News Article

Students promote inclusion overseas


3/4/2002 3:36:16 PM


Participants of the Canada-European Community Project include Dan Goodyear, coordinator, April Andersen, Cathy Alyward, Dwayne Dicks, Tammy Drake, and Serrina Griffen.

By Bridget Morris

March 4, 2002 - Five students from College of the North Atlantic will travel to Ireland and Spain in May to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of their lives within post-secondary institutions.

The students are part of a program called the Canada-European Community Project. They are going to the University College of Dublin, Ireland and the University of Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain for a four-week period from mid-May to mid-June, 2002. They will represent College of the North Atlantic students from all districts.

During the trip the students will participate in many activities. These include observing best practices of inclusion, attending lectures, presentations and conferences, visiting sites and schools, and doing their own research.

More than 35 students applied to be part of the program. The five students chosen were: Tammy Drake, a college university transfer year student from Marystown; Cathy Alyward, a hairstyling student from Fleur-De-Lys; Dwayne Dicks, a community studies student from Burgeo; Serrina Griffin, a business management student from Conception Harbour, and April Andersen, an access to training and careers student from North West River.

“Here at the college we are accepting people with disabilities into regular college programs. We do this by modifying the curriculum based on the individual’s strengths and needs," says Dan Goodyear, coordinator of Special Needs Delivery for College of the North Atlantic and the project’s Canadian coordinator. “While content may be modified, the individual can participate in a fully inclusive program and gain skills and knowledge that they can use in their chosen area of study.”

Serrina Griffin says she is excited about going because she has never been overseas before. She found out about the Canada-European Community Project from one her instructors. She filled out an application and had to write an essay about her involvement in an association for the disabled. The students with the best essays were the ones picked to go on the trip.

“I strongly believe in the promotion of understanding, acceptance and respect for diversity,” says Griffin.

That’s her slogan and she doesn’t mind sharing it with the world.

“I feel I can be another person speaking out for those wanting to do what I am doing and speak out for those kids with special needs who will be following me. I know I can help make a difference in the way people think when it comes to the inclusion of special needs students into post-secondary institutions and the workplace,” says Cathy Alyward.

The group hopes to study best practices and models of inclusion and share ideas through both site visitations and formal presentations, says Goodyear.

-30-



Bridget Morris is a second-year journalism student at the college's Bay St. George campus.

For more information call
Stephen Lee
Communications Officer
College of the North Atlantic
643-7928