Project ACCESS
Moving Beyond the Open Door
Advancing
Community and Junior
College
Expertise in the
Service and Inclusion of
Students with Developmental Disabilities
In January 2005, the State
Board for Community and Junior Colleges (SBCJC) assumed responsibility
from the Mississippi Department of Education for Office for Civil Rights
(OCR) On-Site reviews at the fifteen (15) public two-year colleges in
Mississippi. The purpose of the review process is to ensure compliance
with various civil rights laws, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 (34 CFR Part 104), the Vocational Education Program Guidelines
for Eliminating Discrimination Based on Race, Color, National Origin,
Sex, and Handicap (34 CFR Part 100, Appendix B), and Title II of the Americans
Disabilities Act of 1990 (28 CFR Part 35).
Over the course of the first two years, the SBCJC's on-site reviews revealed that most of the two year colleges in Mississippi lacked trained professional disability service providers. The colleges met the letter of the law by having a staff member designated as ADA Coordinator, but unfortunately most Coordinators had no formal educational background that would prepare them to provide services; they had received little or no professional development in compliance, accommodation, and inclusion; and there was no formalized statewide network of higher education disability service providers from which they could learn. As a result, most of Mississippi's public Community and Junior Colleges struggled with what constitutes true accessibility: inclusive environments and culturally competent services, supports, and accommodations for individuals with disabilities.
During this same time
period, state appropriations for Mississippi's Community and Junior Colleges
were not keeping pace with the dramatic enrollment increases the colleges
were experiencing and the resultant demand for new programs, new faculty,
new equipment, and new facilities. While the colleges were undergoing
a 26.1% increase in headcount, they were experiencing a 17.1% decrease
in state appropriations. This equated to an overall 34.4% decrease in
funding per full-time equivalent student. Thus, professional development
budgets at the State Board and at most institutions had been greatly curtailed
or eliminated. Further, Mississippi was one of only twenty-one states
that did not have a state or regional professional development organization
affiliated with the Association on Higher Education and Disability, therefore
there was no local source for workshops, conferences, or training in this
field. It became apparent that only possible solution would be to find
outside support to establish a professional development organization for
higher education disability service providers that would work to strengthen
the professionalism, expertise, and competency of post-secondary professionals
vitally interested and involved in providing services for students with
disabilities.
With
that in mind, SBCJC staff applied for and received a grant from the Mississippi
Council on Development Disabilities (MSCDD) to fund Project
ACCESS - Advancing Community and Junior College Expertise in the Service
and Inclusion of Students with Developmental Disabilities. The purpose
of this project, as stated in the grant application, is: (1) to provide
for the initial start-up costs for formal, statewide professional development
organization for all higher education disability service providers in
Mississippi; and (2), to secure experienced local and renowned national
presenters for the organization's workshops and conferences.
The goals of Project ACCESS are to change the landscape with regards to
postsecondary disability services providers in Mississippi by:
1. Advancing high standards of professional practice, conduct, and ethics
among post-secondary disability services providers in order to improve
the quality of services, supports, and accommodations provided;
2. Establishing a forum for providing high quality professional development
through regular meetings and conferences for post-secondary professionals
providing services, supports, and accommodations for people with disabilities;
3. Facilitating the exchange of ideas and information among post-secondary
professionals in Mississippi who provide services, supports and accommodations
to people with disabilities through networking opportunities, and the
development of a newsletter, website, and list-serve.
4. Advancing post-secondary educational opportunities for persons with
disabilities through the development and coordination of efforts among
post-secondary institutions for integration and inclusion of persons with
disabilities in programs and services;
5. Communicating and coordinating with other organizations and agencies
involved in efforts related to the education, transition, and habilitation
of persons with disabilities;
6. Providing an effective, unified voice for post-secondary disability
service personnel in the state of Mississippi;
7. Promoting equal rights and opportunities for post-secondary students
with disabilities by encouraging and supporting beneficial legislation;
8. Providing information and support to current and potential post-secondary
students with disabilities and to those who support them.
Through these efforts towards systemic change, Project ACCESS seeks to create a culturally competent force of postsecondary disability service providers; to increase awareness and financial support for post-secondary disability services; and to foster an attitude of advocacy in our higher education institutions that will result in expanded educational, lifelong learning, and employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities in order that they may achieve their full potential with regards to education, employment, and personal fulfillment.
The Mississippi State Board for Community and Junior Colleges is proud of Project ACCESS and its involvement in the founding of Mississippi AHEAD, and on behalf of Mississippi's Community and Junior Colleges, Mississippi's Colleges and Universities (both public and private), and the students that we serve, we thank the Mississippi Council on Development Disabilities for their support of this groundbreaking initiative. Without the support of the MSCDD, the establishment of Mississippi AHEAD would not have been possible.
Debra West, Ph.D.
State Board for Community & Junior Colleges
Project Director, Project ACCESS
Access trouble? Contact us at web@ms-ahead.org