Services for Learning Disabled and Educationally Disadvantaged Students

During FY2009, the Fashion Institute of Technology continued its program of support services and academic accommodations for learning disabled (LD) students attending the college. The objective of this program is to provide the support and accommodations necessary for their college success. While the main focus is on assisting students in meeting the academic and major area coursework requirements necessary for graduation, the students are also provided academic counseling, advisement, job related skills and career advisement. By providing these services, the students grades and graduation rates are improved, and the students are better able to make career choices. Charlotte Brown, the chairperson of the Educational Skills Department, and Susan Altman served as co-directors of the program FY2009. Susan Altman, the Coordinator of the program, continued to work 12 hours per week, supported equally by the college and the Perkins Grant. The Coordinators responsibilities are to supervise the major program services: 1) Intake of new students 2)Enrollment of new and returning students 3) Academic advisement, planning and counseling 4) Tutor training, support and administration 5) Coordination of the program components and other FIT service providers concerning students learning styles and necessary accommodations 6) Supervision and planning of monthly staff meetings, student workshops and the annual retreat 7) Outreach to prospective students, parents and high school counselors, informing them of FITs services 8) Collaboration with the career counselor to promote career development and job experiences and 9) Collaboration with the programs academic counselor to help students reach their full potential. Our new career counselor, Georgette Smith, of FITs Career Services Department, joined our program with new focus and energy. She worked chiefly with the first and second year students, providing them with information about careers, thereby helping them make informed choices while in school. Furthermore, she helped with resume development and interviewing skills, and provided students with exposures to various work sites. In addition, the job bank, on MY FITs group page continued to be a source of job shadowing opportunities and internships. The students checked the constantly evolving bulletin board listings, and if interested, were able to follow the companys link to research the company, and to our contact person to inquire about the listing. This tapped into the popularity of social networking sites such as LinkedIn, My Space and Facebook. Ms. Smith facilitated workshops during two student meetings, and accompanied us on our annual retreat. Students utilized services of our Career Counselor monthly (33%) and one time per semester (66%) and made comments as, very useful, opened my eyes, and extremely helpful in resume development and searching numerous job opportunities.

Sharon Jacas continued as Special Counselor to the students. Ms. Jacas continued presenting workshops on time management, and one-to-one counseling sessions with the students, providing guidance in academic planning, obtaining financial aid, planning course loads, and advisement on full-time admissions procedures. In addition, she attended a conference, On Course National Conference 2009 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Student evaluations of counseling say, counseling was very supportive and helpful, it helped when I switched majors and needed help in beginning that process, and I appreciate having a comfortable support system behind me. 66% of the surveyed students went for counseling one time a semester, and 33% one time a month. Referrals to the program came from four major sources. Of the 33 new students, 28 came with documentation submitted through the FIT-able office verifying the nature of their disabilities and the services and accommodations for which they qualify. Four students were referred by their instructors and one student self-identified. In FY 2009, 78 students participated in the program during the fall and an additional 20 in the spring. An unduplicated total of 98 students were served during the year. Of the 98 students, 98 were learning disabled. 65 were returning students and 33 were new to the program. Of the total number of students enrolled, 92 were full time, and 6 were part-time. Of the part time students, one has since been admitted as a matriculated student. Another student was on probation for the fall and was restricted in her spring course load. She has since been taken off probation. An additional three students were finishing up their Associates Degrees while working full time. The last student had graduated and returned to school on a part time basis to explore a new major. There were 15 males and 83 females. Of the 98 LD students, 95 were native speaking LD students, and 3 were ESL, LD students. Each semester during the diagnostic interview, the students and the Coordinator make a plan of accommodations necessary for their success. With input from the students, the Coordinator assesses the nature of their disabilities, the students academic strengths and weaknesses, and their specific styles of learning. Using this profile, the necessary accommodations for each class are arranged, and they are made known to the students instructors by written notification. Tutorial support is one of the most requested services by the special students. 38 tutors were employed in the fall, and 30 in the spring, working with 23 students in the fall and 26 in the spring, in one-to-one sessions totaling approximately 1800 hours. The students requested tutoring in both the liberal arts and in their technical courses. Tutors worked with students, tutoring them in classes representing 6 different major areas. These majors were Fashion Merchandising Management, Fashion Design, Advertising and Marketing Communications, Interior Design, Computer Graphics and Accessories Design. The liberal arts classes where students requested tutors most frequently were: Math classes, foreign language classes, and art history. One student had tutoring for organizing her papers. The programs tutors worked with LD native speakers, as well as ESL LD students. One ESL LD student served as a peer tutor in her major, Interior Design. The program uses a large number of experienced and skilled tutors, strengthening the quality of tutoring

offered to the students. The Coordinator held orientation meetings for the tutors at the start of the fall and spring semester to offer methodology in working with LD students. They were encouraged to use a multi-sensory approach, utilizing visual, auditory and kinesthetic techniques. In addition, tutors encouraged students to learn time management skills, and to utilize study skills such as note cards, outlines, and mapping for writing assignments. A relationship between tutors and the Coordinator was encouraged, and as a result 5 tutors met with the Coordinator to discuss various students on an ongoing basis throughout the semester. Students worked one-on-one with their tutors. In more than 1800 hours of tutoring, attendance was excellent at 90%, and 8 students each semester requested additional hours near midterms and finals. As indicated by a survey of the students, tutoring was the most utilized part of the program, with 75% attending tutoring weekly, and 25% daily. They rated liberal arts and major area tutoring equally effective, with 88% saying the tutoring was excellent or very good. Students needing help in English classes and in help with papers for any other classes were referred to the new Writing Studio, where consultants were available on a walk- in basis to assist in all aspects of writing a paper. The LD Coordinator gave a training session to the consultants in working with LD students, giving ways to identify a possible LD student, as well as methodology in working with the students. The Writing Studio coordinator reported that the consultants found the training extremely helpful, while the students reported that they felt their needs were being met better after the workshop. In addition to tutoring, testing outside the classroom with accommodations for time was utilized .in the fall, and 160 in the spring, with 1 student receiving accommodations for placement tests. 27 students had their tests read to them, and 11 students had scribes to write their exams. 7 students requested books on CD, 2 used a digital recorder in the classroom during the fall semester, and 2 in the spring, 11 students used peer note takers in the fall, and 10 in the spring, 0 students used speech to print technology for notes in the fall, and 0 in the spring, 35 students used calculators during math tests, 18 students used computers with spell check during essay exams, 7 training sessions were conducted on using Kurzweil and Premier technology, with 10 students participating. During FY 2009, the Coordinator and staff met with 98 students. The conferences with students concerned academic advisement; setting up individual plans of accommodations for each semester, long-term planning and advisement of course loads, as well as advice and trouble-shooting specific issues. In addition, 18 students worked with the Internship Counselor over the year, meeting an average of 3 times each for career skills development, working on resume organization and interviewing skills. 30 browed the website MY FIT to look for jobs, with 2 securing job shadowing opportunities at MSLK Graphics and 1 at Roxon Textiles. 5 students had job shadowing experiences, 5completed internships and a total of 30 went on five different field trips to companies. In addition Ms. Smith attended two student meetings; the first introducing her services and the second,

facilitating a workshop based on self awareness as part of self advocacy when transitioning from college to jobs. 14 students went to the Special Counselor to work on time management and study skills, as well as personal counseling and academic advisement. Most of the students took a proactive stance, and sought out help for their issues on their own. One student was referred as a result of probationary status and continued to meet with our counselor weekly for the entire year. In addition Ms. Jacas conducted 2 study skills sessions during the fall semester. The first was an introductory session offered at the second student meeting. At that meeting students expressed interest in a more expanded workshop and signed up for a follow up workshop. Four students attended. All were engaged, asked questions, and offered additional tips and strategies to the other students in the group. In addition, the counselor attended a professional development event-On Course National Conference2009 in Raleigh, N.C. Program staff worked with other college offices to meet the needs of special students at the college. The EOP office was consulted to coordinate services for our shared students. The Academic Skills Center maintained a close working relationship with this office. Tutoring was closely monitored, and tutors shared their experiences with the students with the Coordinator, seeking advice in methods to reach them better. We discussed scheduling sessions later in the day for students who couldnt keep early appointments, and we broke up long sessions into more frequent and shorter sessions for those who had a hard time concentrating. The Counseling Center and program staff worked together to help students who needed intervention. The Dean of Liberal Arts worked with program staff in granting 5 language substitutions. Faculty members from the Educational Skills Department and the English Department identified students they thought would benefit from LD accommodations. 4 students were referred in this manner. The Coordinator met with Dean of Liberal Arts, Co-Coordinator of the Grant and The Chairperson of Science and Mathematics to establish a list of accommodations for math courses and math placement exam. The Office for Students with special needs shares a suite with FITs Office for Students with Disabilities (FIT-able), and collaborates with the program coordinator. The Coordinators work to serve our students, and strive not to duplicate services. Our renovated office includes a place to proctor exams and to house various software programs and technology to support student success Program staff met frequently and communicated even more often to plan the agendas of student meetings and to discuss the progress and problems concerning individual students. Five student meetings and one end term get together were held this year, and were attended by an average of 12 students per meeting. The first meeting was an orientation meeting; program staff introduced themselves and their roles to the students. Students were instructed in procedures for obtaining tutors, loan able equipment, testing outside the class, and for arranging for note takers.

The second meeting was divided into workshops, the first in time management, led by our counselor, Sharon Jacas. A Study/Learning Strategies Workshop evolved from this meeting, as the students wanted to go into more depth. A follow up meeting was held the following week and four students attended. Georgette Smith, our new career counselor conducted the second half of the meeting, when she outlined her plans to work with students in resume building, job searches, and interviewing techniques. She also discussed the trips to various job sites that she was working on setting up. . The third meeting was a mix of disseminating practical information on spring and winterim registration, discussing upcoming trips, and having a recent graduate lead a discussion on finding a job in the current job market. She stressed networking as the best way to hear about jobs, and encouraged the students to be flexible and work at part time jobs, market week, and special projects as a way of expanding their network. The fourth had a series of special guests. Brian Fallon talked about the Writing Studio and the Dynamic Diversity Grant. He encouraged the students to talk about their experiences in the Writing Studio. This lively discussion led to the LD Coordinator giving a workshop on LD identification and strategies for work to the Writing Center consultants. Joe Plutz was the next presenter. He talked about the software programs installed on computers in the FITable computer lab and encouraged students to sign up for training workshops. The final speaker was Melanie Guardino, our student who just returned from a semester in Italy. She shared her experiences with us, and impressed us with her fluent Italian. The fifth meeting was primarily about our upcoming retreat. The students viewed a slide show on past retreats. We discussed the work of the presenters and signed students up. The second half of the meeting was led by Georgette Smith who explored with the students ways to understand their career expectations and how to translate this knowledge into self advocacy when looking for jobs. At the Advisory Board Meeting, we discussed the importance of students meeting and socializing with other LD students as a way of building self-esteem. Our student representative suggested that our last meeting, instead, be a social gathering. We followed up on this and called it A Celebration of A Successful Year. Our team, tutors, and representatives from the Dean of Liberal Arts Office joined 11 students for a wonderful luncheon where we honored five graduates by presenting them with bouquets. 87% of surveyed students rated the student meetings as excellent or very good. We have been using MY FIT as a way of communicating with the students. It has proven to be effective in reaching students to tell them about meetings, trips and workshops. During intake, and through the semester, I have identified students who would benefit from the mentoring of upper classmen in our program on issues specific to their majors, and students have contacted each other through the email on MY FIT. 3 pairs have an ongoing relationship as a result.

The Advisory Board met one time during the spring semester. Members included the program team members and co-directors, FIT representatives, the Grant Officer, the Dean of Liberal Arts, and a student representative. All board members briefed the panel on their on going roles and shared their years achievements. We then focused on the on going need to address the importance of socialization to the success of the LD student. Our student representative shared insights into the additional pressure LD students feel to fit in, and how it manifests in issues of disclosure, and body image. The coordinator reiterated that she is still working on a mentoring program of upper classmen working with incoming freshmen. This has occurred on an ad hoc basis, but the wish is for a stipend for mentors to better expand the program. Our student also suggested expanding the social interaction of our student meetings by having an end term get together to celebrate our accomplishments. We acted upon this suggestion and had a successful end year event attended by students, tutors, administrators, as well as our team members. Sharon Jacas, Counselor to the program, reports that during FY2009, she worked in one-on-one counseling sessions with an unduplicated 14 students over 56 sessions. She worked with 8 over 28 individual sessions in the fall, 10 students over 28 individual sessions in the spring, and 4 students throughout the year. The number of sessions per student ranged from 1-14 Students reported for individual counseling for a variety of issues and concerns. Students continued to need help in stress management, and Ms. Jacas assisted students in identifying stressors and in learning coping strategies. She worked with students on anxieties over employment issues, and helped students explore, weigh pros and cons, and make wise choices regarding on-the-job/internship experiences. She worked on reducing family/relationship pressures by coaching students in negotiating with family members and professors to achieve an optimal outcome. She also worked on LD coping strategies to help student come to terms with the amount of energy and work that/s involved in maintaining a good GPA at FIT. Over the academic year, 1student was academically dismissed in the fall, and with Ms. Jacas intervention was allowed to return to school and to take a reduced program. The student is currently in school, taking summer courses, and still working to return to full time status. One student had to leave school for an eating disorder. This student went through the counseling center to find the appropriate means of assuring that she will be in good academic standing when she returns to school. Throughout the year Ms. Jacas continued to work with students on issues of time management, helping students identify time in their schedules to put in appropriate amounts of study time. She also helped students identify time wasting activities, and assisted them in the process of prioritizing and making decisions on activities they can forgo to make more effective use of time. Students also reported to her for information regarding future educational plans, choosing the most suitable courses to take, and making decisions about withdrawing from individual courses versus withdrawing for the semester.

In some of the cases, learning and study strategies were put in place, specifically, applying strategies recommended by the psychologist after an LD evaluation. Ms. Jacas attended a conference, On Course National Conference 2009 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The conference theme was guided by On Course success principles which represent eight essential areas that good learners believe and do. One of the main underlying tenets of on course is that most effective learners are empowered learners, those characterized by self-responsibility, self-motivation, self-management, interdependence, self-awareness, life-long learning, emotional intelligence, and high selfesteem. The conference shared innovative tools and strategies to engage students in active learning, helping them to become responsible and empowered partners in their own education and growth. The conference sessions provided educators with learner-centered structures for helping students learn more deeply and presented empowerment strategies for helping students become active, responsible learners in a learner-centered environment. The specific sessions she attended demonstrated instructional models that addressed varied student learning styles, as well as a variety of immediately usable teaching and counseling strategies that will allow her to assist students in the program reach more of their potential in college, and in life. One workshop session on gaining emotional intelligence demonstrated a format for an interactive stress management workshop that can be put into practice. At the conclusion of the workshop students will be able to recognize the bodys responses to a perceived stressor; know how to recognize negative thoughts that automatically occur in response to situations, and be able to formulate positive thoughts that can replace the negative responses. Ms. Jacas reports that when working with individual student, she plans to help students choose greater personal responsibility for the experiences and outcomes they desire. The Responsibility Model learned in the Empowering Students to Get on Course workshop is an excellent teaching tool to empower students to approach their educational experience with the beliefs of a creator, (one who responds to lifes challenges by taking charge: seeking solutions, taking action, trying something new, etc.) vs. taking a victim stance, and resorting to complaining, blaming, and making excuses. Georgette Smith worked intensely with our first on second year students on career development. Eighteen students worked with her regularly on resume organization, structure, and interviewing skills. These students attended 3 sessions each. Students were either referred by the Coordinator as a result of a conversation during intake, or a need for clarity on their major that came up during the year, or made their own initial contact after attending a student meeting and meeting Ms. Smith. Two students practiced mock interviews. Five field trips were taken during the year. Two were to Tommy Hilfiger where we viewed a DVD on Tommy Hilfigers career, and were taken on a tour of the facilities. We

saw current fashion as well as the historical archives that act as inspiration pieces. 10 students went on the first trip and 8 on the second. We also went to Northern Furs which served as a huge contrast to the Tommy Hilfiger corporate atmosphere. Here we met one man who alone designs, makes, advertises and ships fur hats and coats. We saw his archives, including a hat designed for Queen Elizabeth, and he used his hat forms to demonstrate making a hat. 6 students attended this trip. One student had an internship resulting from this trip. We went to Weavers-Fabrik Unger, which is a showroom for Junior Market fashion, designed in their California office. The trip was right before NY Market Week, and so we saw how preparations are made for the buyers who were coming. 4 students were on this trip, and 3 returned for internships during Market Week. One of the students is working at the company now. The final trip was to ByBoe, a graphics design company and was attended by 2 Communication Design students who found the trip very interesting. Other companies contacted were Mark Ecko Design, Noyon USA, Urban Athlete , Pamela stuart Collection, Madison Square Garden, Riot (showroom), Atlantic Records, and High Mills Textiles. Six students at the end of May were actively seeking employment, using the Career Service on-line job data system and using Ms. Smiths assistance. . The educational materials and resources available to the special students at FIT effectively support their academic needs. Assistive technology has become a great aid in helping learning disabled students, enabling them to compensate for their learning disabilities and to enhance their success in college. Our renovated office space includes a lab with PCs and ..Macs that have Kurzweil and Premier reading software installed, allowing students to scan notes and texts into the computer, where the program converts text to speech. The students were offered training in this, and 10 attended individual sessions where they also learned how to outline and take notes using this program. Additionally, we still use peer note takers and tape recorders for obtaining notes. 10 students utilized peer note takers, both in the fall and in the spring, and 2 students used digital recorders in the classroom For reading, besides the Kurzweil, ..students ordered books on CD in the fall and 2 in the spring. The Coordinator worked closely with the faculty. More than 100 faculty members were apprised of students learning needs. With the Dean of Liberal Arts, we established a formalized math accommodation policy for math classes and placement tests. In addition to the over 200 accommodation letters that were sent to all faculty members working with their professors, 24students required ongoing help in learning to communicate and work with their individual professors. Some of the difficulties that required ongoing intervention were affects of medication, arranging for tutors and scribes, testing accommodations, time management, negotiating withdrawals, getting incompletes converted, asking for incompletes for illness, time management, and working through emotional problems that

affected students performances in class. One student required help in taking a semester off to restore her health, 8 needed to negotiate incompletes, and 2 students needed help in getting accommodations while studying abroad. About 20 students per month took tests outside the class, exam readers were required for 27 students this year, 0 students were given extensions on projects; 35 used calculators for math tests; 5 students received accommodations in place of taking a foreign language, and 8 students negotiated a grade of WA, withdrawal without penalty. Outreach to students, parents and counselors remains a priority for the Coordinator of Special Students Services, though the FIT website has replaced the need for reaching out to a large number of perspective students. As most students and their parents contact the FIT-able Office first, I only directly helped 3 parents with questions about LD services available at FIT. One student took the placement exam with accommodations through our office. I have set up a mentor-by-major program and 3 students have contacted active students in their majors with specific questions. An effort was made at the beginning of each semester to go to Educational Skills classes to introduce the LD services that we provide in the hopes having students disclose early. Additionally, a syllabus statement was developed to include in the syllabi of Educational Skills classes. The Coordinator also had contact with outside resources. One student was referred to VESID and received some money for her education. I helped guide the Learning Disabilities Coordinator at Moore College of Art in Philadelphia through the questions she had during her first year of running an LD program at the college. During FY 2009, the annual spring retreat was attended by ten students, accompanied by the Coordinator and the Career Counselor for the program. The three presenters focused on a common thread: identifying your strengths and pursuing your dreams to arrive at the most fulfilling career choices. The first presenter, Laura Fazuzzi, an FIT graduate who has been diagnosed with dyslexia, has worked at Lerners, Champion Products, Calvin Klein, and currently works at Macys Corporate. She explained some of the characteristics of dyslexia, and later explained how she has developed strategies to accommodate these differences, and to build on her positives to foster a successful career in the corporate world. A discussion was held on when and if to disclose learning differences on the job, and how to translate the skills learned as a student to the work place: 1. Over learn your product, believe in your product, and make it personal 2. Become super organized-make lists, color code 3. Memorize if you have to read aloud 4. Work from an outline or index cards if you have to discuss something at a meeting 5. Ask questions and ask more questions until you understand what is expected of you The second presenter, John Burke, is the historian at Tommy Hilfiger, and teaches an Internship class at FIT. He immediately set the tone in the room by challenging the term, retreat, and pointing out that we are not running away from anything. He led us into changing retreat into an engagement, pointing out that everyone in the room chose to

spend a weekend working on sills to engage life, and not retreat from it. We went through an exercise of identifying our fears and negativity, and pointed out how we each worked against our own negativity to become counter phobic. The students were urged to continue to work against their fears, be open to opportunities, and to choose what they love to do. Suggestions were made to help this journey towards knowing and loving oneself. Keep a journal every day. Use your internship to learn life lessons as well as skill sets, and see even the smallest task as an opportunity for growth. Our third presenter, Valerie Mapp is an embodiment of John Burkes lessons. She took us on a journey of self discovery, starting at FITs Career Services department, where she filled a job listing as an au pair in France, to Hawaii, Tahiti, India, and around the world collecting fabrics and learning the techniques of knotting and tying fabrics into fashion. She returned to start Knottitude, a company that specializes in resort wear, and incorporates her love of fabric and knotting techniques learned in her travels. We were treated to a video featuring several of her fashion shows. The students were surveyed on their experiences at the retreat. 100% of the students said they had increased self-awareness and could apply this in a job search. 100% identified skills that their job shadowing and internship experiences should teach them, citing specific skill sets, communicating with different people, and accommodating different personalities on the job. 100% learned ways to accommodate their learning differences at the workplace, such as asking many questions, memorizing oral presentations instead of having to read out loud, use of color coding, and over learning the material. These pointers should lead to increased job retention, 80% learned more about their personal career goals, with two students still not sure. 88% of the students considered the retreat to be very worthwhile. For FY 2009, 100%of the students are in good academic standing at the college. The overall grade point average of students in the program was 2.88The average for the major area subjects was 3.08 and for the liberal arts the average was 2.88 Of those students receiving tutoring, 93% earned grades in the A-C range, 0 received a D, 1 student received withdrawal without penalty, and 2 received F. Eighteen students received their AAS Degrees, 6 with honors, and 14 received BA Degrees, five with honors. Two students completed their semester abroad program for Fashion Management and Merchandising, and one student is taking courses in England this summer, as part of her Accessories Design curriculum. Two of the students arranged for accommodations through this office while taking classes abroad. One student received the Interior Design Alumni Endowed Scholarship Award, and one student had her senior work for Accessories Design displayed at school. . 2. Linkages: The Career Component works with businesses in her efforts to match students with job shadowing, internships, field trips, and Networking opportunities. She usually is responsible for bringing in industry professionals to work with students at the overnight retreat, but this was taken over this year by the coordinator of the program.

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3. Special Populations: This major effort serves learning disabled students attending FIT by providing extensive support services to these students. A large majority of participating students passed the courses in which they were tutored or received accommodations and remained in good academic standing at the college. 4. Personnel: Name Susan Altman Georgette Smith Sharon Jacas Various 5. Publications: N/A 6. Equipment: N/A Title Coordinator Career Counselor Counselor Tutors Responsibilities %of Time coordinates and oversees services 20% Counseling and job shadowing/ Trips and internships 10% Individual counseling and workshops 10% Individual and group sessions N/A

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