Educational Partners Breakfast - MSJC Michelle Peters, Interim Director Disabled Student Programs & Services (DSPS)

Successful Students  DSPS Students at MSJC  Samuel is Just One Example of What Students with Disabilities Can Do!  Samuel Fall – Interest in Nanoscale Engineering, specializing in Micro- Electromechanical Systems  Member, Phi-Theta Kappa (Honors)  Member, UCR’s STEM Wind Turbine Competition  Presenter, Research Conferences, including UCI  Supplemental Instruction Leader for Intermediate Algebra

Ways Students with Disabilities Have an Equal Chance of Success … Begins with Transition  Student understanding of:  Their educational goals  Realistic goals of how they will meet their goals  What their individual strengths and weaknesses are  What the impact of their disability means for them  Self Advocacy Skills

Student Understanding of Their Educational Goals  Do students understand :  there are academic requirements and pre-requisite classes to advance to a degree or having plans to transfer to a 4 yr college/university?  Students with disabilities have the same core requirements as any student

Realistic Goals of How Students Will Meet Their Goals  Promotes:  Student Confidence  Setting Priorities that Correspond with the Goals  Keeping the Vision & Persistence  Positive Attitude

What Students Individual Strengths & Weaknesses Are  How to use individual strengths, resulting in effective accommodations  How to minimize situations that rely on weaknesses to demonstrate academic ability

What the Impact of the Disability Means for the Students Learning and Navigation  What classes to enroll in  What is a realistic course load  What combination of classes to take in a semester  Which instructors may best fit their learning strengths to optimize classroom learning

Self Advocacy Skills  A MUST for all college students!  What it Means?  What is their disability?  How does it impact them?  Ability to discuss the non-technical terms of functional limitations  Feeling that it’s ‘OK’ to have a disability, the disability is part of who they are … it does not define a student!  Empowerment

100 Things Every College Student With a Disability Ought to Know  By: Dr. Kendra D. Johnson, Ed.D. and  N. Hines  ISBN: X  2005  A great tool to have and it can be fun!

DSPS Website Tools   Eligibility Workshop  Weekly offering – a requirement for all NEW DSPS students  Power Point is On-Line 24/7 – Encouragement to Go Thru Power Point with Those in Support Network  Slide 6 = Necessary Steps to Become Eligible for Accommodations & Services at MSJC

Questions & Wrapping Up  Advice & Recommendations  Start the registration process with DSPS E-A-R-L-Y!  Assist students in having their disability verification / medical documentation submitted to MSJC  Encourage students to put the accommodations and services they are eligible for into place B-E- F-O-R-E each semester begins