GCC meeting to talk disability services
For prospective college students with disabilities, the transition from high school to college can bring many challenges, so a meeting at Glendale Community College Thursday aims to outline what can be expected when those students make that educational leap.
Tina Anderson-Wahlberg, interim program manager for the college’s Center for Students with Disabilities, said the meeting will offer would-be college students and their parents an idea of the services available at the college and how they differ from services students likely received in high school.
“Things are going to change big-time,” she said, mainly because once students with disabilities enroll in college, the courses are not modified, the assignments are not reduced and the timeline for students to complete courses does not change.
“Students with disabilities have to be able to compete with nondisabled peers,” she said.
Students can find success at Glendale Community College by understanding what their challenges are, advocating for themselves and managing their time, she said.
In addition, the college provides specialized computer classes, physical-education courses, study-skills classes and tutoring for students with disabilities.
“Our job at the center for students with disabilities is to even the playing field so students with disabilities can have the same opportunity to perform and compete,” she said. “The students who really understand where their challenges are, what accommodations they need and who are really goal-oriented are the ones that end up succeeding.”
The meeting will also address changes coming down the line with the implementation of the Student Success Act, legislation that aims to provide students with efficient college careers, partly by having them create educational plans upon enrolling.
The act will take effect this fall and will bump up the priority registration date for disabled students. Those entering college for the fall would need to register by June 13 or lose priority registration.
In addition, students will need to draft their own education plan and outline their academic goals by the end of their third semester at college.
The upcoming meeting, titled “From High School to College: A Whole New Ballgame,” will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. in Room 212 of the college’s student center, located at 1500 N. Verdugo Road.
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Follow Kelly Corrigan on Twitter: @kellymcorrigan.
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