Transitions Conference for 11th and 12th grade students in special education classes who are college bound is November 14 at WCC

Posted: Sep 11, 2012 at 11:29 AM [Sep 11, 2012]

The Preparing for Tomorrow Transitions Conference is an annual event held at Washtenaw Community College for high school juniors and seniors who receive special education services in Washtenaw County.  The conference is free, and it is the only one of its kind in the area.

 

Students with learning disabilities are intelligent, but have difficulty accessing or expressing information in some way.  Specialized educational techniques and a supportive learning environment allow these students to achieve their full potential, and often to go to college and succeed. 

 

Traditionally, students in special education graduate from high school less frequently than their non-disabled peers.  When they attend college, they have lower graduation rates and take longer to get a degree than their peers.  This can be disheartening, and, taken as a whole, means that a college degree is not as easily accessible to learning disabled students as it should be.

 

The Preparing for Tomorrow Conference was started twelve years ago to address some of the needs of special education students who intend to go to college.  By demystifying the process and offering workshops on study skills, how the brain works, preparing for college, and choosing the right college, the conference allows students to access information and contacts that would not otherwise be available.  The conference also features a college student panel, generally made up of past attendees, who give real world answers to high school students who are nervous about how to make it in the college environment. 

 

Over the years, the conference has been host to hundreds of students, and we have had many interesting speakers.  It has made a difference in the life of many college bound students with learning disabilities, and their stories are profound and inspiring. 

 

This year's conference is on Wednesday, November 14, from 8:30 am to 1:20 pm, in the Morris Lawrence Building at Washtenaw Community College.  It is jointly sponsored by Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor Academy, the Learning Disabilities Association of Washtenaw County, and the Washtenaw Community Transitions Council.  Registration is online and begins October 1 at www.preparingfortomorrow.org.