to lead study author Paul Shattuck, an assistant professor at Washington University's Brown School of Social Work in St. Louis.

"One thing that is great about the workability program is they started them out practicing, practicing, practicing on how to fill out a job application. And they had times when they went to mock interviews and that has always been really positive," said Thomas' mother, Roberta Thomas, 52.

Spectrum Center operates state-certified, nonpublic schools as well as several integrated collaborative classrooms on public school campuses that provide special education services to nearly 100 school districts. There are eight campuses in the Bay Area, including locations in Oakland, Hayward, San Jose and Richmond, and centers collaborate with businesses, including Safeway, Marshalls, CVS and Best Buy, to provide students with temporary jobs that can turn into permanent positions.

In the last four years, the workability program placed an average of 110 students per year in paid on-the-job training positions, Myslewski said.

Learn more about the Spectrum Center Schools and Programs at www.spectrumschools.com/.

New Diploma Rules in New York

Diploma rules for students with disabilities raise hope and fear

by Rachel Cromidas, at 4:27 pm

http://gothamschools.org/2012/06/19/state-could-preserve-local-diploma-for-students-with-disabilities/

For months, advocates for students with special needs have been pushing the state to reconsider a safety net meant to help those students graduate.

But when the state’s top education policy-makers sat down in Albany Monday to discuss the issue, they instead floated the idea of making graduation requirements even easier for students who have disabilities.

This year, for the first time, all students in New York State will have to pass five Regents exams with a 65 or higher in order to graduate. In the past, students have had the option of getting a less rigorous “local diploma” with some scores of 55 or higher, with the number of 65′s required inching upward each year.

But the elimination of the local diploma doesn’t extend to students who require special education services: They will still be able to graduate with 55′s on their transcripts, even on all five required Regents exams.

Advocates say that leniency runs the risk of creating a second-class diploma for students with disabilities, similar to the IEP diploma that is being eliminated. Students had to pass exams known as Regents Competency Tests to get the diploma, but earning one did not qualify graduates for college, work, or the military.

Last month, a group of advocates officially asked the state to extend the local diploma option for all students rather than set students with special needs apart.
“By having a diploma that’s a disabilities-only diploma … it’s a stigmatizing act, singling out kids with disabilities,” said Stephen Boese, the executive director of the state’s Learning Disabilities Association. “Down the line one wonders if there will be a diminution of the diploma.”
Advocates have been making that case in letters, meetings, and phone calls to state officials. But yesterday, when State Education Department officials presented an updated graduation requirement proposal to the Board of Regents, who must approve changes, they suggested widening the safety net even more for students with disabilities.
The students would be allowed to score between 45 and 54 on one Regents exam and still graduate, provided that they had at least one other score of 65 or higher to counterbalance it, according to the proposal. To get credits, students would also have had to pass a class in the tested subject and have attended at least 95 percent of sessions.
Some members of the Board of Regents questioned whether students with disabilities, who typically have a lower attendance rate, could reasonably be expected to attend class 95 percent of the time. State officials said excused absences, as when a student is ill, would not count against them.
Overall, State Education Commissioner John King told the Regents, ”We’ve gotten positive feedback in our field conversations about the compensatory model.” He said department officials estimated that as many as 20 to 30 percent of students who had relied on the competency exams to earn IEP diplomas would be able to earn a local diploma with the safety net option.
“We’re certainly not trying to lower the standard for disabilities,” said Jim DeLorenzo, SED’s statewide special education coordinator, during the meeting. “There are some disability-related issues with regard to areas where they can achieve very well and areas where they can achieve tremendous challenges and we’re trying to recognize that.”
Officials emphasized that the local diploma will not be exclusively the domain of students with special needs, because general education students who try multiple times to pass exams and come within a few points of a 65 might be permitted to graduate anyway. But doing so will require the student to file a written appeal for an exemption. Students with disabilities would receive the leniencies automatically, according to the proposal discussed on Monday.
The Regents are not slated to vote on the proposals until October, meaning that changes would not take effect for this year’s seniors and also that the public comment period, which is open now, could lead to other changes.
The advocates are planning to register comments arguing that the state is short-sighted by simply tinkering with Regents exam requirements to differentiate among students with wide-ranging needs. They have been pushing for the Regents to consider “multiple pathways” to graduation instead that would allow all students to show proficiency without passing potentially any Regents exams.
“The new safety net is good as far as it goes, but the fact is that there are going to be a lot of students with disabilities who are not going to succeed on any of the standardized tests,” he said.
Students without disabilities also struggle to pass the required exams, and they too would benefit from a more robust rethinking of what it should take to graduate from high school in New York City, said Gisela Alvarez, a project director for Advocates for Children.
Last year, about 8,000 city students graduated with the local diploma option because they scored a 65 or higher on only four of the five required exams. Some fear that number of students could be kept from graduation this year, under the more stringent requirements.
Some changes appear to be in the pipeline. For example, the state is exploring ways to develop Career and Technical Education assessments that could count toward Regents diploma requirements, potentially substituting for the global history exam, which is most frequently failed.
But any new pathways are years away from becoming live options. State education officials said their goal is to present a progress report on the CTE pathways proposal by September, make recommendations by December, and then create action items to be voted on.
Despite the long runway, Alvarez said she is optimistic about the future, even as the state might make missteps along the way.
“This conversation has been going on for a long time, but it’s only been going on in pieces. The state had not taken a look at this in a comprehensive manner,” she said. “It has been a fragmented conversation up until now.”

Society slowly learns to deal with autism

By Maura Lerner

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/146612015.html?page=1&c=y

For a college class, the assignment seemed simple enough: Gather in circles of five or six students and discuss a few questions as a group.

But one young man refused, sitting uncomfortably apart from his classmates and saying nothing.

In the past, he might have flunked the assignment outright. But in this case, the professor met with the student in private and decided to let him answer the questions by himself.

That's just one way colleges and other parts of society are starting to adapt to what might be called the autism phenomenon.

As autism has morphed from a medical oddity to a commonly diagnosed disability -- affecting one in 88 children -- the ripple effects are being felt far beyond grade schools. Travel agencies such as autistictraveler.com are catering to families with autistic children; AMC Theatres offer sensory-friendly screenings. Some businesses are starting to tailor internships to autistic young adults. Universities such as St. Thomas are trying to make dorms and classrooms more autism-friendly.

"There are more and more students, it seems, coming to college with Asperger's," a form of autism, said Kim Schumann, disability director at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. "I think there's going to be more pressure to adapt and have support services in place, because they're going to come."

The latest jump in autism numbers -- released by federal officials 10 days ago -- are fueling concerns about what some say is a rising "tidal wave" of people with special needs.

"I think this whole issue has so many implications for society that we've only begun to think about," said Virginia Richardson, parent-training manager at the Pacer Center in Bloomington, which assists people with disabilities.

Experts are still debating what's driving the numbers --whether it's a true surge in autism, or a reflection of changing definitions and diagnostic techniques. Autism, a brain disorder that affects speech, learning and behavior, covers a wide range of abilities, from children who can barely speak to academic high achievers.

Most, however, share a defining feature: They lack the social skills that come second nature to their peers.

In college, said Schumann, that can spell the difference between success and failure. Students with autism often struggle with how to interact with others, stay on task, organize their work.

"If they don't have those skills, that will spill into academics," she said.

One autistic student, she said, waited for hours outside a professor's office to turn in a paper. He took the professor's instructions literally: to hand it in by 4:30 p.m. When the professor didn't show up in person, the student left -- and missed the deadline.

"What the professor meant was, put it in my mailbox," she said. Schumann helped the student and teacher straighten things out.

Where to draw the line?

Since autism is a disability, colleges are required to make accommodations for those students. That might mean extra coaching, a private dorm room, or extra time to complete a test, said Kathy McGillivray, director of disability services at Hamline University in St. Paul.

"Of course, schools have to draw the line at some point," McGillivray said.

Once, she recalled, a parent insisted her child "needed a list of what they were supposed to do that day, every day. I said, that's not something I'm going to be able to do." Instead, she advised the parents to hire another student to help the child. They did -- and after a semester, the extra help was no longer needed.

Essentially, McGillivray sees herself as a coach. Sometimes she advises students to write a letter to their professors, explaining that they may have trouble making eye contact or seem awkward in meetings because they have Asperger's. "And that works for a number of students."

She noted that the solutions vary, because the students themselves are so different. One might flounder with a roommate, "but you wouldn't want to assume that's an issue for every student who's on the spectrum," she said.

Thriving

At Medtronic, managers weren't quite sure what kind of accommodations they'd need to make when they started an internship for disabled young adults, including several with autism, as part of a national program called Project Search in 2009.

What they found is that the interns with autism tended to do better in cubicles than in open spaces, because "there's no interruption," said Stan Blackwell, who oversees the project at Medtronic.

At first, the students struggled with "some of those social skills," said Kathy Daas, a finance manager who works with the interns. "A lot of them couldn't make eye contact very well."

But on the job, she said, they thrived. On some tasks, they were more accurate than her regular employees, she added. "More detail-oriented, more focused, and they are so concerned about doing everything right." By the end, she said, even some of their social awkwardness had disappeared. One student gave a presentation to a couple of hundred people, something she said she "never expected."

But programs like this are rare. And advocates worry that neither colleges nor businesses are prepared for the coming rush.

"We, for a long time, have watched the autism wave come," said Sean Roy, a disability advocate at Pacer Center. "I think it's going to start spurring some serious conversations. But when you have a social condition like that, change happens, I think, over a longer period of time."

Morehead State University: Mentoring program to aid disabled

Mike James The Independent
The Daily Independent Sun Apr 08, 2012, 11:55 PM EDT

http://dailyindependent.com/local/x1224376313/Morehead-State-University-Mentoring-program-to-aid-disabled

MOREHEAD — The first freshman days at college can be daunting under the best of circumstances.

Students with disabilities face the same challenges — learning to navigate the campus, getting the right books, settling into the social scene — but with additional difficulties of vision impairment or lack of mobility.

Some Morehead State University students with disabilities want to spare younger students some of the anxiety they felt when they came to campus for the first time. They have launched a new organization called Students Empowering Exceptional Individuals, which will pair successful upperclass students who are disabled with middle- and high-school students who share the same disability.

"I want to show other students they can go to college and be successful with a disability," said Adam Black, who is vice president of the organization. Black, who is visually impaired and has a learning disability, said he had a role model when he was at Russell High School, and that led him to believe other students could benefit from the same kind of guidance.

The organization is sending out notices to school districts in MSU's eastern Kentucky service area to refer students who may benefit from a mentor, said president Stacy Timberlake, a senior special education major from South Shore.

So far the group has gotten a reply from one and is hoping for more, she said.

High school students who ask for a mentor will outline their interests and disabilities and be matched with a member.

That will happen at events the organization will host this fall on campus.

The idea is to build relationships with the younger students and help guide them through college, said Timberlake, who is almost blind and has a seizure disorder.

Learning the mechanics of college life, like housing, scheduling and campus geography, isn't genuinely difficult, but it can seem so to a freshman away from home for the first time, she said. As a mentor, she hopes she can help smooth the way and be a reassuring presence.

The university has numerous resources for students, whether disabled or not; organization members can help students find them, she said.

Share on emailShare on printShare on redditMore Sharing ServicesCollege 101: Ask for help

Students with learning disabilities often don't ask for the help that is available

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-04-11/news/ct-x-disabled-college-20120411_1_disabled-students-higher-education-and-disability-richard-allegra

Peggy O'Connor, 33, lost her tuition grant at Moraine Valley Community… (Zbigniew Bzdak, Chicago Tribune)

April 11, 2012|By Andrea L. Brown, Special to the Tribune

Anthony Mazzuca returned from military duty in Afghanistan with disabilities that affect his hearing and memory, making him eligible for special assistance in his pursuit of a community college degree.

But he doesn't take the extra help.

"I don't like to waste resources," said Mazzuca, 47, of Waukegan, who is pursuing a business degree from the College of Lake County in Grayslake. "I do like to challenge myself."

The former soldier is among the ranks of college students with disabilities who prefer to make their own way. Experts have a hard time tracking their numbers because the students prefer to fly under the radar.

"Many have left the disability back in high school," said Thomas Crowe, director of the Office for Students with Disabilities at the College of Lake County. "They don't want to use it as a crutch."

In high school and elementary school, educators are obligated by law to identify and assist students diagnosed with disabilities — so they get help whether they want it or not. But once students enter college, it's up to them to seek help through the school's disabilities office.

No formal study has tracked how many students with disabilities earn college degrees without assistance, said Richard Allegra, program manager and director of business development for the Association on Higher Education and Disability.

"We don't have a handle on the students who don't register with the office and get through," Allegra said. "That's the number that's kind of elusive to us."

Allegra speculates 10 to 15 percent of students he's encountered in his 30 years working in disability services tried the college experience on their own before seeking help. The reasons vary, but avoiding stigma is likely the overarching motivation for trying to get by without help, especially for people with psychiatric disabilities, he said.

"They don't want to be looked at as different or feared," Allegra said. "Young people want to be part of the group."

Some colleges try to dispel those fears, and have been working harder to help disabled students understand that leveling the playing field should not be equated with "extra" help.

The Moraine Valley Community College Center for Disability Services works closely with its district high schools to help students feel comfortable identifying their disabilities and seeking the help they deserve, said Director Debbie Sievers.

Every fall, representatives from the college give presentations to special education students about the differences between high school and college. They distribute brochures and also offer tours to give them a feel for the campus, Sievers said.

Starting in February, representatives speak one-on-one with students and also communicate with parents.

"We talk again more in detail with students about what their plan is," Sievers said. "We talk about their career options."

In the summer, the department conducts student orientations and helps students register for classes. During the semester, the department sends out midterm evaluations.

"That has helped us to be very proactive with their academic success," Sievers said.

Despite the college's best efforts, some students don't seek help, even if they are well aware they have a disability.

Beginning in preschool and continuing through elementary and high school, Peggy K. O'Connor, 33, of Orland Hills, had assistance from a classroom aide. She was 10 when doctors finally diagnosed a disability that affects her memory and ability to retain information.

Even though she passed her classes at Moraine Community College last fall, O'Connor was surprised to learn that her grade-point average wasn't good enough to continue receiving a tuition grant.

She said she now knows she should have sought the help that she knew was available.

Enrolled in only two classes — a reading requirement and physical education — O'Connor thought she could handle the load. By the time she recognized she was studying the wrong material, it was too late for the disabilities office to schedule help for that semester.

"I didn't have an aide to sit with me in the classroom. I didn't record the lectures," O'Connor said. "I thought I was understanding the materials in the right way in what the instructor was looking for."

Coming to the realization around finals time that they "blew it" and should have gotten help is not unusual, said Nancy Litke, senior director of the Academic Success Center at Roosevelt University in Chicago.

For an extra fee, Roosevelt offers a transition program in which students meet with a specialist to work on strategies for success in college. That involves in part helping students identify and apply their strengths, as well as develop skills for communicating when they might need special help in class.

"We work really very hard on developing self-advocacy skills to help them to be able to be more comfortable talking to professors," Litke said.

Mazzuca, the veteran, has identified several strategies to keep him on task and help him maintain his GPA. He looks at his calendar every day to jog his memory. He spends most of his day on campus.

"I'm here six days a week, 12 hours a day," Mazzuca said. "I have to be here 60-65 hours a week.