February 27, 2025 • 33 mins
Pietrina Probst is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and Director of ADA, Student Access & Disability Services at Elgin Community College. In this conversation, Pietrina shares insights into the unique considerations community colleges consider in providing disability services and why cross-departmental collaboration is a blueprint for success in expanding services for students with disabilities.
Elgin Community College Student Access & Disability Services webpage
Elgin Community College Accessibility webpage
Information on Northern Illinois University Being a CRCC Center of Excellence
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Taylor Bauer (00:04):
Here in the United States, around 44% of
undergraduate students enrolledin higher education are taking
classes at a community college.
According to the Department ofEducation, of those community
college students, 75% aretaking classes part-time. The
role community colleges play inthe United States is impactful
for many reasons, but theflexibility both logistically
(00:25):
and financially is a majorreason why so many individuals
with disabilities are able tonavigate higher education
effectively. Of course,disability service departments
are integral to ensuring thesestudents receive the proper
accommodations in order tosucceed as well. Elgin
Community College is nationallyrecognized as a leader College
of Distinction by achieving theDream Incorporated. And in
(00:48):
2021, the Aspen Institute namedECC one of the top 150
community colleges in the US inhonor. It also received in
2013, 2017, and 2019. PietrinaProbst. is a certified
rehabilitation counselor anddirector of a DA student Access
and Disability Services atElgin Community College. In
(01:08):
this conversation, Pietrinashared with me the unique
considerations communitycolleges consider in providing
disability services, as well aswhy cross departmental
collaboration is a blueprintfor success in expanding
services for students withdisabilities. Pietrina, thank
you so much for coming oninside rehabilitation
counseling. Um , I'm reallyexcited to, to learn from you
(01:28):
today and , uh, hear about thewonderful work you're doing.
Um, every guest who comes onthe show, we start with the
same question, asking them howthey came to find
rehabilitation counseling. Um,so what was your first
encounter with the field and,and what drew you to this line
of work?
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Sure, great question. Thanks so much for
having me on today, Taylor. SoI received my bachelor's degree
in speech language pathology,and while I was pursuing my
bachelor's degree, I wasparticipating in a practicum in
which I was providing speechtherapy to kids and adults. And
I realized that , um, thiswasn't the correct career field
(02:05):
for me. I am hard of hearing,and I was experiencing some
challenges with hearing , um,the kids and my clients. Uh ,
so I started to pursue othercareer paths, and I wanted to
specifically work with peoplewho are deaf or hard of
hearing. So when I did someresearch online and found out
about northern IllinoisUniversity's rehabilitation
(02:27):
counseling program with anemphasis in deafness, I was
immediately attracted to thatprogram. And I met with the
faculty and the directors ofthat program and recognized
that that was where I belonged. So I earned my master's
degree in rehabilitationcounseling at NIU, and I also
wanted to emulate some peoplein my life when I was going to
(02:52):
Harper College, which is wheremy community college that I
attended after high school, andI earned my associate's degree.
I connected with the displayservices office at Harper
College. And those staff reallyinspired me to continue working
with people with disabilitiesas a career path. So , um, I
(03:12):
recognize that I'm in the rightfield and I enjoy helping
people.
Taylor Bauer (03:17):
That's fantastic.
Yeah. Kind of a personalconnection and then it , it ,
it's so wonderful to hear whenpeople find out about this
field, how much it resonateswith them, almost like it was
like waiting for you to comeacross it. Yeah. So , um,
that's really wonderful. Youknow, go Huskies. Second of all
, um, oh yeah. Husky ,um, Northern Illinois , uh, was
, uh, recently just named ourfirst center of excellence for
(03:39):
Master's programs inrehabilitation counseling. And
if listeners are curious aboutlearning more for that, we'll
have a link in the show notes.
But yeah. Incredible program.
Um, yeah , wonderful. Uh, to,to see how many folks go to
their that program and reallyfind their yeah . Professional
footing and kind of theirpurpose really. And yeah , uh,
can't speak enough about thewonderful work that they
continue to do. Um, you'recurrently the director of a DA
(04:03):
student Access and DisabilityServices at Elgin Community
College , um, which is a , uh,huge impactful community
college here, kind of in ourneck of the woods. We're
located in Schomburg, Illinoishere . Yeah . Uh , in Elgin.
And , um, I'm curious just, youknow, broad picture, what
unique considerations areinvolved with a community
college campus in regards tostudent access and disability
(04:26):
services? And some of thosedepartments we know existed a ,
a lot of , uh, higher educationinstitutions, and are there
challenges related to acommunity college setting that
might differ from either yourpast work experience or maybe
like a traditional four yearuniversity?
Speaker 2 (04:41):
So, when I graduated with my master's in
rehabilitation counseling, Istarted working for a nonprofit
organization that specificallyfocused on job placement and
retention services forindividuals who are deaf hard
of hearing blind or low vision. So I did that for seven
years, and I enjoyed thatfield. I enjoyed being in a
(05:01):
nonprofit where I was workingalongside people who were
following the same mission that, um, we had assistive
technology store, we had signlanguage interpreters, we had
caption , um, we hadrehabilitation instructors ,
um, we had social groups forpeople that we were serving.
Um, we did have medical clinicsas well. Um, so we were, you
(05:25):
know , really trying to provide, uh, well-rounded wraparound
support for our clients. Um, sowhen I left that position and
started working in the collegesetting, it was a different
experience for me because I was, um, you know, sometimes, you
know , working alone and reallytrying to , uh, advocate for
(05:46):
accessibility and advocate formy students with disabilities.
And I didn't have that samesupport network that I had at
the nonprofit organization. Um,so that is one of the
challenges depending on whatcollege that someone works in,
they might be that leader inadvancing accessibility and
inclusion of people withdisabilities. Um, other
(06:09):
challenges might be , um,depending on where the college
is located and how large thecollege is, you know ,
sometimes funding can be achallenge. You know, that's
something that I've , um, beenreally advocating for. And ,
um, when I started here at this, um, current college, Alden
Community College, I was a oneperson office, and now we
currently have five of usworking in this office, which
(06:30):
I'm really excited that we'vebeen able to grow and support
our students with disabilities.
Taylor Bauer (06:37):
Absolutely. You know, there are so many times
where I, I talk to folks whosay they get hired as a team of
one, and I think that expertiseand really leading with the
knowledge and skills you haveas A CRC helps to show any
practice setting or employerhow vital it is to invest in
people who know how to navigatethese things Yeah . That are so
crucial to, to equity andinclusion, like you said. And
(06:59):
those are my favorite storieswhere it's like, you know,
there was one of me and nowthere's, there's more of me,
which is so good. Yeah . Andwe, we truly need more of , uh,
folks like you in all practicesettings. So I love hearing
that you've obviously on top ofthe department that you , um,
had growing. Um, you also leadan accessibility committee at
Elgin Community College that ismade up of faculty and staff as
(07:19):
well as administrators. All ofthose folks on that committee
have different perspectives.
How important is it to havethose different perspectives on
accessibility be a part of thatcommittee? And , um, what has
led you to success inadvocating for an expansion of
accessibility services andresources on , uh, Elgin
Community College's campus?
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Making sure that we're connecting with other
staff, faculty andadministrators who are allies
here on campus. So, forinstance, we have really great
allies with our distancelearning office, and they've
been critical to ensure thatour course content is
accessible and compatible withdifferent assistive technology,
(07:59):
like screen reading softwareand screen modification
software and text to speechsoftware. So they have been a
huge , huge support to us aswe're working towards our
accessibility goals. Also, theweb services team has been
integral to ensure that we'reachieving our accessibility
goals. Um, we've got greatallies in the web services team
(08:22):
, um, and they're solelycommitted to making sure that
our web content is accessiblealso , um, our folks in our
maintenance department havebeen great because they're the
ones that are helping withinstalling different push
buttons on campus, making surethat new construction projects
(08:43):
are built with accessibility inmind , um, and retrofitting
things on our existing campusto make sure that we're as
accessible as possible for ourindividuals with disabilities.
You know, just, you know, widerange of people, you know, also
our, our team in HR andprofessional development , um,
(09:04):
they've been key to help uswith organizing different
trainings for employees andfaculty on how to make
accessible content. So it'sdefinitely a team approach, and
I'm very delighted that , um,we've been , been able to
achieve so much , um, over thepast couple of years since we
implemented , uh, thiscommittee.
Taylor Bauer (09:24):
It's wonderful to hear, and I think you
mentioned, you know, howimportant it's to have allies
in , uh, addressing disabilityaccessibility and inclusion ,
uh, practices. It's a wholenother thing to have a unified
voice where you can cometogether and work toward those
things. And hearing some ofthe, the progress the
committee's made in the, in theshort time, relatively short
time it's been , uh, formed isso impactful. And we, we always
(09:47):
encourage folks who, if they'rein a work setting where maybe
they're the only CRC or there'smultiple departments that
aren't always as invested orhave someone on board who knows
how to navigate those spaces towork, to form committees and,
and help educate your peers,who I would hope at a very, you
know , basic level want to seeinclusion and accessibility at
(10:09):
the forefront of the , of anorganization. And CRCs have the
power to advocate, obviouslynot for their clients, but also
for just disability relatedissues in the workplace in a
way that others, you know,might be looking for that
leader because they know thatthey believe in that cause, but
they can't navigate it with theexpertise that someone who has
that master's degree incertification really truly a
(10:31):
disability expert , um, cannavigate that. So that's
wonderful to hear how muchprogress the committee's been
able to make.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Yeah.
Taylor Bauer (10:39):
For those who are maybe working on their graduate
degree and haven't sought outservices as a student from an
AccessAbility or a disabilitycenter , um, or have maybe not
worked as a counselor with aclient and provided those
disability services, what doesthe process look like from the
point where a student comes ,uh, seeking out services to be
able to , um, you know, attendclass and subed in , in
(11:02):
pursuing a degree? We ,
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Um, we have, we've tried to simplify the process
and make sure that is, it is as, as accessible as possible for
our students. Um, so thestudents will complete a brief
online registration form togive us some background
information about what is theirdisability and how does their
disability affect them in theeducational setting, and what
(11:27):
accommodations are theyseeking, what accommodations do
they have in mind already? Thenthe student needs to gather
documentation on , um, thestudent's disability. So it
could be high schooldocumentation, like an IP or 5
0 4 plan, or it could be otherdocumentation from a medical
provider or a mental healthprovider. And then the third
step is the student shouldschedule a intake appointment
(11:51):
with one of our accessibilityspecialist slash student
success coaches. And duringthat intake appointment, the
student will share a little bitmore about the student's
experience. Um, sometimesstudents are applying for
services before the schoolsemester starts, but other
times students are in the midstof a semester and the student
(12:15):
is struggling, and thesuccessfully specialist slash
student success coach can havethat conversation. Okay. What
are you struggling in ? Whatare some supports that you
benefited from in the past? Thesuccessfully specialist slash
student success coach reviewsthat documentation around the
student's disability, but thenalso gets to know the student
on a personal level and talkswith the student about what
(12:37):
accommodations the student iseligible to receive. And then
the last step, the studentwould need to officially
request accommodation lettersin our online system. And once
the student officially requeststhose accommodation letters,
then we can send theaccommodation letters to the
student's instructors, and theaccommodation letters only say,
(12:59):
these are the accommodationsthat the student is eligible to
receive. It does not discloseany confidential information
about the student's information, medical history, mental
health background. It doesn'tdisclose anything about the
student's disability. It justdiscloses these are the
accommodations that the studentneeds , um, to receive access
(13:20):
to the course. So , um, that'sthe intake process. But then
throughout the semester andthroughout the student's , uh,
journey here at ECC, thestudent is definitely welcome
to meet again with theaccessibility specialist slash
student Success coach forfollow-up appointments. So
let's say the student isstruggling with those
(13:41):
accommodations, or the studentis experiencing challenges with
time management or studyskills, or any other
challenges, the student isdefinitely welcome to connect
again and meet on a regularbasis with the successfully
specialist slash studentsuccess coach. So we're, we're
(14:01):
here from the start as well asto , um, you know, once that
student graduates,
Taylor Bauer (14:07):
Do you ever have students who kind of come after
the, the graduation point whoare kind of like, just not even
from a, oh , like servicesperspective, but who are just
checking in because they'vebuilt that relationship with
you and your staff? Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
There are some students who reconnect with us,
which is always really excitingto hear how they're doing and
rejoice over their successes inlife, but also help them
navigate some of the challengesthat they might be
experiencing. Maybe they'relooking for a job and they need
some extra advice on how torequest accommodations when
(14:40):
going through the interviewingprocess, or application process
or, you know , or maybe thestudent is working and just
experiencing some challengesand needs to get connected with
vocational rehabilitation , um,services in the community. So,
yeah . Um, we're definitelyhere to build that bridge for
students and help them along intheir life goals.
Taylor Bauer (15:03):
You know, similar to like transition services out
of a K through 12 system, it'ssuch an important resource for,
for students to have as theynavigate a new, like, lived
reality , um, within going ,going to a college and leaving
a familiar situation wheremaybe , uh, thanks to
accommodations and things likethat, they felt like, okay, I'm
comfortable. I know how tonavigate this space now .
(15:25):
There's a completely differentnew world to learn and
obviously similarities, but ,um, I'm , I'm sure that process
is , um, a little bit of likeconfidence building even. Like,
yes, things have changed a bit,but , um, we're here to help
you through. Yeah. You know,based on conversations with
others in similar job roles. Asyou, I know that a lot of the
times you're not just providingaccommodations and guidance,
(15:47):
but you also, you know, justshared that you're educating
students on what they canaccess or obtain to assist in
their studies. Um, whataccommodations are students
most surprised to hear thatthey can utilize in their
college experience? It
Speaker 2 (16:00):
Could be various accommodations. I think that
some of the students that wework with who didn't grow up
with accommodations , um, inthe K through 12 setting for
various reasons, maybe it's ,um, because they grew up in
another country that haddifferent special education
services than we have here inthe us . Or maybe it's , um,
(16:22):
because the student gradually ,um, started experiencing a
disability later on in life.
Maybe it's a student's age andthere weren't any special
education services , um, whenthe student was , uh, you know
, growing up here , um, in theK through 12 setting. So it
could be various reasons whythis is the first time that the
(16:43):
student is receiving any typeof support for the student's
disability. So sometimes , um,the student will be shocked and
realize, wait a minute, I canuse that technology, or I can
get that accommodation. Ididn't even know about that.
Um, for example, one studentmet with me. She was struggling
in her classes based on hervision, disability. She
(17:05):
experienced low vision. And Ispent three hours with her one
day just showing her all of thedifferent assistive technology
available to her, showing herthe screen magnifi notification
software, showing her the CCTV,which would allow her to
magnify different printedmaterial. Um, also explaining
to her about the process to getaudiobooks and doing research
(17:27):
on where can we get access tothe audiobooks for her, for her
courses. And she just walkedaway with so much more
confidence knowing that therewere supports that she could
succeed in her classes as wellas in the workforce, because
the specific training programthat she was pursuing here was
(17:49):
specialized and it was gearingstudents to go directly into
the workforce after graduating.
Those are those types ofexperiences that really make my
day , uh, so enjoyable becauseI get to see the students and
help them realize there'ssupport out there, there are
resources out there, and theycan utilize them
Taylor Bauer (18:11):
From my perspective as a team member at
CRCC, those stories we lovehearing, because that keeps us
motivated to continue to try toget the word out about how
important it is to have , uh,certified rehabilitation
counselors , um, everywherethat people with disabilities
are , uh, whether they're inschool or working or, or what
have you. So it , it'swonderful to hear that impact
(18:31):
and it , it does make me wishthat there were , um, more CRCs
earlier in people's lives to beable to help them navigate
these things because it'swonderful to hear that they're
able to receive accommodationsand help that they're needing
to succeed in college. But thenI'm always, you know, in the
back of my mind, I'm like, itwould've been amazing for them
to know that these things werethere earlier, because there
(18:52):
might have been hurdles thatwere even , uh, tougher to
manage , um, that could havepotentially been slightly
alleviated by knowing what wasat their disposal or what they
could access. So goodmotivation for me, right , as a
communications professional, tokeep getting that word out in
stories like the ones you justshared, help a lot with that,
particularly with employers andpolicy makers to point out why
it's so important to havesomeone , uh, with your
(19:13):
education and, and knowledge inthese roles, to be able to help
students and , uh, justanybody, any individual with a
disability succeed.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
One student we heard from the other day is using
Dragon naturally speakingspeech recognition software.
Mm-hmm . And shecommented about how it was ,
has been so helpful her, forher to be able to use Dragon
Software on a laptop that weloaned to her. And she has
greater confidence in herability to pursue a master's
(19:42):
degree and then also , um, jointhe workforce knowing that
Dragon would be available toher in her future endeavors in
life. So it's just opening uppeople's eyes and helping them
realize there's a world ofpossibilities out there, and we
can connect them to differentresources and, you know , help
(20:02):
train them on differenttechnology and, you know ,
teach them new skills. You know, maybe teaching them time
management skills, which , um,they can use here in the
college setting, but they canalso apply in the workforce.
Taylor Bauer (20:16):
Like you said, it must be so rewarding to see
that light bulb click forstudents and be like, to a
level, like, I can do this.
Maybe there was some doubtrelated to their, their
disability and lived experienceof, you know, I'm , I'm in
college, I'm gonna, I'm gonnado my best, but there are a lot
of things that are ahead of methat I'm gonna need to
overcome. And seeing thosemoments where they can see a
path that you're helping, youknow, them to, to identify must
(20:38):
just be wonderful. I lovehearing that. I wish , um, my
entire day was full of hearingstories like that, .
That's fantastic. Um, you know,this is kind of related to
technology and the way thatdifferent things are expanding
, um, as more research comesout. But based on your
experience, are there changesin the types of accommodations
that students are seeking in in2025? You know, there, we know
(21:01):
that there are always emergingtrends that require more
attention from rehabilitation,counseling , uh, researchers
and just expanding awareness ofdifferent accommodations that ,
uh, need to be offered, or ,um, maybe even just growing the
awareness of them existing atall. Do you see any changes in
what students are seeking ormaybe what they're qualified
to, to get in terms ofaccommodations? Uh, in , in
(21:24):
recent years,
Speaker 2 (21:25):
Yeah. We have seen an increase in the requests by
students to receive extensionson assignments and flexibility
and attendance. And they may berequesting it for various
reasons. It might be due tochronic health condition , um,
psychological disability, A DHD, um, autism. So various
reasons why the student may berequesting that accommodation.
(21:46):
Sometimes the student iseligible for that
accommodation, but other timesthe student may not , um, be
eligible. And one of the , uh,supports that we try to provide
to students is our coachingservices , um, because we
really don't want our studentsto fall behind in their classes
because if they miss oneassignment and determine, okay,
(22:10):
I'll, I'll do that the nextday, or I'll do that, you know,
in two days, it's a spiraleffect. So they might not, you
know, they might not finishthat assignment on time, and
then consequently they won'tfinish the next assignment. Um,
so it can, you know , reallyaffect students and their
success goals. You , we providea lot of coaching services to
help them with their timemanagement goals and, you know
(22:30):
, be their coach to help 'emalong. 'cause sometimes they
get discouraged or , um, theyjust feel unmotivated. Um, but
to have somebody who's , uh, anon-judgmental person who's
there to walk alongside themand help them , um, you know,
take baby steps, okay, let's,you know, break apart this
(22:51):
large assignment into smallerchunks. Um, I know it can be
overwhelming when you'relooking at that huge research
paper that you need to do, butlet's do one thing at a time so
that it doesn't , uh, becomeover too overwhelming.
Taylor Bauer (23:05):
It , it's great to have people who are
supportive of you and tellingyou like, you can do it in your
life. Yeah. It must, it's ,it's such an added benefit to
have that support in additionto the knowledge that you have
as A CRC to be able to say,like, I know that the different
ways that are , that you couldapproach this, that are really
going to help based on, youknow, any functional
limitations that you'reexperiencing, as well as just
(23:27):
knowing that that collegesetting so well, like you do,
and saying like, here are someapproaches that could really go
a long way. And honestly, a lotof that breaking things down
into segments and things likethat, I'm sure all of us could
use because it's so dauntingsometimes when we know we have
a lot of things ahead of us. Weobviously know that there's an
increase in , um,neurodivergence and mental
(23:48):
related diagnoses in the UnitedStates , um, and we know some
of those numbers are , um,highly concentrated with, with
students. And , uh, I'mcurious, what ways do you and
your, your team approachdiscussing mental or
psychological disabilities withstudents who , um, maybe don't
really even think of that as adisability, or maybe they were
(24:09):
recently diagnosed and they'restill learning to navigate
that. Um, how , how do youapproach those conversations
and those relationships?
Speaker 2 (24:15):
When I first started in this field, there was a
common misconception that ourservices were just for
individuals who used awheelchair, or it was for
students who experienced adisability in the K through 12
setting and had had an IEP, hada learning disability, had an
intellectual disability. Soit's been really rewarding to
(24:37):
be able to reach out to moreand more students and help them
recognize that we servestudents with various
disabilities. Um, autismlearning, disability, vision,
disability, deaf, hard ofhearing, you know, a whole host
of different disabilities thatwe work with. You know, that's
been, you know, one of ourgoals to make sure that we're
(24:59):
marketing , um, to thosestudents who might not think,
oh, you know, I, I have adisability, I can utilize
accommodations. So we dodifferent presentations , um,
across campus to let studentsknow, we're here, we're here to
support you , um, and we makesure that we provide different
brochures and differentpamphlets , um, to students
(25:20):
through the admissions office.
Also, it's word of mouth thathelps bring students into our
office. Um, one student came tomy office and this student
experiences autism and A DHD,he brought his friend over and
he said, oh , I just wanted tointroduce the two of you. And
then he left, and I was able tohave a conversation with his
(25:43):
friend and help inform thefriend about how to get
connected to our services. Sothat was unbelievable because
that means that the firststudent disclosed that he had a
disability to his friend andbuilt that comfort level, built
that trust, and was reallytrying to support his friend
(26:04):
with getting connected toservices. So I think that for
some of the students that wework with who experience
invisible disabilities,sometimes it is having somebody
else in their personal lifewho's really trying to
encourage them, really tryingto , um, connect them to our
services, which is, I think,outstanding and, you know,
reduces some of that stigma.
(26:26):
Um, also because ofneurodiversity being so, you
know , prevalent and having apositive connotation, I feel
like more and more people areproud to say, oh, yeah, I , I
am neurodivergent. Um, I, youknow, I think differently. I ,
um, you know , but I'm, I'mstill okay. Um , so I think
(26:48):
that that also has reallysparked more interest , um, by
students who are connecting toour services. Um, but then as
far as students who arerecently diagnosed and maybe
they don't have that supportnetwork, sometimes it's , um,
you know, working with thatstudent and helping the student
get connected to our wellnessservices office where they can
(27:09):
receive some short-termcounseling supports.
Taylor Bauer (27:11):
Yeah. I'm always curious , uh, with
neurodiversity, especially aswe've seen in, in recent years,
that we've identified that alot of the research has, has
been , uh, focused on men, notwomen. So a lot of women later
in life are, are gettingdiagnoses and , um, things like
a DHD just in general cansometimes be hard to diagnose
and maybe the, the way it'sdiagnosed has changed, and
(27:33):
there are people who could bebenefiting from accommodations
or even just learning moreabout it to, to understand what
they experience , uh, with anydifficulties with learning or ,
um, relationships or anything.
So it's, it's great to hearthat you're, you're able to
service as kind of like thathere , you know, here's some
information, here's somepamphlets, but also here's how
you can approach the collegeexperience. And , um, like any
college experience, the thingsthat they, the , the habits
(27:55):
that they're in and the, thethings that they do are going
to help form habits thatthey'll carry with them
throughout their entire lives.
So very transformative and ,um, very grateful that they
have you in your team to gothrough that with. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
And one student, she , uh, was disclosing to me that
she was experiencing some methmental health challenges, and
as a result, she was notgetting outta bed, she was
missing class. And so we weretalking about, okay, how can
you reach out to yourinstructors to let them know
that you're still committed tosucceeding in this class and
catching up in this class? Andso, you know , we talked about,
(28:30):
okay, do you wanna discloseyour disability or do you want
to not reveal your disability?
And she said, oh, no, I feelvery comfortable talking with
my instructors about my mentalhealth challenges and opening
up that door of communicationand seeking help from them
asking, okay, what can I do tomake up these assignments that
(28:50):
I missed? You know , what areassignments that Yep , you
know, they're not worth a lotof points. I don't need to work
on those if I don't get aroundto it, but start working on
these other assignments thatare worth a lot of points that
will help boost her grade up.
So I was really happy to hearthat she had that comfort level
(29:11):
with her instructors and feltthat she could disclose to
them. Um, but that's , uh, youknow, an individual decision
and you know, anyone , um, youknow, should, you'll weigh the
pros and cons, you know, and,you know , decide for , um, you
know , decide whether or notthe student wants to disclose.
Taylor Bauer (29:31):
Absolutely. Yeah . As more people have seen the
stigma around specificallymental health, but all
disabilities start to leaveroom for people to feel more
like they can take ownership ofthat, I think it is an
important point that you made,that being aware and accepting
a disability or mental health ,um, issue that you're dealing
with doesn't always mean youhave to disclose that to Yeah.
Everybody, right? Like that's,like you said, there are pros
(29:53):
and cons to that. And yeah, it, it's, it's a part of that
conversation. I think when wethink of advocacy and
empowerment, we think you haveto be on the front lines of
always telling people, this iswhat I experienced, this is
what I'm going through. Andit's liberating for some, but
for, for others, that might bea process that they have to sit
with and think about, and , uh,may decide that they need to
navigate things in a differentway. We know , uh, from all of
(30:13):
the different CRCs that we getto talk to and , uh, hear ,
hear stories about, like wehave today with you , um, that
working with individuals withdisabilities is more than a
job. Um, often it's beendescribed by past guests and
folks that I've spoken to as acalling. So I'm curious what
brings you joy in the work thatyou do as a CRC and in your
role at Elgin CommunityCollege? What
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Brings me joy is seeing the students as they're
accomplishing different stepsin their stages, in their
career. So achieving, you know,the first semester here,
receiving accommodations andsucceeding during that first
semester and making it throughand graduating here at ECC
during our last graduationceremony in December, I was
(30:57):
just so proud of the studentswho they were walking across
the stage at graduation. Theymade it, they, you know, for
some of the students I had beenworking with for, you know, a
couple of semesters or a coupleof years, and I was just so
proud of them . Um, otherstudents who, like for
instance, one student I wasworking with, he started
working with our officeinitially when he started here
(31:20):
at ECC, but then he decided,oh, you know, I don't need any
services. And he was takingclasses and was not successful
in his classes. And then herealized, wait a minute, I have
some people on my support teamwho can help me along. And he
decided to, you know, work withour office, work with the
(31:40):
tutoring center , um, reach outto his instructors for support
during office hours and reallytrying to take ownership in his
success goals . And hegraduated last December, which
I was just so proud of him that, um, he had a rocky start, but
then he was able to succeed andgraduate
Taylor Bauer (32:02):
And , and what a testament to the impact that
you and your team make. Youknow, and, and , um, every,
every story like that couldpotentially lead to another
person seeking out services.
And , um, that's kind of whythis whole podcast even started
is we want folks, specificallyindividuals with disabilities
to know that they have partnersand advocates in , in certified
(32:23):
rehabilitation counselors. Andwhether they're in school or
they're navigating , um, youknow, their community or
seeking employment, there arepeople who are especially
equipped to help them navigatethese things. And , um, while
there are plenty of people who,you know , are CRCs, there are
even more who wanna cheer onindividuals to seek these
things out, and hopefully thesestories, you know, can drive
(32:45):
them to, to look for thoseservices themselves. Thank you
to Katrina probes for thateducational conversation. In
the show notes, you can findthe links to Elgin Community
College's Student Access andDisability Services website, as
well as Elgin CommunityCollege's Accessibility
(33:06):
webpage. If you have anytakeaways or insights on topics
covered in this episode, emailus at contact
us@crccertification.com. Besure to subscribe to the show
on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, orwherever you're listening to us
today. You can find us onFacebook and LinkedIn at CRC
(33:27):
Cert and our website is crccertification.com. Until next
time, I'm Taylor Bauer. Thankyou for listening to Inside
Rehabilitation Counseling.
Here in the United States, around 44% of
undergraduate students enrolledin higher education are taking
classes at a community college.
According to the Department ofEducation, of those community
college students, 75% aretaking classes part-time. The
role community colleges play inthe United States is impactful
for many reasons, but theflexibility both logistically
(00:25):
and financially is a majorreason why so many individuals
with disabilities are able tonavigate higher education
effectively. Of course,disability service departments
are integral to ensuring thesestudents receive the proper
accommodations in order tosucceed as well. Elgin
Community College is nationallyrecognized as a leader College
of Distinction by achieving theDream Incorporated. And in
(00:48):
2021, the Aspen Institute namedECC one of the top 150
community colleges in the US inhonor. It also received in
2013, 2017, and 2019. PietrinaProbst. is a certified
rehabilitation counselor anddirector of a DA student Access
and Disability Services atElgin Community College. In
(01:08):
this conversation, Pietrinashared with me the unique
considerations communitycolleges consider in providing
disability services, as well aswhy cross departmental
collaboration is a blueprintfor success in expanding
services for students withdisabilities. Pietrina, thank
you so much for coming oninside rehabilitation
counseling. Um , I'm reallyexcited to, to learn from you
(01:28):
today and , uh, hear about thewonderful work you're doing.
Um, every guest who comes onthe show, we start with the
same question, asking them howthey came to find
rehabilitation counseling. Um,so what was your first
encounter with the field and,and what drew you to this line
of work?
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Sure, great question. Thanks so much for
having me on today, Taylor. SoI received my bachelor's degree
in speech language pathology,and while I was pursuing my
bachelor's degree, I wasparticipating in a practicum in
which I was providing speechtherapy to kids and adults. And
I realized that , um, thiswasn't the correct career field
(02:05):
for me. I am hard of hearing,and I was experiencing some
challenges with hearing , um,the kids and my clients. Uh ,
so I started to pursue othercareer paths, and I wanted to
specifically work with peoplewho are deaf or hard of
hearing. So when I did someresearch online and found out
about northern IllinoisUniversity's rehabilitation
(02:27):
counseling program with anemphasis in deafness, I was
immediately attracted to thatprogram. And I met with the
faculty and the directors ofthat program and recognized
that that was where I belonged. So I earned my master's
degree in rehabilitationcounseling at NIU, and I also
wanted to emulate some peoplein my life when I was going to
(02:52):
Harper College, which is wheremy community college that I
attended after high school, andI earned my associate's degree.
I connected with the displayservices office at Harper
College. And those staff reallyinspired me to continue working
with people with disabilitiesas a career path. So , um, I
(03:12):
recognize that I'm in the rightfield and I enjoy helping
people.
Taylor Bauer (03:17):
That's fantastic.
Yeah. Kind of a personalconnection and then it , it ,
it's so wonderful to hear whenpeople find out about this
field, how much it resonateswith them, almost like it was
like waiting for you to comeacross it. Yeah. So , um,
that's really wonderful. Youknow, go Huskies. Second of all
, um, oh yeah.
, uh, recently just named ourfirst center of excellence for
(03:39):
Master's programs inrehabilitation counseling. And
if listeners are curious aboutlearning more for that, we'll
have a link in the show notes.
But yeah. Incredible program.
Um, yeah , wonderful. Uh, to,to see how many folks go to
their that program and reallyfind their yeah . Professional
footing and kind of theirpurpose really. And yeah , uh,
can't speak enough about thewonderful work that they
continue to do. Um, you'recurrently the director of a DA
(04:03):
student Access and DisabilityServices at Elgin Community
College , um, which is a , uh,huge impactful community
college here, kind of in ourneck of the woods. We're
located in Schomburg, Illinoishere . Yeah . Uh , in Elgin.
And , um, I'm curious just, youknow, broad picture, what
unique considerations areinvolved with a community
college campus in regards tostudent access and disability
(04:26):
services? And some of thosedepartments we know existed a ,
a lot of , uh, higher educationinstitutions, and are there
challenges related to acommunity college setting that
might differ from either yourpast work experience or maybe
like a traditional four yearuniversity?
Speaker 2 (04:41):
So, when I graduated with my master's in
rehabilitation counseling, Istarted working for a nonprofit
organization that specificallyfocused on job placement and
retention services forindividuals who are deaf hard
of hearing blind or low vision. So I did that for seven
years, and I enjoyed thatfield. I enjoyed being in a
(05:01):
nonprofit where I was workingalongside people who were
following the same mission that, um, we had assistive
technology store, we had signlanguage interpreters, we had
caption , um, we hadrehabilitation instructors ,
um, we had social groups forpeople that we were serving.
Um, we did have medical clinicsas well. Um, so we were, you
(05:25):
know , really trying to provide, uh, well-rounded wraparound
support for our clients. Um, sowhen I left that position and
started working in the collegesetting, it was a different
experience for me because I was, um, you know, sometimes, you
know , working alone and reallytrying to , uh, advocate for
(05:46):
accessibility and advocate formy students with disabilities.
And I didn't have that samesupport network that I had at
the nonprofit organization. Um,so that is one of the
challenges depending on whatcollege that someone works in,
they might be that leader inadvancing accessibility and
inclusion of people withdisabilities. Um, other
(06:09):
challenges might be , um,depending on where the college
is located and how large thecollege is, you know ,
sometimes funding can be achallenge. You know, that's
something that I've , um, beenreally advocating for. And ,
um, when I started here at this, um, current college, Alden
Community College, I was a oneperson office, and now we
currently have five of usworking in this office, which
(06:30):
I'm really excited that we'vebeen able to grow and support
our students with disabilities.
Taylor Bauer (06:37):
Absolutely. You know, there are so many times
where I, I talk to folks whosay they get hired as a team of
one, and I think that expertiseand really leading with the
knowledge and skills you haveas A CRC helps to show any
practice setting or employerhow vital it is to invest in
people who know how to navigatethese things Yeah . That are so
crucial to, to equity andinclusion, like you said. And
(06:59):
those are my favorite storieswhere it's like, you know,
there was one of me and nowthere's, there's more of me,
which is so good. Yeah . Andwe, we truly need more of , uh,
folks like you in all practicesettings. So I love hearing
that you've obviously on top ofthe department that you , um,
had growing. Um, you also leadan accessibility committee at
Elgin Community College that ismade up of faculty and staff as
(07:19):
well as administrators. All ofthose folks on that committee
have different perspectives.
How important is it to havethose different perspectives on
accessibility be a part of thatcommittee? And , um, what has
led you to success inadvocating for an expansion of
accessibility services andresources on , uh, Elgin
Community College's campus?
Speaker 2 (07:39):
Making sure that we're connecting with other
staff, faculty andadministrators who are allies
here on campus. So, forinstance, we have really great
allies with our distancelearning office, and they've
been critical to ensure thatour course content is
accessible and compatible withdifferent assistive technology,
(07:59):
like screen reading softwareand screen modification
software and text to speechsoftware. So they have been a
huge , huge support to us aswe're working towards our
accessibility goals. Also, theweb services team has been
integral to ensure that we'reachieving our accessibility
goals. Um, we've got greatallies in the web services team
(08:22):
, um, and they're solelycommitted to making sure that
our web content is accessiblealso , um, our folks in our
maintenance department havebeen great because they're the
ones that are helping withinstalling different push
buttons on campus, making surethat new construction projects
(08:43):
are built with accessibility inmind , um, and retrofitting
things on our existing campusto make sure that we're as
accessible as possible for ourindividuals with disabilities.
You know, just, you know, widerange of people, you know, also
our, our team in HR andprofessional development , um,
(09:04):
they've been key to help uswith organizing different
trainings for employees andfaculty on how to make
accessible content. So it'sdefinitely a team approach, and
I'm very delighted that , um,we've been , been able to
achieve so much , um, over thepast couple of years since we
implemented , uh, thiscommittee.
Taylor Bauer (09:24):
It's wonderful to hear, and I think you
mentioned, you know, howimportant it's to have allies
in , uh, addressing disabilityaccessibility and inclusion ,
uh, practices. It's a wholenother thing to have a unified
voice where you can cometogether and work toward those
things. And hearing some ofthe, the progress the
committee's made in the, in theshort time, relatively short
time it's been , uh, formed isso impactful. And we, we always
(09:47):
encourage folks who, if they'rein a work setting where maybe
they're the only CRC or there'smultiple departments that
aren't always as invested orhave someone on board who knows
how to navigate those spaces towork, to form committees and,
and help educate your peers,who I would hope at a very, you
know , basic level want to seeinclusion and accessibility at
(10:09):
the forefront of the , of anorganization. And CRCs have the
power to advocate, obviouslynot for their clients, but also
for just disability relatedissues in the workplace in a
way that others, you know,might be looking for that
leader because they know thatthey believe in that cause, but
they can't navigate it with theexpertise that someone who has
that master's degree incertification really truly a
(10:31):
disability expert , um, cannavigate that. So that's
wonderful to hear how muchprogress the committee's been
able to make.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Yeah.
Taylor Bauer (10:39):
For those who are maybe working on their graduate
degree and haven't sought outservices as a student from an
AccessAbility or a disabilitycenter , um, or have maybe not
worked as a counselor with aclient and provided those
disability services, what doesthe process look like from the
point where a student comes ,uh, seeking out services to be
able to , um, you know, attendclass and subed in , in
(11:02):
pursuing a degree? We ,
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Um, we have, we've tried to simplify the process
and make sure that is, it is as, as accessible as possible for
our students. Um, so thestudents will complete a brief
online registration form togive us some background
information about what is theirdisability and how does their
disability affect them in theeducational setting, and what
(11:27):
accommodations are theyseeking, what accommodations do
they have in mind already? Thenthe student needs to gather
documentation on , um, thestudent's disability. So it
could be high schooldocumentation, like an IP or 5
0 4 plan, or it could be otherdocumentation from a medical
provider or a mental healthprovider. And then the third
step is the student shouldschedule a intake appointment
(11:51):
with one of our accessibilityspecialist slash student
success coaches. And duringthat intake appointment, the
student will share a little bitmore about the student's
experience. Um, sometimesstudents are applying for
services before the schoolsemester starts, but other
times students are in the midstof a semester and the student
(12:15):
is struggling, and thesuccessfully specialist slash
student success coach can havethat conversation. Okay. What
are you struggling in ? Whatare some supports that you
benefited from in the past? Thesuccessfully specialist slash
student success coach reviewsthat documentation around the
student's disability, but thenalso gets to know the student
on a personal level and talkswith the student about what
(12:37):
accommodations the student iseligible to receive. And then
the last step, the studentwould need to officially
request accommodation lettersin our online system. And once
the student officially requeststhose accommodation letters,
then we can send theaccommodation letters to the
student's instructors, and theaccommodation letters only say,
(12:59):
these are the accommodationsthat the student is eligible to
receive. It does not discloseany confidential information
about the student's information, medical history, mental
health background. It doesn'tdisclose anything about the
student's disability. It justdiscloses these are the
accommodations that the studentneeds , um, to receive access
(13:20):
to the course. So , um, that'sthe intake process. But then
throughout the semester andthroughout the student's , uh,
journey here at ECC, thestudent is definitely welcome
to meet again with theaccessibility specialist slash
student Success coach forfollow-up appointments. So
let's say the student isstruggling with those
(13:41):
accommodations, or the studentis experiencing challenges with
time management or studyskills, or any other
challenges, the student isdefinitely welcome to connect
again and meet on a regularbasis with the successfully
specialist slash studentsuccess coach. So we're, we're
(14:01):
here from the start as well asto , um, you know, once that
student graduates,
Taylor Bauer (14:07):
Do you ever have students who kind of come after
the, the graduation point whoare kind of like, just not even
from a, oh , like servicesperspective, but who are just
checking in because they'vebuilt that relationship with
you and your staff? Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
There are some students who reconnect with us,
which is always really excitingto hear how they're doing and
rejoice over their successes inlife, but also help them
navigate some of the challengesthat they might be
experiencing. Maybe they'relooking for a job and they need
some extra advice on how torequest accommodations when
(14:40):
going through the interviewingprocess, or application process
or, you know , or maybe thestudent is working and just
experiencing some challengesand needs to get connected with
vocational rehabilitation , um,services in the community. So,
yeah . Um, we're definitelyhere to build that bridge for
students and help them along intheir life goals.
Taylor Bauer (15:03):
You know, similar to like transition services out
of a K through 12 system, it'ssuch an important resource for,
for students to have as theynavigate a new, like, lived
reality , um, within going ,going to a college and leaving
a familiar situation wheremaybe , uh, thanks to
accommodations and things likethat, they felt like, okay, I'm
comfortable. I know how tonavigate this space now .
(15:25):
There's a completely differentnew world to learn and
obviously similarities, but ,um, I'm , I'm sure that process
is , um, a little bit of likeconfidence building even. Like,
yes, things have changed a bit,but , um, we're here to help
you through. Yeah. You know,based on conversations with
others in similar job roles. Asyou, I know that a lot of the
times you're not just providingaccommodations and guidance,
(15:47):
but you also, you know, justshared that you're educating
students on what they canaccess or obtain to assist in
their studies. Um, whataccommodations are students
most surprised to hear thatthey can utilize in their
college experience? It
Speaker 2 (16:00):
Could be various accommodations. I think that
some of the students that wework with who didn't grow up
with accommodations , um, inthe K through 12 setting for
various reasons, maybe it's ,um, because they grew up in
another country that haddifferent special education
services than we have here inthe us . Or maybe it's , um,
(16:22):
because the student gradually ,um, started experiencing a
disability later on in life.
Maybe it's a student's age andthere weren't any special
education services , um, whenthe student was , uh, you know
, growing up here , um, in theK through 12 setting. So it
could be various reasons whythis is the first time that the
(16:43):
student is receiving any typeof support for the student's
disability. So sometimes , um,the student will be shocked and
realize, wait a minute, I canuse that technology, or I can
get that accommodation. Ididn't even know about that.
Um, for example, one studentmet with me. She was struggling
in her classes based on hervision, disability. She
(17:05):
experienced low vision. And Ispent three hours with her one
day just showing her all of thedifferent assistive technology
available to her, showing herthe screen magnifi notification
software, showing her the CCTV,which would allow her to
magnify different printedmaterial. Um, also explaining
to her about the process to getaudiobooks and doing research
(17:27):
on where can we get access tothe audiobooks for her, for her
courses. And she just walkedaway with so much more
confidence knowing that therewere supports that she could
succeed in her classes as wellas in the workforce, because
the specific training programthat she was pursuing here was
(17:49):
specialized and it was gearingstudents to go directly into
the workforce after graduating.
Those are those types ofexperiences that really make my
day , uh, so enjoyable becauseI get to see the students and
help them realize there'ssupport out there, there are
resources out there, and theycan utilize them
Taylor Bauer (18:11):
From my perspective as a team member at
CRCC, those stories we lovehearing, because that keeps us
motivated to continue to try toget the word out about how
important it is to have , uh,certified rehabilitation
counselors , um, everywherethat people with disabilities
are , uh, whether they're inschool or working or, or what
have you. So it , it'swonderful to hear that impact
(18:31):
and it , it does make me wishthat there were , um, more CRCs
earlier in people's lives to beable to help them navigate
these things because it'swonderful to hear that they're
able to receive accommodationsand help that they're needing
to succeed in college. But thenI'm always, you know, in the
back of my mind, I'm like, itwould've been amazing for them
to know that these things werethere earlier, because there
(18:52):
might have been hurdles thatwere even , uh, tougher to
manage , um, that could havepotentially been slightly
alleviated by knowing what wasat their disposal or what they
could access. So goodmotivation for me, right , as a
communications professional, tokeep getting that word out in
stories like the ones you justshared, help a lot with that,
particularly with employers andpolicy makers to point out why
it's so important to havesomeone , uh, with your
(19:13):
education and, and knowledge inthese roles, to be able to help
students and , uh, justanybody, any individual with a
disability succeed.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
One student we heard from the other day is using
Dragon naturally speakingspeech recognition software.
Mm-hmm
has been so helpful her, forher to be able to use Dragon
Software on a laptop that weloaned to her. And she has
greater confidence in herability to pursue a master's
(19:42):
degree and then also , um, jointhe workforce knowing that
Dragon would be available toher in her future endeavors in
life. So it's just opening uppeople's eyes and helping them
realize there's a world ofpossibilities out there, and we
can connect them to differentresources and, you know , help
(20:02):
train them on differenttechnology and, you know ,
teach them new skills. You know, maybe teaching them time
management skills, which , um,they can use here in the
college setting, but they canalso apply in the workforce.
Taylor Bauer (20:16):
Like you said, it must be so rewarding to see
that light bulb click forstudents and be like, to a
level, like, I can do this.
Maybe there was some doubtrelated to their, their
disability and lived experienceof, you know, I'm , I'm in
college, I'm gonna, I'm gonnado my best, but there are a lot
of things that are ahead of methat I'm gonna need to
overcome. And seeing thosemoments where they can see a
path that you're helping, youknow, them to, to identify must
(20:38):
just be wonderful. I lovehearing that. I wish , um, my
entire day was full of hearingstories like that,
That's fantastic. Um, you know,this is kind of related to
technology and the way thatdifferent things are expanding
, um, as more research comesout. But based on your
experience, are there changesin the types of accommodations
that students are seeking in in2025? You know, there, we know
(21:01):
that there are always emergingtrends that require more
attention from rehabilitation,counseling , uh, researchers
and just expanding awareness ofdifferent accommodations that ,
uh, need to be offered, or ,um, maybe even just growing the
awareness of them existing atall. Do you see any changes in
what students are seeking ormaybe what they're qualified
to, to get in terms ofaccommodations? Uh, in , in
(21:24):
recent years,
Speaker 2 (21:25):
Yeah. We have seen an increase in the requests by
students to receive extensionson assignments and flexibility
and attendance. And they may berequesting it for various
reasons. It might be due tochronic health condition , um,
psychological disability, A DHD, um, autism. So various
reasons why the student may berequesting that accommodation.
(21:46):
Sometimes the student iseligible for that
accommodation, but other timesthe student may not , um, be
eligible. And one of the , uh,supports that we try to provide
to students is our coachingservices , um, because we
really don't want our studentsto fall behind in their classes
because if they miss oneassignment and determine, okay,
(22:10):
I'll, I'll do that the nextday, or I'll do that, you know,
in two days, it's a spiraleffect. So they might not, you
know, they might not finishthat assignment on time, and
then consequently they won'tfinish the next assignment. Um,
so it can, you know , reallyaffect students and their
success goals. You , we providea lot of coaching services to
help them with their timemanagement goals and, you know
(22:30):
, be their coach to help 'emalong. 'cause sometimes they
get discouraged or , um, theyjust feel unmotivated. Um, but
to have somebody who's , uh, anon-judgmental person who's
there to walk alongside themand help them , um, you know,
take baby steps, okay, let's,you know, break apart this
(22:51):
large assignment into smallerchunks. Um, I know it can be
overwhelming when you'relooking at that huge research
paper that you need to do, butlet's do one thing at a time so
that it doesn't , uh, becomeover too overwhelming.
Taylor Bauer (23:05):
It , it's great to have people who are
supportive of you and tellingyou like, you can do it in your
life. Yeah. It must, it's ,it's such an added benefit to
have that support in additionto the knowledge that you have
as A CRC to be able to say,like, I know that the different
ways that are , that you couldapproach this, that are really
going to help based on, youknow, any functional
limitations that you'reexperiencing, as well as just
(23:27):
knowing that that collegesetting so well, like you do,
and saying like, here are someapproaches that could really go
a long way. And honestly, a lotof that breaking things down
into segments and things likethat, I'm sure all of us could
use because it's so dauntingsometimes when we know we have
a lot of things ahead of us. Weobviously know that there's an
increase in , um,neurodivergence and mental
(23:48):
related diagnoses in the UnitedStates , um, and we know some
of those numbers are , um,highly concentrated with, with
students. And , uh, I'mcurious, what ways do you and
your, your team approachdiscussing mental or
psychological disabilities withstudents who , um, maybe don't
really even think of that as adisability, or maybe they were
(24:09):
recently diagnosed and they'restill learning to navigate
that. Um, how , how do youapproach those conversations
and those relationships?
Speaker 2 (24:15):
When I first started in this field, there was a
common misconception that ourservices were just for
individuals who used awheelchair, or it was for
students who experienced adisability in the K through 12
setting and had had an IEP, hada learning disability, had an
intellectual disability. Soit's been really rewarding to
(24:37):
be able to reach out to moreand more students and help them
recognize that we servestudents with various
disabilities. Um, autismlearning, disability, vision,
disability, deaf, hard ofhearing, you know, a whole host
of different disabilities thatwe work with. You know, that's
been, you know, one of ourgoals to make sure that we're
(24:59):
marketing , um, to thosestudents who might not think,
oh, you know, I, I have adisability, I can utilize
accommodations. So we dodifferent presentations , um,
across campus to let studentsknow, we're here, we're here to
support you , um, and we makesure that we provide different
brochures and differentpamphlets , um, to students
(25:20):
through the admissions office.
Also, it's word of mouth thathelps bring students into our
office. Um, one student came tomy office and this student
experiences autism and A DHD,he brought his friend over and
he said, oh , I just wanted tointroduce the two of you. And
then he left, and I was able tohave a conversation with his
(25:43):
friend and help inform thefriend about how to get
connected to our services. Sothat was unbelievable because
that means that the firststudent disclosed that he had a
disability to his friend andbuilt that comfort level, built
that trust, and was reallytrying to support his friend
(26:04):
with getting connected toservices. So I think that for
some of the students that wework with who experience
invisible disabilities,sometimes it is having somebody
else in their personal lifewho's really trying to
encourage them, really tryingto , um, connect them to our
services, which is, I think,outstanding and, you know,
reduces some of that stigma.
(26:26):
Um, also because ofneurodiversity being so, you
know , prevalent and having apositive connotation, I feel
like more and more people areproud to say, oh, yeah, I , I
am neurodivergent. Um, I, youknow, I think differently. I ,
um, you know , but I'm, I'mstill okay. Um , so I think
(26:48):
that that also has reallysparked more interest , um, by
students who are connecting toour services. Um, but then as
far as students who arerecently diagnosed and maybe
they don't have that supportnetwork, sometimes it's , um,
you know, working with thatstudent and helping the student
get connected to our wellnessservices office where they can
(27:09):
receive some short-termcounseling supports.
Taylor Bauer (27:11):
Yeah. I'm always curious , uh, with
neurodiversity, especially aswe've seen in, in recent years,
that we've identified that alot of the research has, has
been , uh, focused on men, notwomen. So a lot of women later
in life are, are gettingdiagnoses and , um, things like
a DHD just in general cansometimes be hard to diagnose
and maybe the, the way it'sdiagnosed has changed, and
(27:33):
there are people who could bebenefiting from accommodations
or even just learning moreabout it to, to understand what
they experience , uh, with anydifficulties with learning or ,
um, relationships or anything.
So it's, it's great to hearthat you're, you're able to
service as kind of like thathere , you know, here's some
information, here's somepamphlets, but also here's how
you can approach the collegeexperience. And , um, like any
college experience, the thingsthat they, the , the habits
(27:55):
that they're in and the, thethings that they do are going
to help form habits thatthey'll carry with them
throughout their entire lives.
So very transformative and ,um, very grateful that they
have you in your team to gothrough that with. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
And one student, she , uh, was disclosing to me that
she was experiencing some methmental health challenges, and
as a result, she was notgetting outta bed, she was
missing class. And so we weretalking about, okay, how can
you reach out to yourinstructors to let them know
that you're still committed tosucceeding in this class and
catching up in this class? Andso, you know , we talked about,
(28:30):
okay, do you wanna discloseyour disability or do you want
to not reveal your disability?
And she said, oh, no, I feelvery comfortable talking with
my instructors about my mentalhealth challenges and opening
up that door of communicationand seeking help from them
asking, okay, what can I do tomake up these assignments that
(28:50):
I missed? You know , what areassignments that Yep , you
know, they're not worth a lotof points. I don't need to work
on those if I don't get aroundto it, but start working on
these other assignments thatare worth a lot of points that
will help boost her grade up.
So I was really happy to hearthat she had that comfort level
(29:11):
with her instructors and feltthat she could disclose to
them. Um, but that's , uh, youknow, an individual decision
and you know, anyone , um, youknow, should, you'll weigh the
pros and cons, you know, and,you know , decide for , um, you
know , decide whether or notthe student wants to disclose.
Taylor Bauer (29:31):
Absolutely. Yeah . As more people have seen the
stigma around specificallymental health, but all
disabilities start to leaveroom for people to feel more
like they can take ownership ofthat, I think it is an
important point that you made,that being aware and accepting
a disability or mental health ,um, issue that you're dealing
with doesn't always mean youhave to disclose that to Yeah.
Everybody, right? Like that's,like you said, there are pros
(29:53):
and cons to that. And yeah, it, it's, it's a part of that
conversation. I think when wethink of advocacy and
empowerment, we think you haveto be on the front lines of
always telling people, this iswhat I experienced, this is
what I'm going through. Andit's liberating for some, but
for, for others, that might bea process that they have to sit
with and think about, and , uh,may decide that they need to
navigate things in a differentway. We know , uh, from all of
(30:13):
the different CRCs that we getto talk to and , uh, hear ,
hear stories about, like wehave today with you , um, that
working with individuals withdisabilities is more than a
job. Um, often it's beendescribed by past guests and
folks that I've spoken to as acalling. So I'm curious what
brings you joy in the work thatyou do as a CRC and in your
role at Elgin CommunityCollege? What
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Brings me joy is seeing the students as they're
accomplishing different stepsin their stages, in their
career. So achieving, you know,the first semester here,
receiving accommodations andsucceeding during that first
semester and making it throughand graduating here at ECC
during our last graduationceremony in December, I was
(30:57):
just so proud of the studentswho they were walking across
the stage at graduation. Theymade it, they, you know, for
some of the students I had beenworking with for, you know, a
couple of semesters or a coupleof years, and I was just so
proud of them . Um, otherstudents who, like for
instance, one student I wasworking with, he started
working with our officeinitially when he started here
(31:20):
at ECC, but then he decided,oh, you know, I don't need any
services. And he was takingclasses and was not successful
in his classes. And then herealized, wait a minute, I have
some people on my support teamwho can help me along. And he
decided to, you know, work withour office, work with the
(31:40):
tutoring center , um, reach outto his instructors for support
during office hours and reallytrying to take ownership in his
success goals . And hegraduated last December, which
I was just so proud of him that, um, he had a rocky start, but
then he was able to succeed andgraduate
Taylor Bauer (32:02):
And , and what a testament to the impact that
you and your team make. Youknow, and, and , um, every,
every story like that couldpotentially lead to another
person seeking out services.
And , um, that's kind of whythis whole podcast even started
is we want folks, specificallyindividuals with disabilities
to know that they have partnersand advocates in , in certified
(32:23):
rehabilitation counselors. Andwhether they're in school or
they're navigating , um, youknow, their community or
seeking employment, there arepeople who are especially
equipped to help them navigatethese things. And , um, while
there are plenty of people who,you know , are CRCs, there are
even more who wanna cheer onindividuals to seek these
things out, and hopefully thesestories, you know, can drive
(32:45):
them to, to look for thoseservices themselves. Thank you
to Katrina probes for thateducational conversation. In
the show notes, you can findthe links to Elgin Community
College's Student Access andDisability Services website, as
well as Elgin CommunityCollege's Accessibility
(33:06):
webpage. If you have anytakeaways or insights on topics
covered in this episode, emailus at contact
us@crccertification.com. Besure to subscribe to the show
on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, orwherever you're listening to us
today. You can find us onFacebook and LinkedIn at CRC
(33:27):
Cert and our website is crccertification.com. Until next
time, I'm Taylor Bauer. Thankyou for listening to Inside
Rehabilitation Counseling.
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