Students with Disabilities: Mentoring for College Success

1. Students with Disabilities: Mentoring for College Success Jayne Fraley-Bugett-Director Kathleen Camire, Graduate Assistant Office of Disability Services for Students Western Michigan University

2. Agenda: Making the Case for a Peer Mentor Program for students with disabilities • Introductions & Overview • Review of Research • Identifying the Need  Access vs. Success • Peer vs. Non-Peer Mentoring • Program Design • Program Results • Mentee Reflections • Question & Comment Session Unit name

3. Review of the Research: Making the Case • Astin’s (1996) research on student involvement & development: • “strongest single source of influence on cognitive and affective development is the student’s peer group…has enormous potential for influencing virtually all aspects…of educational and personal development” • Brown, Takahashi, & Roberts’s (2010) analysis of mentor programs for students with disabilities: • Student reflections trended toward mentoring as a “needed, valuable, and positive component in the transition from high school.” • Analysis of current programs noted “usefulness of mentoring for academic, career, and social skills; and the value of establishing long-term mentoring relationships” • Gibson’s (2006) disability identity development model • Passive awareness Realization Acceptance Unit name

4. Identifying the Need • Access vs. Success • Recognized the need in multiple places: • Incoming students with disabilities • Transition • Advocacy • Awareness & ownership • Academic success • Equity! • Current students with disabilities • Equity! Job opportunity, career skills • Personal development • Rewarding • College/University staff • Time: for office outreach, to contribute to campus initiatives, etc. Unit name

5. Why Peers? • Astin’s (1996) Student Involvement and Development: Peer Group influence! • Rapport and ability to relate: bond formed by similar experiences • Role model: illustration of success with a disability! • Why not trained faculty or staff? • Power dynamic • Inability to relate • Comfort  feeling of punitive or “requirement” rather than support • Cost Unit name

6. Design of the DSS Peer Mentor Program • Well-qualified mentors • Intense, 3-day training • Weekly curriculum • One-on-one meetings • Constant contact • Mid-semester progress reports • Higher response rates • Emphasis on campus involvement • Campus connection Unit name

7. Program Results: FTIAC 2013-2014 Fall 2013 • 37% of Mentees were named to the Dean’s List for Fall 2013 • Overall, 92% of all mentees had a GPA of at least a 2.5. • In comparison, 75% of the non-mentee DSS population achieved a GPA of at least 2.5 3.26 2.87 Unit name

8. Every institution’s favorite word: Retention • From Fall 2013 to Fall 2014 • WMU’s overall FTIAC retention: 77.5% • DSS Peer Mentor Program FTIAC retention: 89.3% Unit name

9. Mentee Reflections: What have been the most helpful parts of participating in the program? • “Being able to relate to [mentor] about the stress of school and having a learning disability.” • “[Mentor] has helped me talk about my disability with my professors and helped me adjust to college life.” • “[Mentor] has helped me a lot with time management tools and finding way to get involved on campus and finding ways to get help with things I'm struggling with in my class, such as finding tutors”. Unit name

10. Questions? Comments? Unit name

11. Contact Info Jayne Fraley-Burgett Western Michigan University jayne.fraley@wmich.edu (269) 387-2120 References Astin, A. (1996). Involvement in learning revisited: Lessons we have learned. Journal of College Student Development, 40(5), 587-597. Brown, S. E., Takahashi, K., & Roberts, K. D. (2010). Mentoring individuals with disabilities in postsecondary education: A review of the literature. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 23(10), 98-110. Gibson, J. (2006). Disability and clinical competency: An introduction. The California Psychologist, 39 (6), 6-10. Unit name