Subject:  CONQUER COLLEGE WITH LD - a new course |
Author:
Joan Azarva
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Date Posted: 07:39:12 08/01/08 Fri
I come to the world of LD/ADD from two perspectives -- as the parent of an LD/ADD adult son who completed college successfully and as a former Learning Specialist and current Senior Adjunct Instructor at our local community college. In my professional capacity, I see an overwhelming majority of LD/ADD students enter college sorely ill-prepared for its unique challenges and lacking navigational skills that would increase their chances of success. Unwittingly, they make poor decisions leading to a discouraging downward spiral, usually culminating in leaving school. Given my experience with my son, I know college can be a reality for capable students.
My son's victory, however, was not accidental. It was a result of careful preparation prior to the transition, a thorough search to find the right school, and knowing the decisions and strategies that lead to success for students with disabilities.
As the sole Learning Specialist at a community college of over 14,000 students, I could hardly address the needs of the multitude of students requesting services. In 2006, I resigned in frustration - I felt I was spread far too thin to be of any use to these students.
I began to think of how I could approach this problem in a PROactive, rather than REactive, manner. To that end, I wrote a course for all high school students and their parents entitled CONQUER COLLEGE WITH LD. It covers the entire transition process, beginning with what to do while in high school, all the way through to achieving metacognition and independence in college. I taught it for the first time last semester to a packed classroom of rapt class members who couldn't absorb the material fast enough. It was the most gratifying experience of my 30-year career. The course received excellent reviews, many calling it a "must-take". At the last class, I received a standing ovation!
This is the ONLY course of its kind that I am aware of. It can ABSOLUTELY make the difference between success and failure for an LD student. I will be teaching it again in the Philadelphia suburbs beginning 9/20 (it is a 10 session course).
I am planning to take my course to other cities in the form of a two-day seminar. If you are interested in hearing more about it, please e-mail me at TransitionSuccess@gmail.com. I will also send you a paper I wrote - "25 Rules of College Success for Students with LD" - compiled from the most frequent and damaging mistakes I see students make.
I am passionate about the success of LD students; as a society, we are losing far too many good minds with the potential to make great contributions!
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