As the school year begins, especially for those coming to campus for the first time, anxiety may run high about meeting others, interacting with professors, and performing adequately in classes. On Tuesday, August 28th, 84 students visited Bessey Hall before classes began to learn how to maximize their ability to become intelligent and informed Spartan scholars.
The annual Welcome Orientation Workshop provides important information regarding campus resources and the process for securing disability accommodations for those newly registered with the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD). Incoming freshman, transfer students, and current students recently introduced to RCPD were received in room 108.
The two-hour workshop began with a breakout session specific to each disability type. This allowed students to interact with their ability access specialist and each other, learning about accommodations specific to them such as options in transportation, assistive technology, and alternative testing. In addition, students benefited from the wisdom and experience of current students available to discuss how to effectively employ RCPD resources.
The group as a whole was then welcomed to the RCPD by Director Michael Hudson, introduced to the importance of self-advocacy, and the process for utilizing their Verified Individualized Services and Accommodations (VISA) form.
Next, participants were advised by three professors on how to best develop positive interactions with faculty through effective communication. Several students felt these strategies for success broke down barriers of intimidation. “It made approaching professors less daunting,” one said. Another appreciated “learning about how to present the VISAs to professors and build relationships” with them.
Finally, camaraderie was fostered over pizza.
Many students expressed gratitude about the information they had obtained, and, as one explained, “knowing I wasn’t alone” in needing resources to better adapt and perform. Another enjoyed “learning about different resources that I never knew existed at MSU.”
Thanks to the Welcome Orientation Workshop, more students enter classes armed with knowledge about how to communicate about their disabilities. But most importantly, they enter classes knowing how to best succeed in spite of the challenges their disabilities may bring.