Transition To College: Programs and Services for Special Populations at Burlington County College

1. Transition To College: Programs and Services for Special Populations at Burlington County College by: Barbara M. Barrish, Ph.D. Learning Disabilities Specialist Burlington County College Spring 2013

2. Objectives of Today’s Presentation • Prepare students for some of the important differences between high school and college • Make students aware of their rights and responsibilities as college students • Raise awareness of BCC’s Office of Special Populations and its services. • Expand knowledge of BCC’s admissions process and programs.

3. Five Major Differences Between High School and College 1) Time Spent in Class: • High school: 6 hours per day, 5 days per week, for 180 days; 1-2 hours per day of homework. • College: 12-16 hours per week; 2 hours of study for every 1 hour of class time. 2) Rules vs Responsibility: • In high school, you are usually told what to do and corrected if your behavior is out of line • In college, you are expected to take responsibility for what you do and don’t do, as well as for the consequences of your decisions.

4. Five Major Differences Between High School and College 3) High School Teachers vs College Professors: • High school teachers: • tell you what you need to learn • keep track of what you do • put notes on the blackboard • guide you through the learning process. • College professors: • provide a syllabus and expect you to keep track of assignments and tests. • expect you to think through and apply what you have learned.

5. Five Major Differences Between High School and College 4) Tests: • High school: • Frequent tests; small amounts of material. • Teachers give review sessions and tell you what you need to study • Test of how well you can give back information by memory or solve the kinds of problems you were shown how to solve. • College: • Infrequent tests; cover large amounts of material. • Professors rarely offer review sessions. • Test of how you apply what you have learned to new situations or solve new kinds of problems.

6. Five Major Differences Between High School and College 5) Grades: • In high school, effort counts. • Academic expectations may be lowered . • Teachers may allow points for extra credit or homework. • You may graduate as long as you pass everything with a D. • You are not allowed to fail. • In college, effort may be appreciated but results count. • Professors are not obligated to help you pass. • Academic expectations will not be lowered. • Your college will have standards for graduation, usually a C average or above. • You can fail.

7. Goals of the Office of Special Populations • 1. To ensure that students with disabilities have every opportunity to succeed in their academics as active members of the college community. • 2. To ensure that students with disabilities learn and practice self-advocacy skills. • 3. To ensure that students with disabilities understand and know their rights and responsibilities as community members of a higher education institution. • 4. To ensure that faculty and staff are sensitive to the needs of students with disabilities.

8. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination based on disability in programs or activities of institutions that receive federal financial assistance. • Title II of the ADA Act of 1990 prohibits discrimination based on disability in public entities.

9. Comparison of Services High School College • Support services provided under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). • Under IDEA, high schools are required to provide a free, appropriate public education (entitlement law) • Support services provided under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. • Under ADA and Section 504, colleges must provide equal access to the learning environment to a qualified person with a disability (anti-discrimination law)

10. Comparison of Services (cont.) High School College • IDEA requires the development of an IEP or 504 Plan. • Individual Education Plan (IEP) developed by team and services are delivered to the student. • Accommodations and services from these plans are not automatically transferred to the college. • Student must make the request if accommodations are desired.

11. An Accommodation is: • Any change in the physical or learning environment which minimizes or eliminates the impact of the disability and provides an equal opportunity for learning. • A reasonable accommodation is one that does not require a substantial change in curriculum or alteration of a substantial element of the program.

12. Comparison of Services (cont.) High School College • Educational and psychological testing is provided. • Special Education services are allotted based on educational diagnosis and by time and curriculum needs. • Student is responsible for providing documentation • Services are based on situational/individual needs based on the severity of the impact of the disability.

13. Comparison of Services (cont.) High School College • Curriculum modifications and special programs are common. • Academic expectations may be modified. • Personal devices such as wheelchairs, hearing aids, and personal attendants may be provided by district. • Academic adjustments that equalize opportunity for participation are required. • Academic expectations may not be modified. • Colleges are not required to provide these.

14. Comparison of Services (cont.) High School College • Case manager acts as advocate • Regular parent contact • Success is guaranteed by the IEP • Student acts as own advocate • No parent contact unless approved by the student • Access is guaranteed; success is up to you!

15. Services at Burlington County College Examples of accommodations offered to students who currently attend BCC are (not an exhaustive list): • Readers/scribes for tests (when appropriate) • Note-takers (when appropriate) • Extended time for testing • Testing at the Test Center or CALL Lab • Use of a calculator • Preferential seating • Use of tape recorder (student provides) • ASL interpreters • Braille Printer • Dragon Dictate Software • Intellikeys enlarged keyboard • JAWS Software • Amazon Kindles • Others as needed or negotiated

16. Accommodations Not Provided by Colleges • Modified tests. • Oral testing. • Paraphrasing test questions. • Resource room support. • Study outlines (provided at professor’s discretion). • Personal devices such as hearing aides, calculators, or tape recorders. • Unlimited excused absences. • Classroom aide. • Tailored homework assignments. • Course waivers. • Weekly parent call/note • Readers for personal use or study. • Open book tests • Word banks

17. Physically Accessible Buildings? • No, not necessarily. While buildings constructed after the Section 504 regulation was issued (that is, those built since 1977) must be fully accessible, older buildings do not have to be made fully accessible. • For older buildings, the law requires that the program or activity be made accessible. A common way this is done is to relocate the program to another building that is accessible.

18. Steps to Receiving Accommodations at BCC • If you are a new student with a disability and want to receive academic accommodations prior to the semester, there are a few steps you must take one full semester in advance: 1.Apply to BCC by completing an admissions application. • Admissions application free of charge if completed online at www.bcc.edu click on Apply to BCC. 2. Wait to receive your BCC letter of acceptance.

19. Steps to Receive Accommodations at BCC 3. Call the Test Center to schedule and take your placement tests. • NJ State mandated assessment in writing, reading, computation and elementary algebra • Proceed to step 5 if you will need accommodations for the placement test • Students are exempt from placement testing if they meet one of the criteria items on page 12 on the catalog. Found at www.bcc.edu click on Course and Catalog Schedule.

20. Steps to Receiving Accommodations at BCC 4.Call 609-894-9311, ext. 5606 or go to the registration area to make an appointment to meet with an academic advisor to plan and register for your classes. 5. Contact the Office of Special Populations at 609-894-9311 ext. 1789 to participate in an intake interview with the Learning Disabilities Specialist. 6. Provide the Office of Special Populations with appropriate documentation of your disability/disabilities.

21. Steps to Receiving Accommodations at BCC • Examples of documentation: • (items a thru e cannot be more than 4-years-old, item f needs to be updated annually): • IEP from high school with diagnosis and accommodations offered, PLUS: • Psycho-educational evaluation with diagnosis and recommended accommodations • Learning Evaluation with diagnosis and recommended accommodations • Psychological evaluation with diagnosis and recommended accommodations • Medical evaluation with diagnosis and recommended accommodations • Psychiatric evaluation with diagnosis and recommended accommodations

22. Steps to Receiving Accommodations at BCC 5. Students read and sign the Disability Release Form and the Student Agreement for Accommodations. 6. Accommodation Forms are given to the student who in turn gives the forms to his or her professors. • Request for and renewal of accommodations is required each semester.

23. Colleges’ Rights and Responsibilities: • Colleges have a right to create their own documentation standards. • Colleges have right to decide how access will be provided through accommodations. • Colleges are not required to make sure students are keeping up with what they need to do to receive accommodations. • Colleges have to abide by the Federal Education Records Privacy Act (FERPA).

24. Summary of Student Responsibilities • Apply to college • Take placement tests • Register for classes • Call the disability services office and self-identify as a student with disabilities • Provide necessary documentation of disability • Pay for testing/additional documentation required for accommodation. • Request reasonable accommodations • Obtain personal attendants, tutoring, and individually fitted assisted technologies. • Self-advocate

25. If You Plan to Go To College: • Take four years of math and English in high school. • Make sure your Child Study Team evaluations or medical documents are up to date. • Get to know your IEP or 504 Plan • Self-advocate: practice talking about your talents and abilities as well as what you need to succeed.

26. How To Be an Effective Self-Advocate • Self advocacy is not the ability to win arguments or fight for your rights. • Self-advocacy is the ability to effectively articulate your talents and abilities as well as what you need to succeed.

27. How To Be an Effective Self-Advocate • To be an effective self-advocate, you should: • Know yourself and your disability • Be able to explain your disability to others • Be able to explain your needs (e.g., compensatory strategies, accommodations) • Take the initiative and communicate with professors and other college personnel • Practice these skills with people with whom you feel comfortable

28. Tips from Successful College Students • Have goals for the semester and a plan for the future • Know your academic history, strengths and weaknesses • Take control of your time and your choices • Get to know your professors • Be assertive and persistent; seek help when you need it • Turn your weaknesses into strengths • Learn to be a creative problem-solver • Build social support systems • Self advocate

29. Thank YOU! • Contact me at: 609-894-9311, x 1789 or at • bbarrish@bcc.edu Burlington County College We can get you there! • Mr. Ronald Brand, Affirmative Action, Title IX and Section 504 Compliance Officer, 609-894-9311, ext. 1262. • Donna Kaklamanos, Special Populations Coordinator, 609-894-9311, ext. 1803 or Dkaklama@bcc.edu