Learning Disabilities

Mitchell College’s Learning Resource Center is celebrating its 28th year as one of the nation’s leading programs serving students with documented learning disabilities and/or AD/HD. Click here to view our Academic Support brochure . It highlights the many unique features of Mitchell's academic support programs.

Unique to the landscape of college learning disabilities programs, Mitchell College’s LRC includes a staff of trained learning and writing specialists as well as three distinct Graduated Levels of Support:

Level I

Comprehensive Support offers intensive academic support services as students make the transition for high school to college. At this level, Learning and Writing Specialists arrange up to FOUR weekly sessions of academic support on an individual and small group basis. The content of these individual/group sessions is determined by students and their specialists to:

• Develop individualized programs of support focusing on the unique learning strengths and challenges
• Increasing their repertoire of learning strategies and study skills
• Foster development of metacognitive skills
• Strengthen self confidence, independence and self-sufficiency

This level is designed for students who need intensive academic support, usually during their first and second year at Mitchell College, in order to become independent learners. The cost of this service for the 2008-2009 academic year is $6,500.

Level II

Enhanced Support offers less involved and less directed support services designed to sustain student’s academic efforts. At this level, Specialists arrange up to TWO weekly sessions of academic support on an individual and small group basis. The Specialists will review overall progress, note improvements and needs, and discuss available resources. This level is designed for students beginning their second or third year at Mitchell College who are ready to take responsibility for their educational needs and goals, but who may need periodic support and encouragement. The cost of this service for the 2008-2009 academic year is $3,250.

Level III

Entitled Support consists of consultations provided on a student-initiated basis. At this level, students may make appointments with an LRC staff member as needed. This level is designed for students at the third or fourth year of study who have mastered basic learning strategies and have developed the skills necessary to advocate for their own learning needs. There is no cost for Level Three support.

Learning and Writing Specialists

Few colleges have specialists dedicated specifically to the areas of learning and writing. Mitchell College is the fortunate to have a large team of specialists who possess graduate and postgraduate degrees in the fields of English and education. At Mitchell College, two specialists, a Learning and Writing Specialist are assigned to each student enrolled in the Learning Resource Center. They meet with students one-on-one in scheduled mentoring sessions and work closely with professors to monitor student progress. All the while, they encourage independence, self-advocacy, and self-acceptance. Whether it’s strengthening skills in writing composition, test-taking strategies, goal-setting, time management or reading comprehension, Mitchell’s specialists are the core of students’ primary support teams.

Adaptive Technology

Mitchell College has an extensive array or assistive learning equipment and software. Some of this adaptive technology includes:

• Assistive Listening Devices
• Kurzweil Reading System
• Screen Reading Software
• Voice Recognition Software
• Inspiration Software

Academic Coaching for Empowerment

While most of us struggle to complete our daily laundry list of “to dos,” for the millions of people diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (AD/HD), the task can seem all but impossible. At Mitchell, The Learning Resource Center addresses the hidden effects the disorder has on grades, attendance, and student success in the form of an innovative new coaching model called ACE – Academic Coaching for Empowerment. This pilot program pairs students with individual LRC “coaches.” The coaches help students accurately evaluate and replace ineffective daily planning habits while allowing them to keep autonomous control of the coaching sessions. In the process, students learn about the effects of AD/HD and how it impacts their daily lives. The key to the success of the program lies in a daily ten-minute meeting between coach and student. Student and coach collaborate to:

• Set daily short term goals
• Assess the degree of completion of goals
• Reveal patterns of behavior
• Replace ineffective behavior with effective ones

Summer Transition Enrichment Program

S.T.E.P. is a four-week optional intensive summer program for incoming freshmen. S.T.E.P. enables students to transition into their fall studies by strengthening their study skills, improving basic academic skills, identifying their personal learning style and earning college credits.

Faculty Who Understand Learning Differences

Every college boasts about their ‘caring and committed faculty.’ At Mitchell College, this isn’t just an overused phrase, it’s a reality. Mitchell’s faculty are dedicated to one thing and one thing only – student academic success. Not only do they possess graduate and postgraduate degrees in their field of study, but they are also experienced and trained educational professional who are well-versed in the area of working with students who have different learning styles. With low student/faculty ratio of 12 to 1, Mitchell College classes are small and personalized. At Mitchell College you don’t have inexperienced teaching assistants, you have knowledgeable and caring professors.

The Dawn and Ric Brill Duquès ’64 Academic Success Center

In addition to unique programs and trained professionals, it is also vital that students have a learning environment in which they can feel safe and comfortable. Mitchell College is fortunate to have the Dawn and Ric Brill Duquès ’64 Academic Success Center, a learning facility dedicated solely to student academic success. Home to the Learning Resource Center, Tutoring Center, Career Center and Academic Advising, this brand new state of the art facility sits high on the middle of campus overlooking the water. The building has space designated for meetings with learning and writing specialists, classroom instruction, tutoring, testing, study, relaxation, reflection, and research.

Applying to the Learning Resource Center

In addition to fulfilling the requirements for applying to the college, students seeking admission to the LRC Program must also submit a complete documentation of disability. This documentation should include, but not be limited to, the following:

• The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WIAS-R or WISC-R) including subscale scores
• Standardized achievement testing, such as the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-Revised (WJ-R), the Stanford Test of Academic Skills (TASK), the Test of Written Language 2(TOWL02), the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests – Revised, or the California Achievement Test (CAT).

Results of any testing designed to examine information processing strengths and weaknesses, as well as documentation of the classroom and/or test accommodations.

For additional information, please contact Dr. Peter Love, Director of the Learning Resource Center or Jennifer Mauro, LRC Admissions Liaison.