The Disability Support Services (DSS) office at Howard Community College is pleased to announce that a new program to provide additional educational support for individuals on the autism spectrum will be offered starting this spring semester.

This program, called Pathways, will be a collaboration between the college and the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS).
As the numbers of students on the spectrum increases, the college has recognized the need for increased services for this population for some time. This semester there were 65 students who self-identified to the DSS office as being on the autism spectrum. Many of these students have the intellectual ability to be successful in college academics, but are having a difficult time with other areas such as social issues, organizational skills, and time management skills.

Through this collaborative program, DORS will send a staff member to the college to work intensively with a small number of students one day a week. The students will have weekly one-on-one meetings as well as weekly group meetings with the DORS facilitator. Both will work closely with a DSS staff member. The DORS facilitator will also work with the student’s faculty members on campus as needed. This additional support will enhance the student’s chance of success on the campus.

The Pathways Program will offer career guidance and counseling, including career exploration activities to assist students in achieving their vocational goal; job search skills, including applications, résumé writing, and interveiw skills; and assessment services (career assessment, assistive technology assessment, and college assessment).

The individual and group sessions will enhance students’ awareness of their disability and development of specific coping skills, organizational skills to identify and meet course requirements, self-advocacy skills, interpersonal relationships, communication skills, and time-management and test-taking skills.

In order to be eligible for the program, students must be DORS clients and have a DORS Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) that supports college as part of their vocational plan, be an enrolled Howard Community College student, and be registered with the DSS office.

For more information, contact your DORS field coordinator or the following individuals:

Lee Armstrong
Pathways Program Coordinator
Division of Rehabilitation
Services
410-554-173
larmstrong@dors.state.md.us

Kathy McSweeney
Director, Disability Support
Services
Howard Community College
443-518-4606
kmcsweeney@howardcc.edu