<p>This article doesn’t apply to my family’s college search situation - but I thought it was interesting and I’m sure it’s an area that continues to need to be developed and implemented at other colleges too.</p>
<p>From today’s Newark (NJ) Star Ledger</p>
<p>Making it happen
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
BY KELLY HEYBOER
Star-Ledger Staff
Asked to describe his disabilities, John Russo rattles off a long list that includes dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, auditory processing disorder and other learning problems that landed him in special education classes. </p>
<p>The outgoing Hamilton teenager said he was unsure what he would do once he left high school. </p>
<p>“When I was younger, I didn’t really believe in myself-- and I didn’t think I could get into college,” said Russo, 19. </p>
<p>Last week, Russo was busy going to class and working on assignments in his first semester at The College of New Jersey in Ewing. He is one of a half-dozen students enrolled in a pioneering new program designed to introduce higher education to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. </p>
<p>The liberal studies program – called Career and Community Studies – is being funded by a grant from the National Down Syndrome Society, a New York-based nonprofit group. The idea is to create a model program that would “mainstream” students with developmental disabilities into college campuses around the country. </p>
<p>Barnes & Noble CEO Steve Riggio and his wife, Laura, donated $250,000 to help start The College of New Jersey program and a similar effort at nearby Mercer County Community College. </p>
<p>The Somerset County couple, who have a high-school-aged daughter with Down syndrome, were surprised to find few colleges have adopted the mainstreaming and inclusion programs that K-12 schools have used for decades to allow disabled students to take classes with nondisabled classmates. </p>
<p>“With the documented success of inclusion in elementary and secondary education, it is now time to advance into the frontier of post-secondary education,” Steve Riggio said last month at a roundtable discussion about the new College of New Jersey program. </p>
<p>“TCNJ has embraced our belief that people with intellectual disabilities deserve the opportunity to enrich their lives through higher education,” he added. </p>
<p>Nationwide, the number of college-based programs for students with mental retardation, Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities has been growing. </p>
<p>The U.S. Department of Education helped finance a Web site, <a href=“http://www.thinkcollege.net%5B/url%5D”>www.thinkcollege.net</a>, that lists more than 100 college-based programs for the disabled. Most are small and experimental, admitting a few students at a time. Some allow students to live in dorms. </p>
<p>Students usually graduate with a special certificate to show they finished a two- or four-year program. </p>
<p>Since most students with developmental disabilities do not have the cognitive ability to do the work needed to earn a traditional college degree, there are plenty of questions about whether they belong on a college campus. Critics argue the higher education programs are often designed to make parents feel better, instead of focusing on what is the best environment for the students. </p>
<p>Since it is not a traditional degree, it is unclear if the special certificates will help students find a job after graduation. School officials hope the internships, work-study opportunities and other skills taught in the program will help students plan their own futures. </p>
<p>At The College of New Jersey, the six new students in the new Career and Community Studies program take small, specially designed courses with each other and larger freshman seminars with the rest of the student body. Courses include health and wellness, using technology, personal finance and internships. </p>
<p>There are no exams or grades. The students, who have varying levels of disabilities, are assisted by aides and student mentors who help get them around campus and complete their school work. </p>
<p>In one of their first assignments, the six new students gathered around a table in Forcina Hall and gave presentations identifying a goal they accomplished. </p>
<p>Katie Kim, 19, spoke about learning tae kwon do. Joseph Clawson, 18, talked about finishing high school. Ashley DiMattia, 19, read a paper that described how she joined a band. Asim Safdar, 23, read a paragraph about working in his father’s medical office. </p>
<p>Brian Danser, 25, tearfully talked about delivering the eulogy at his mother’s funeral. </p>
<p>“I know she would be proud of me if she could see me now,” the Cranbury resident said. </p>
<p>In order to qualify for the program, the students had to have a significant disability that would have normally kept them out of college. (Though the program is funded by the Down Syndrome Society, school officials said no students with Down syndrome applied to be in the first class.) </p>
<p>The students also had to be highly motivated to want to continue their schooling, organizers said. </p>
<p>“We were looking for students who had a fire in the belly,” said Rick Blumberg, assistant professor of special education, language and literacy who serves as co-director or the program. </p>
<p>Tuition is $20,000 per school year, which is about double the school’s usual in-state tuition and fees. Students in the program live at home and most are driven to campus each day by their parents or through a local transportation service for the disabled. </p>
<p>In their first few months, the students have slowly started to blend into the college community. Some have joined campus groups, including the Italian Club, the Music Club and tennis and bowling clubs. The program’s directors also have started talking to professors about placing some of the students with developmental disabilities into their regular classes to see if they can blend in with the rest of the school. </p>
<p>“I think it’s going to be those slow steps,” said Rebecca Daley, the program’s coordinator. “I think we can start making those bridges.” </p>
<p>The College of New Jersey program has started to attract some national attention. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, honorary chairperson of the Special Olympics, visited the students last month to see the program’s inaugural semester. </p>
<p>Shriver, a longtime advocate for the disabled, urged the group to “spread the gospel” about opening doors to students who are usually barred from college. </p>
<p>“You’re not just talking about changing one thing here,” Shriver said. “You’re changing things in major ways for real human beings.” </p>
<p>Kelly Heyboer may be reached at <a href="mailto:kheyboer@starledger.com">kheyboer@starledger.com</a> or (973) 392-5929. </p>
<p>© 2006 The Star Ledger
© 2006 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.</p>