Program Provides Disabled Students with Independence

24 Nov 2009

by: Rachel Platis, The Daily Texan

Jeffrey Weinthal, Austin Community College student, pauses for a moment while discussing his desire to become a writer. Weinthal has used College Living Experience for approximately three months and has enjoyed the assistance it has provided him with.

Jeffrey Weinthal has done a lot of growing up in the past six years.

The 21-year-old moved from Michigan to Texas after graduating from high school, suffered the loss of a parent and started taking classes at a community college while living with Asperger Syndrome.

Despite the challenges, Weinthal has found a home in Austin in a program called College Living Experience, a postsecondary program for college students who require support with academic, social and independent living skills.

“It’s amazing here, and there’s no place like it,” Weinthal said. “[College Living Experience] is liberating because I have independence. I like being treated like an adult.”

Weinthal joined the program this semester, and takes hospitality and Texas history classes at Austin Community College. He is quick to tell you about his experiences with College Living Experience, which include working with many of the staff members at the office in north Austin.

“We have relationships with every student here,” said Director Athena Newsom. “More than the diplomas on the walls, it’s the safe place we provide that students and their families cherish.”

College Living Experience helps students like Weinthal living with Asperger’s, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other learning disabilities or social and emotional maturation issues to become successful learners and more independent adults. Students come from Austin Community College, UT, St. Edward’s University, Concordia University and other educational and vocational institutions.

“Everything that we do with students allows them to transfer skills to adulthood and a professional life,” said Admissions Coordinator Martha Dorow. “It’s about living an adult life with responsibilities, but a full team of support.”

College Living Experience in Austin currently serves about 35 students, and has served about 75 students since the local office opened in 2006, Dorow said.

“For the most part, our students are intelligent and often times above average,” Dorow said. “Something that’s frustrating for our students is that it’s not a question of ability or aptitude, but an issue of access.”

She said that because disabilities can be invisible, people make the assumption that students need to try harder, or just get organized.

“For many with learning issues, communication is difficult,” Dorow said. “But you can’t always expect someone who’s got that challenge to navigate an administrative system and get the help they need.”

Misty, the mother of one UT senior who wished not to be named, said her son sought help from the program during his junior year. The program helped him with severe lack of organization and social skills, she said.

UT’s Services for Students with Disabilities recommended College Learning Experiences, and the student traveled up to the center every weekday for assistance.

“[My son] is a very literal rule interpreter, and doesn’t do well with faces. So, he would do his homework but couldn’t figure out who the TA was,” Misty said. “So his homework wouldn’t get turned in.”

In terms of going to school with a disability, students have to be proactive about the disability process, Misty said, which requires students to register their disability with the University and present letters to professors about their conditions.