By: Oliver Musters

College can be a daunting prospect for seniors. They areexpected to take on adult responsibilities in a new academic environment. They might worry about the abrupt college
transition- a profound shift for anyone, especially those with disabilities, who must work harder to achieve the same results as their peers. Luckily, they can prepare for college by enrolling in Project Access (PA), a Howard Community College (HCC) summer program exclusive to students with disabilities.

Recent data emphasizes PA’s critical role in guiding students with disabilities to college success as they face major challenges in a scholarly system primarily catering to the majority without disabilities. According to Lyss Welding from Best Colleges on “Students with Disabilities in Higher Education: Enrollment Data, Outcomes, and Inclusion,” 21% of students with disabilities attain a four-year college degree, compared to 39% of students without disabilities fulfilling the equivalent education level.

The program effectively represents the pressure and independence associated with college life, where students must hold themselves accountable for understanding and turning in their work.

PA represents this idea well through teacher behavior. Just like in college, the PA teachers impose strict deadlines and never give students task reminders. The program’s lack of a gradebook reinforces its intent of simulating college life, since participants receive a glimpse of the college experience without the impending stress of grades. When I finished the program, I felt truly ready for college- not from the anxiety of a real grade slip, but from a risk-free glimpse of the anxiety. The program, cultivating an environment of intrinsic motivation, allowed my discipline to outshine my stress.

I attended eight classes at PA, covering topics including performing arts, creative writing, career skills, and financial and information literacy. All of the courses proved themselves to be informative and educationally relevant in their respective way. For example, I learned about various testing stress and wellness strategies, which I now use to enhance my personal and academic life. PA hosts a college selection course, through which I learned how to use Niche, a website that made college research as simple as possible. Niche enabled me to research thousands of colleges at the click of a button, finding information about any school’s acceptance rate, test scores, and education quality.

The course tasked me with researching a few colleges, then creating a slideshow about the college I wanted to attend the most.

Without PA’s guidance, I likely would not have discovered my dream college, Stevenson University. If I had chosen not to attend PA, I may not have had the opportunity and motivation to pursue my college goals the way I did. PA broke down college selection into foundation steps– identify one’s intended major, find colleges offering the major, then use Niche to narrow down one’s choices. After discovering this guideline, my avoidance of college searching became a drive to find my dream college. Leading me to discover the school I received an invitation from, PA gave me the confidence to walk into the college process not with fear, but certainty- that no matter how tough college may be, I can turn my aspirations into reality by preparing myself and overcoming hurdles with an open mind.

Success may require further effort for students with disabilities, but PA ensures the pos-
sibility of their success.