Program for students with developmental and intellectual disabilities comes back for second year at Fanshawe

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: LAUREN DIETRICH
The program is designed for individuals with learning challenges that want to seek higher education for future career success.

Fanshawe had great success last year with their first year of a program geared toward students and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The Community Integration Through Co-Operative Education (CICE) program, is a two-year certificate program designed for people with learning challenges that are interested in seeking higher education for future career success.

A Fanshawe press release from the end of last month had more information about the program, stating “Students will have the opportunity to complete an individualized program of study made up of courses from an area of concentration they choose.”

This individuality makes the program unique as they are not only receiving higher education, but can learn more about a specific area they are interested in. This allows the students to become involved in their education and become more engaged in their studies.

The program starts off with a semester of transition courses. These courses are geared towards facilitating a comfortable switch from high school to college. With the Transition to College Technology courses, students are designated iPads to learn how to use Fanshawe Online and other technology at the school. A video on the course home page includes testimonies of current students about how the iPads are an asset to their learning.

One student in the video said, “I use it for looking at slides in class when I'm sitting and having fun and getting interacted in the projects that we have. I really enjoy using the technology.”

Having this as a tool for learning helps these students organize their time and prepare for technology that they will need to use in their future careers.

Even though this is only the second year that this program is available, the students have given so much positive feedback.

“The doctor told my mom that I would never live on my own or graduate high school. Now I am in college and I showed them,” another student in the video said.

These students are defying the odds and proving to themselves and others that they are capable of getting a college education. Fanshawe is allowing these students to gain confidence in the work place and in their personal lives as well.

Not only is the CICE program beneficial to the students enrolled, it will also be a great thing for all of the students at Fanshawe. Diversity on campus allows students to enhance their self-awareness and social development. In every student's future career, they will be working in environments with people who have different learning styles, perspectives, and thinking. Understanding how to identify and respond to this is crucial in the work place and the general public. Fanshawe is creating a more well-rounded campus and in turn will have the same effect on the students.

If you are interested in getting involved with students with disabilities, you can become a peer assistant. In this position, you are paired with a student with a disability and help them with organization, time management, and/or mobility. To find out more, or to sign up, visit the Counselling and Accessibility Services office in room F2010.

Fanshawe is holding a community information session about the CICE program for the September 2018 start date. If you are interested in learning more about the program, visit room A2021 on Tuesday, Oct. 17 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

To find out more you can email Robin Frkovic at rfrkovic@fanshawec.ca or 519-452-4430 ext. 4085.