IDEAS Workshop

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IDEAS Workshop

• Advising Students with Disabilities on the
  Middlesex County College Campus
• Presented by Mary Jane Warshaw
• Director, Project Connections

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TWO SYSTEMS

• Disability Services
• serves students with ALL disabilities
• Counselor for Students with DisabilitiesElaine
  Weir-Daidone
• Edison 100

• Project Connections serves 160 students with
  learning disabilities
• Mary Jane Warshaw, Director
• Johnson Learning Center 230

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General Information about Students with
Disabilities

• 500 students enrolled at MCC
• Disabilities may include physical disabilities,
  visual impairments, hearing loss, psychiatric
  disabilities, and other health impairments
• Eligible for reasonable accommodations under
  federal legislation
• Student responsibility to self-identify and
  provide appropriate documentation

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Students with Disabilities

• Served through the Office of Disability Services
  in ED 100. Elaine Weir-Daidone and Christine
  Harrington, Counselors.
• Students provide appropriate documentation of a
  disability
• Students receive reasonable accommodations
• Advising is done in conjunction with teaching
  faculty and department major.

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Advising Considerations for Students with
Disabilities

• May be eligible for accommodations for College
  Placement Test
• Make appointment with the Counselor for Students
  with Disabilities before testing
• Need to submit documentation

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Registration Considerations for Students with
Disabilties

• Mobility considerations including location of
  classrooms and distance of buildings
• First floor classrooms are preferable
• Sign Language interpreters for deaf students need
  to be arranged early in the registration process
• Notetaking services must be requested through
  disability servicesED 100

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Registration issues continued

• Alternative text arrangements need to be made
  early so books can be ordered from Recordings for
  the Blind and Dyslexic
• E-text and assistive technology may be available

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Other Resources on Campus
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Adaptive Testing Services

• Testing service that complies ADA regulations and
  allows all students with disabilities to take
  tests with accommodations in a secure environment
  without inconveniencing instructors
• Barbara Dohrenwend, Testing Technician
• JLC 230

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Adaptive Technology Lab

• 10 computer terminals
• State-of-the-art assistive technology
• Seham Mohamed, Lab Coordinator, is available for
  assistance and instruction
• JLC 221

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Project Connections Students

• Comprehensive tutorial and counseling services to
  select students diagnosed with a Specific
  Learning Disability
• Competitive admission process providing services
  to 160 students total
• Students must submit a separate application and
  appropriate documentation to be considered

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PC continued

• Accepted students are assigned a case manager
• Case manager writes accommodations and helps with
  advising and registration

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Advising First-Year PC Students

• PC team offers priority registration sessions
  for new students beginning in early Spring after
  completing the placement test
• Case managers act as advisors in conjunction with
  departmental advisors
• Priority registration offered through CPS
  041(Fall) and SSD 101 (Spring)

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Special Considerations for PC Students

• PC advising block must be removed
• Wintersession requires individualized advising
  no tutoring available, 3-week semester
• Summer sesions longer is better, extremely
  limited tutoring available
• Incoming students should begin Basic Skills
  courses in the Fall semester.