EDUCATION
AIMING HIGHER
NEWER COLLEGE PROGRAMS HELP STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
W
WRITTEN BY DEENA YELLIN PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIELLE PARHIZKARAN
hen she arrived at
Bergen Community
College last Septem-
ber, Rachel Bowers
felt overwhelmed.
“I didn’t know what building to go
to or where I was supposed to be,”
recalls the 19-year-old from New
Milford. “It was pretty scary for me.”
Bowers got help from mentors at
Bergen Community College’s Turning
Point Program, a two-year non-degree
program designed for students who live
with intellectual impairments including
autism. Bowers’ mentor helped her
find her way around campus, coached
her with homework assignments
and connected her to socialization
opportunities.
Until recently, college was not an
option for students like Bowers, who
live with learning disabilities, autism
or extreme depression and anxiety.
Historically, many students who age out
of school programs at 21 had nowhere
to go.
When Turning Point was launched
in 2012, it was among the few college
programs of its kind in the country.
Now, there are six in New Jersey and
many others cropping up nationwide
that are geared toward students with
intellectual and emotional impairments.
The surge in programs can be
attributed to laws enacted in recent
years that require colleges to provide
accommodations to students with
special needs. But the level of support
varies by school.
Fairleigh Dickenson University’s
COMPASS program, which provides
support for students with high func-
tioning autism spectrum disorder, and
Bergen Community College’s Turning
Point Program are among a swelling
list of colleges around the country
that provide all-inclusive, highly
SP-24
2018 EDITION SPECIAL PARENT
ACHIEVING SUCCESS Ramapo College graduate students Tara McFadden (left)
and Jen Schoemer studying in their lab. McFadden credits her success in college
to the work of the special services program.
personalized programs for those with
disabilities.
Such programs cost more and
require an alternate application
process. They provide extra mentoring,
coaching and academic as well as
non-academic support. Students in
these programs gain vocational,
social and life skills. Many of them
graduate and are hired for jobs that
they may not have been prepared
for otherwise.
Some even go on to graduate school.
Tara McFadden, 25, of Wyckoff, is
proof that students of all abilities can be
highly successful with the right support.
When she first started at Ramapo
College in Mahwah, “I was freaking
out,” she recalls. Being a freshman
alone is intimidating, but on top of
that, McFadden is learning disabled
and has had to obtain accommo-
dations in school since age 11. She has
needed extra help taking notes and a
private room during exams to reduce
distractions.
She sought help at the Office of
Specialized Services and felt more com-
fortable immediately with the array of
accommodations, including tutors, note
takers, reduced distractions on exams,
special seating, books on computer and
a special services counselor who helps
her stay organized when she needs it,
she says.
“The services have helped me tre-
mendously,” says McFadden, now a
graduate student at Ramapo’s School of
Social Work. “I could not have done it
without their help.” ●