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Notre Dame College’s nationally recognized services for students with learning disabilities is providing educational programming for parents.

The College’s Academic Support Center for Students with Learning Differences (ASC) sponsors a Parent Leadership Association, which is offering a year-long series of speakers for family members of students enrolled at the Notre Dame ASC. The group also is open to current students and graduates of the ASC program at the College.

The monthly information sessions feature area experts in learning differences, ranging from autism spectrum disorders to cystic fibrosis. The small group leaders are clinicians, scholars and researchers who also will address issues like money management and adolescent development.

All meetings are from 7-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. The schedule of speakers and topics for fall 2020 are:

  • October 26: Tracy Masterson, Ph.D., “Adulting, Transition, and Social Skills: College to Work” 
  • November 16: Michael Rusek, M.B.A., “Money Management Skills for Young Adults”
  • December 14: Beth Thompson, M.S.S.A., L.S.W., “Steps to Successful Self-Advocacy”

The Parent Leadership Association also will host speakers on the following dates in 2021: January 18, February 15, March 22, April 19 and May 17. Details are forthcoming.

Contact Julie Szwejkowski, outreach coordinator for the Notre Dame ASC at 216.373.6383 or jszwejkowski@ndc.edu, to register to attend or for more information.

About the Guest Experts

Masterson is a clinical child and adolescent psychologist and nationally recognized psychology faculty member and researcher at John Carroll University. She is an Ohio Board of Psychology licensed clinical psychologist, whose areas of expertise include autism spectrum disorders, culture and perspectives; cystic fibrosis; and LGBTQ issues.

Rusek is a visiting professor at DeVry University & Keller GSM International and a part-time faculty member in business administration at Notre Dame. He has served as an accounting consultant, controller and chief financial officer with Dworkin Inc. an international transportation firm with its headquarters in Cleveland.

Thompson serves as program director at Milestone Autism Resources in Warrensville Heights, Ohio. She recently was appointed to the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Council for Persons with Disabilities. Prior to joining Milestones, she worked as a youth transition specialist with Linking Employment, Abilities & Potential in Cleveland.

About the Notre Dame ASC

The Notre Dame ASC provides academic, retention and career services with a holistic approach to learning, which encompasses opportunities for social development, for students with documented learning differences, who are traditionally underserved in higher education. Services are structured, confidential and comprehensive.

With ASC support, most students graduate within 4.5 years. Merit and need-based scholarships are available to ASC students. The ASC has also been recognized nationally by Milestones, a national organization on autism and Asperger’s; the International Dyslexia Association; and the Learning Disabilities Foundation of America.

Each ASC student with a learning disability who had an IEP and 504 plan in high school receives weekly progress monitoring; unlimited, individualized, subject-specific tutoring by degreed professionals; a specialized first-year seminar enhanced by a partnership with the Cleveland Clinic; and one-on-one career training and workshops at the College.

October 2020

 

About Notre Dame College

For almost a century, Notre Dame College has educated a diverse population in the liberal arts for personal, professional and global responsibility. Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1922, the College has grown strategically to keep pace with the rapidly changing needs of students and the dramatic changes in higher education. But it has never lost sight of its emphasis on teaching students not only how to make a good living but also how to live a good life.

Today, the College offers bachelor’s degrees in 30 disciplines plus a variety of master’s degrees, certification programs and continuing and professional development programs for adult learners on campus and online. Notre Dame College offers NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletic programs for men and women and is located in a picturesque residential neighborhood just 25 minutes from the heart of Cleveland. Hallmarks of the Notre Dame experience include stimulating academics, personalized attention of dedicated faculty and staff, and small class sizes.

Notre Dame College is located at 4545 College Road in South Euclid. For further information contact Brian Johnston, chief communications officer, at 216.373.5252 or pr@ndc.edu.