IRVINE : Grant to Help With Learning Disabilities

Students with learning disabilities at Irvine Valley College will receive greater assistance this fall with reading, writing, math and in other areas as a result of a grant recently given to the school.

The Steelcase Foundation donated $24,200 to the college to buy computer stations and printers for a new computer center that the college expects to open in August.

Julie Willard, the college’s learning disabilities specialist, said she originally planned to install about 15 Macintosh computers with the grant money. But with rapid changes in the computer hardware market, she is now determining how much and what can be bought for the center.

“Mainly, what we’re looking for is something sophisticated to help students word-process and develop computer skills,” Willard said.

The new computer center is a joint project of the Irvine Valley College Foundation and the IVC Disabled Students Program. In addition to the Steelcase grant, the center has received a $20,700 discount on equipment from Apple Computer Co.

The college is matching the Steelcase grant by providing $29,700 in computer software, staff time and other equipment that adapts computers for use by learning-disabled students.

About 140 students with learning disabilities are enrolled in the IVC program, which assists them in acquiring marketable skills.

The Steelcase Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Steelcase Inc., a producer of office furniture and auxiliary equipment for data processing systems. The foundation gives grants in communities where it has manufacturing operations. A Steelcase branch is in Tustin.