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ERIC Number: ED509576
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 50
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Enriched and Inspired: Service Pathways to College Success
Barnett, Lynn; Jeandron, Carol
American Association of Community Colleges (NJ1)
With support from the U.S. Department of Education and advice from an external panel of experts, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) published a book that described disability support practices and programs designed to help community college students with disabilities reach their fullest potential. The book was an outgrowth of a 1992 survey of college programs, and was followed in 1996 with a second survey of community college disability support programs. In 1994 AACC initiated a new program that became known as Community Colleges Broadening Horizons through Service Learning, with support from the Learn and Serve America program of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). With 15 years of continuous support from Learn and Serve America, the network has grown to 70 Horizons colleges that have placed 29,000 students conducting 466,000 hours of direct community service (a monetary value of $9.4 million); worked with more than 2,000 community college faculty; and affected more than 5,000 local agencies and schools and more than 600,000 individuals. It was within this context that AACC applied for and received funding from 2005 to 2009 through a CNCS special initiative, Engaging Persons with Disabilities in National and Community Service. With CNCS support, AACC selected 14 community colleges to become part of a new program, Project Reach: Service Inclusion for Students with Disabilities. The goal was to introduce, strengthen, or expand programs to provide service learning and service opportunities for students with disabilities. Four disability support specialists from other community colleges formed the Project Reach mentor team that helped guide the program's progress. In 2008, eight of the colleges explored ways to engage veterans and students in developmental education courses. Students who participated in Project Reach gained opportunities to learn life skills to help with employment, careers, and personal development--the requirements of the grants--but many reported meaningful life changes as well. Personal experiences of students grounded the colleges' work. This report describes briefly the students who participated and then reviews the types of strategies colleges employed to engage students, particularly those who may be out of the mainstream. (Contains 6 figures, 6 resources and 4 online resources.) [This paper was written with the assistance of Madeline Patton.]
American Association of Community Colleges. One Dupont Circle NW Suite 410, Washington, DC 20015. Tel: 202-728-0200; Fax: 202-833-2467; Web site: http://www.aacc.nche.edu
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Corporation for National and Community Service, Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: American Association of Community Colleges
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A