Special
Needs Hosts Sixth Annual Orientation Day
For the past six
years, the Special Needs Department at Trent University has been hosting
an orientation
program each summer for new incoming
students with learning disabilities (LD) and ADHD. This year’s
event was held on Saturday, July 12, 2003 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:45
p.m. and was a great success. Seventeen students and two parents
each, on
average, attended the orientation, where they learned about the support
services offered to them, inside and outside of the Trent environment.
Topics during the information session covered everything from identifying
and effect and impact of a learning disability, accessing the tools
and resources the Special Needs department offers and accessing the
Academic Skills Centre to finding a job on campus, financing a university
education and adjusting to the university transition for, both, students
and parents.
In attendance were
seventeen upper year students with learning disabilities and ADHD and
a parent of an upper year LD student.
The presence of these
upper year students allowed the new students to form relationships
with their peers and provided them with real information about the
support
services offered from the people who use them. The same was true
for the parents
in attendance.
Each of the students
left the orientation with a CD demo of the technological tools available,
such as voice recognition, as
well as a day planner.
The parents received a tutorial of the "just for parents" section
of the Web site which will keep them informed of key dates and information.
A
second orientation program has been planned for Saturday, August
16, 2003 to keep the group sizes below twenty students and maintain
a comfortable,
informal atmosphere.
For more information
contact:
Special Needs
Phone: (705) 748-1281
Fax: (705) 748-1509
E-mail: specialneeds@trentu.ca
Web Page: www.trentu.ca/specialneeds
Posted July 17,
2003 |