At the very beginning of this process, we decided
that we wanted APSU and the community to be involved in the development and
implementation to the maximum extent possible. The first step was to
create a focus group to discuss the needs of those with ASD on the APSU campus.
I was shocked by the response that I received from people wanting to take
part in this focus group. Over 30 individuals attended three different
sessions to narrow down our focus. These participants included parents of
children with ASD, APSU students with and without an ASD diagnosis, faculty and
staff from across campus, local therapist, local physicians, and others. The
feedback that these individuals were able to provide was priceless. I would highly recommend that anyone
interested in creating a program take this step.
Once the focus group was complete, we realized that
our main focus needed to be on social and academic support for our students, as
well as faculty training and support. This is when the real work began.
During the spring 2015 semester, Professor John McConnell and I took applications
from students who were interested in volunteering to become mentors and tutors
for the program. These students completed applications, went through an
interview process, and once chosen, attended a two-day training to become
familiar with ASD and the tasks they will be completing as mentors.
Seeing how excited these students were (and still are) to participate in
this program has been amazing. They have already put many hours into the
program, and they even named it Full Spectrum Learning.
Also during the spring 2015 semester, I worked closely with many
individuals, including the staff of MoSAIC at UT Chattanooga, to discuss
logistics and go through the proper channels to start this program. Over
the summer, I have worked closely with Martin Golson in the Academic Services Center to arrange
the one-on-one tutoring that our participants will receive and Lynette Taylor in the Office of
Disability Services to help us get the word out to current students. I’ve had many individuals on and off campus
donate their time to this cause, and it is truly appreciated. At this time, all of the work that has gone
into development has been voluntary, so I say with honesty that the passion and
dedication of our campus and community have made this possible.
At this time, FSL is a pilot program. This basically means that we are doing a trial
run. This semester, we will create a business plan, work with Vocational
Rehabilitation, financial aid, Tennessee Board of Regents, and a multitude of
others to make this program official and long lasting. The process can seem overwhelming, but it is
completely worth it. I feel like I should say that this will be a slow process,
but the fact that we were able to get this up and running in less than a year
is nothing short of a miracle. I’m
grateful to have been asked to oversee this program, and I am truly blessed to
be able to do so at APSU where the university and community are so
supportive.
