Photo: LaGuardia Community College/CUNY
Nov. 4, 2024 By Shane O’Brien
LaGuardia Community College/CUNY has received $5.8 million in funding to support students with disabilities over the next three years.
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) announced Thursday that it would provide $5,819,599 to LaGuardia Community College over the next three years to provide pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS) to students with disabilities.
The funding, which was provided on behalf of the Department’s behalf Office of Adult Career and Continuing Education Services – Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR), is the largest ever awarded to a single CUNY college in support of students with disabilities.
LaGuardia will use the funding to create a targeted strategy that will assist eligible students with disabilities receive job exploration counseling, work-based learning experiences, counseling on postsecondary options, workplace readiness training, self-advocacy training, and peer mentoring.
The funding allows the college to hire the appropriate staff, faculty, and mentors to provide Pre-ETS to eligible students with disabilities, including Job Exploration Counseling, where career advisors will explore employment paths and lead workshops focused on resume creation and interview preparation.
LaGuardia will also create a Work-Based Learning Experience, coordinating micro-internships for eligible students, and Workplace Readiness Training, assigning life skills coaches to eligible students and helping them adapt to work life.
The funding will further allow LaGuardia to provide Instruction in Self-Advocacy, providing students with support in career planning and the creation of personal and professional goals.
Finally, the funding will allow LaGuardia to provide Counseling on Opportunities for Enrollment in Comprehensive Transition or Post-secondary Educational Programs, with academic advisors on hand to help eligible students make connections between degree/certificate completion and their careers. The programs will also allow students to gain insights about their skills and interests and how they can be applied in a specific field or industry.
Pre-ETS to address high unemployment rates among people with disabilities and the difficulties that people with disabilities have moving beyond minimum wage job. LaGuardia cited a report from the office of the New York State Comptroller stating that unemployment among people with disabilities was 7.6 higher than among those who do not have a disability in 2022.
The college further noted that only a third of high school students with disabilities pursue a college education, while college drop out rates for students with disabilities stands at around 50 per cent.
Kenneth Adams, president of LaGuardia Community College, said the partnership with ACCES-VR supports the college’s mission of providing access, equity and inclusiveness.
“We believe that disability services and campus accessibility are critical factors in students’ ability to succeed,” Adams said.
Ceylane Meyers-Ruff, the Education Deparment’s deputy commissioner for Adult Career and Continuing Education Services, said the funding will empower students with disabilities.
“By providing opportunities to explore career options and engage in pre-employment experiences, we are helping to pave the way for their journey toward independent living and economic self-sufficiency,” Meyers-Ruff said. “Together, we are creating a brighter future for all students.”
Dr. Alexis McLean, vice president for Student Affairs at LaGuardia, said the services provided by the funding will prepare students with disabilities for a successful transition from high school to college/vocational training and ultimately into the workforce.
“By offering students with disabilities pre-employment services within a programmatic model that has the much-needed staffing structure and resources, our college can support their development as individuals, students, and professionals,” McLean said.
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