MS. DIANNE ROGERS, 314 OLD MAIN – 824-2450

LEVEL I

Qualified students with disabilities are eligible to receive, free of charge, academic adjustments and auxiliary aids as required by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

·    Academic adjustments including testing accommodations

·    Auxiliary aids (e.g. Kurzweil Personal Reader, Textbooks on Tape, etc.)

·    Peer tutors

LEVEL II

In addition to all the services provided in Level I, Level II services are available, for a fee, to learning disabled students who wish, or need, a more structured program than Level I. The program places a strong emphasis on student self-advocacy.  Included with these are:

·    Summer program prior to the start of the freshman year

·    Weekly supervised study

·    Drop-in assistance

·    Resource Center staffed by certified professionals

·    Midterm progress reports

·    Special classes in writing and math

·    Accommodations provided in course work and testing

·    Priority registration

·    Tutoring in learning strategies available from trained staff

·    Note-taking services

Asperger Support Program

In 2008, Mercyhurst introduced a program to meet the needs of the growing population of college students who have been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome.  Our program focuses on building a foundation of self-advocacy, social skills, and sound academic progress. Recognizing the role that parents of students diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome have held in their student’s lives, families are consulted when appropriate in matters of concern. Students interact with a qualified staff of professionals from throughout our campus and receive a full complement of social and educational services. This program also includes access to all of the accommodations that students qualify for under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Our program is unique in that it depends on a duality of commitment from both the participating students and our staff. By working together, students within this program have developed their academic and social niche, demonstrated proficiency in their academic core area, and experienced an overall sense of satisfaction with their Mercyhurst College experience.

As part of Mercyhurst College’s Learning Differences Program, students enrolled in the Asperger Support Program will be provided access to a number of unique academic and social features. In addition to the academic accommodations outlined through the Learning Differences Program, students in the Asperger Support program receive social support. Included activities are participation in Asperger Advisory group, peer mentoring program, priority for single room in residence hall, social events including collaboration with Kaleidoscope of Erie, participation in Autism Awareness Month activities.  Students in the Asperger Support Program pay an additional fee for these services.