Program to Help Students with Autism, Other Special Needs Attend College Opening in Washington, D.C.
Posted on May 11, 2007(Washington, D.C.) May 15, 2007
A program to help students with autism and other special needs attend college is opening in suburban Washington, D.C., and is accepting applications for the 2007-2008 academic year.
College Living Experience (CLE) provides intensive assistance with academic, independent living and social skills to college students with special needs such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Asperger’s Syndrome, non-verbal learning disorders and other learning disabilities as they attend college. CLE already operates programs in Austin, Texas, Denver and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and is opening programs in suburban Chicago and Monterey, Calif., this summer. Students from around the country can enroll at the location of their choice.
Students enrolled in the Rockville, Md. site near Washington, D.C., may attend classes at Montgomery College, a community college with campuses in Rockville, Germantown and Takoma Park/Silver Spring, and continuing education centers and off-site programs throughout Montgomery County, Md. Students will live in apartments near the CLE offices and student centers, the locations of which will be announced at a later date. CLE professional staff members work closely with students to provide structured tutoring sessions, independent living skills training and social outings. In addition, CLE will assist students who are accepted at any nearby college, university, technical or vocational school.
CLE provides intensive support in three primary areas to complement a student’s higher-education goals:
Academics: Students attend three 50-minute tutoring sessions conducted by professional tutors. They also attend a weekly course review and study-hall sessions three or four times a week.
Independent living: CLE staff work individually with students to introduce apartment living and provide support for the development of life skills. Students receive assistance with establishing and maintaining a checking account, paying monthly bills, shopping, preparing meals, cleaning and managing other daily-living necessities.
Social skills: All students enrolled in CLE are paired with a mentor who takes on the role of a big brother or big sister. Students also have the chance to participate in social-skills groups that gather around specific activities, such as bowling or movies. CLE also offers a variety of events each week, such as attending art openings, a local festival or a fishing outing.
“The greatest fear of parents of exceptional children is, ‘What will happen to my child when I’m gone?,’” Mark Claypool, president and CEO of ESA, said. “Many parents never consider college as an option and they worry their children will not be prepared for independent adulthood. With the support and services of CLE, exceptional students can attend college, earn degrees and achieve the academic and social skills they need to live independently.”
Betty Bryant-Greene Named Director
The local CLE program will be directed by Betty Bryant-Greene, who has more than 25 years of experience in education. She currently serves the National Association of Secondary School Principals as Principal in Residence for Special Education. She has served as a principal of mainstream junior and senior high schools and as a special education school administrator. Bryant-Greene has been a professor of education at American University in Washington, D.C., and Coppin State University in Baltimore. She earned her bachelor’s degree in art education and her master’s degree in school administration from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and her Ed.D. in Special Education from Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va.
CLE is a division of Educational Services of America, the nation’s leading national provider of special, alternative and post-secondary educational programs.
“By offering daily tutoring, independent living assistance, social events and access to a staff psychologist, we make sure all the needs of our students are met,” Steven Roth, Ed.D., executive director of CLE, said. “We focus on students’ needs so they can focus on their dreams.”
For more information on CLE, visit www.cleinc.net or contact Patricia Giner, national director of admissions, at 800-486-5058.
