Students with disabilities that disrupt their coursework may be eligible for math coaching, testing accommodations or other services offered through the ACCESS program.
Melanie Masters, an ACCESS Program learning disabilities specialist, said students who believe they might have disabilities should come into the center for testing.
“The program is here to help support people who have disabilities to even the playing field,” said Masters.
ACCESS, which is short for Accessibility Coordination Center and Educational Support Services, facilitates and provides services to help students succeed in the classroom.
ACCESS provides services for students struggling with many kinds of disabilities and disorders. Psychological disorders may include test anxiety, general anxiety, post-traumatic stress and others. Learning disabilities may include difficulty with reading and comprehension, math skills or even time management skills.
Attention disorders may include attention-deficit disorder, while health disabilities may include illness and chronic conditions that require the use of a wheelchair.
Norma S. Letinsky, ACCESS learning disabilities specialist, said the program has been at Moorpark College for at least 30 years. The appropriate accommodation depends specifically on the student.
“We look at everyone as an individual,” said Letinsky. “We serve a very broad range of disabilities.”
Letinsky advises students who take medications to plan classes accordingly.
“If the student is taking medication, we want to advise them to schedule their classes for times they are going to be at their peak performance,” said Letinsky.
According to Masters, many college students are unaware of learning disabilities due to confusion around the subject.
“If there’s a learning disability that causes problems in comprehension, or speed of reading then we would talk about what accommodations are needed,” said Masters. “Maybe they might need audio books when they read, so we would work with them.”
Shelby Marone, a 19-year-old child development major, said being an ACCESS student has shaped her college experience.
“ACCESS has helped with note taking assistance and they give me extra time on test taking,” said Marone.
Jenneah Dormond, a student worker with ACCESS, said that students will find camaraderie within the program.
“It’s about the connections that you make in the program with the staff members and with other students,” she said. ”The program can make your entire school experience very different when you feel connected to a community.”
Masters encouraged students who believe they may need services to set up an appointment with a specialist.
“We have over 1,000 students in our program, so you’re not going to be the only one who’s using ACCESS services if you come for help,” said Masters.
For more information on services, or to set up an appointment, students can drop by the ground floor of the LMC Building, call (805) 378-1461, or visit the website at http://www.moorparkcollege.edu/departments/student-services/access.
