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OMMUNITY SERVICE
PROGRAMS

Fern Khan, Director
626-2705

PROGRAM FOR
DEAF ADULTS

Carole Lazorisak, Coordinator

626-2705, TTY 392-9240

The past year was in several respects a significant
one for the Division’s Program for Deaf Adults. First
of all, the program celebrated its tenth anniversary,
no mean feat at a time when shifting educational
priorities make the future of even the most commend-
able programs hard to predict. 1984-85 was also the
year that the full impact of the rubella epidemic of
the early 1960’s began to be felt, with LaGuardia’s
deaf student population tripling in the last twelve
months.

One of the high points of the tenth anniversary
celebration was Governor Mario Cuomo’s visit to
the program in March 1985. The governor visited
various credit and non-credit classes, including an

American Sign Language session in which he com-
pared the expressiveness of the Italian language with
some of the ASL signs to which he was being intro-
duced. He also met with the program’s deaf and
hearing impaired students, and pledged $125,000
from his executive budget for LaGuardia’s program,
which is, as Governor Cuomo noted, the largest edu-
cation program for the deaf in New York City.
When LaGuardia developed the Program for Deaf
Adults in 1975, educational opportunities for the
adult deaf population beyond traditional secondary
education were virtually unavailable in the New
York City area. This was especially the case in Adult
Basic Education, academic skills development and
career preparation. Since then PDA has provided
direct and indirect service to over 5000 deaf and
hearing impaired individuals. It has served an advo-
cacy role as well, bringing the educational needs of
deaf adults before the general public through confer-
ences, in-service seminars and newspaper articles.
The program is also remarkable for the diversity
that it encompasses. Deaf education is an area that is



COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAMS

14

often riddled with factionalism, but visitors who
come from as far away as London to observe PDA
would never know it: LaGuardia lip reading and oral
language skills are integrated with American Sign
Language. The needs and possibilities of the individ-
ual learner determine which combination is most
appropriate. The program also combines separate
classes for language development with interpreter-
supported mainstreaming into the regular college
curriculum as soon as the student is ready. The stu-
dent body itself is remarkably diverse—students
from a whole range of ethnic backgrounds, and with
varied communication styles, can be seen talking and
laughing enthusiastically in the cafeteria most even-
ings before six o'clock classes. The program has
made significant progress toward developing a staff
with similarly diverse backgrounds, and continues to
work toward this objective.

The majority of the professional staff of the pro-
gram are deaf and all are fluent in American Sign
Language. PDA provides outreach services (on and
off campus) in the areas of orientation workshops,
technical assistance, consultation and referral.
Examples of outreach include an “Orientation to
College Programs for Deaf Adults” which is offered

to federal employees, students in various programs at
the Board of Education, public library staff, and
local colleges.

ACADEMIC AND PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

Because the number of deaf adults and young people
eligible for higher education continues to increase,
the non-credit Guided Independent Study for Deaf
Adults Program (GIS) has once again offered eight
levels of instruction this year, and more than 90 stu-
dents per quarter participated in these classes. Two
levels of ESL are also available to assist the estimated
15 foreign students per quarter who enroll to learn
English and enhance their signing skills. Four Adult
Basic Education/High School Equivalency levels
enable non-credit students to improve their reading
and math skills, and approximately 10 students passed
the high school equivalency exam this year. Classes
in college preparation and college study skills serve
students with high school diplomas who desire addi-
tional academic preparation to insure success in
college.

A number of students have continued from this
program into the college credit program at LaGuar-
dia. In Winter Quarter 1985 30 deaf students were
enrolled as credit students. The college supports deaf
students with a number of positive provisions. For
example, the Writing Center makes available tutors
who are able to sign, and the Communication Skills
Department, in cooperation with the Division of
Continuing Education, offers a special credit reading
course for deaf students, taught by a signing linguis-
tics specialist.

The Program for Deaf Adults also offered non-
credit business and community service courses in
Microcomputers, Driver’s Education and American
Sign Language.

TRAINING PROGRAMS

This year PDA continued two training programs for
the deaf community which had been piloted in 1983-
1984. In part this effort reflects the growing percep-
tion that vocational training can effectively be pro-
vided in the community college setting. This is
particularly appropriate for deaf students, many of
whom do not gain marketable skills in secondary
school.

WORD PROCESSING FOR DEAF ADULTS
The second round of Word Processing for Deaf
Adults began in January 1985, once again with the
aim of helping deaf adults to gain access to word
processing job opportunities. Students participate in
eight months of training, conducted twice a week in
the evening, and involving keyboarding skills, word
processing, increased vocabulary skills, career prepa-
ration, and personal development. A supervised
internship arranged for students prior to job place-
ment is an important part of the program. Word
Processing for Deaf Adults was funded through the
Vocational Education Act by the New York State
Education Department.

JTPA SCHOOL TO WORK TRANSITION
PROGRAM FOR DEAF YOUTH

This program offers current deaf high school stu-
dents or recent graduates training in one of three
areas: clerical and office skills, word processing, and


INTEGRATED SKILLS
TRAINING PROGRAM
FOR THE

LEARNING DISABLED

Stanley Snitkof, Director

(212) 921-2985, 626-2705

In January 1985 the Division of Continuing Educa-
tion and CASE Institute for Research and Develop-
ment in Occupational Education of the CUNY
Graduate School launched a new experimental pro-
gram for learning disabled young adults who are
unable to earn a high school diploma and who want
to improve their basic skills, develop work skills and
obtain a job. The first cycle of the three year Inte-
grated Skills Program ran from January through
August 1985, and attracted 28 young adults, ages 17
through 22.

COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAMS

food preparation. With the assistance of an academic
instructor and job developer, both of whom sign, and
supported by several part-time teachers, the program
this year provided 23 students with marketable skills
attained through a variety of activities: academic

instruction (particularly English skills development),
carcer education, three month internships supple-

mented by seminars, and job preparation followed by

job placement. This program is funded jointly by the

New York State Department of Education and the
New York State Department of Employment in
cooperation with the Private Industry Council.

The premise of the new program is that many learn-
ing disabled young adults at the end of their public
school experience would choose additional training
for employment and independent living if appro-
priate training were available to them. The first cycle
of the program provided twenty-one weeks of basic

15


COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAMS

skill training combined with office/clerical skills
training, interpersonal skills training (including
interviewing), career counseling and a work/study
experience on campus. This was followed by an

eight week unpaid internship in a work environment.

Students were also allowed to use the extra curricu-
lar facilities of the college on their own time, and to
enroll in non-degree vocational or GED courses at
the college.

Plans for the second cycle, to begin in fall 1985,
include further integration of basic skills instruction
into the clerical and food service components of the
course, as well as integration of tutoring directly
into the classrom situation. In addition, paid, off-
campus work-study situations will be developed to
help students begin getting acclimated to the “real
world” work environment as early as possible in the
program. Emphasis will be placed upon recruiting
June 1985 high school leavers, and students referred
by advocacy groups to the program.

The program, which was funded by the U.S.
Department of Education, aims to develop a field
tested community college vocational training pro-
gram for learning disabled young adults which can
be successfully adopted by community colleges in

other parts of the country.

PROGRAMS FOR MENTALLY
RETARDED ADULTS

Fern Khan, Director

626-2705

The Division, in collaboration with the Association
for the Help of Retarded Children (AHRC), has
offered during the past two years a series of continu-
ing education courses for mentally retarded adults on
Saturdays. This year the program offered courses in
Reading and Language Arts, with curricular topics
organized to help students develop skills for every-
day living. Approximately fifteen students enrolled
each quarter, and response to the courses from
teachers, parents, and students alike has been
enthusiastic.

TYPING FOR THE
HANDICAPPED

Fern Khan, Director

Jack Heller, Master Teacher

626-2705

This free Saturday morning program offers instruc-
tion in typing as well as in reading, math, computer
skills and American Sign Language to approximately
35 students each quarter. The program is under the
direction of Jack Heller, a nationally recognized
leader in education for the disabled, and serves a stu-
dent group which ranges from the mildly to the
severely handicapped. Persons who are blind, hearing
impaired, emotionally disturbed, autistic, cerebral
palsied and victims of stroke, from ages 6 to 70, have
participated in the program.

Typing for the Handicapped has been generously
supported by the Parents Association for the Handi-
capped (PATH), under the leadership of Mollie
Polanski. The Association, which has secured dona-
tions of computers, software, and auxiliary units in
the past this year has raised funds to purchase a prin-
ter to extend the program’s computer system. This
equipment is especially critical for the program
because its curriculum is based on Jack Heller’s book
Typing for the Handicapped which utilizes the capacity
of the computer to generate instructional modules
tailored to the needs of individuals with a wide range
of disabilities.

Through individualized instruction, students
acquire a range of academic, interpersonal, and job
related skills. The overriding principle of the pro-
gram is respect for the dignity of each, regardless of
disability. In 1984-85, as an aid to personal develop-
ment, weekly “rap sessions” were conducted under
the leadership of psychologists and counselors asso-
ciated with the program. Progress has been demon-
strated consistently as a result of program participa-
tion, with eight students placed in jobs during the
past year. The program is jointly funded by the
Board of Education and LaGuardia Community
College.


THE COLLEGE FOR
CHILDREN

Frances Z. Lee, Coordinator

626-2705

The College for Children was developed to meet the
needs of parents and children aged 4-14 who live in
western Queens. In 1980, the Division conducted a
needs assessment of the surrounding community in
order to plan programs directly responsive to the
needs of local families. The results indicated that
community children lacked opportunities for skill
enrichment and recreational activities. Since the
spring of 1982 the College for Children has offered a
Saturday program providing skills enrichment, expo-
sure to the cultural arts, and physical education
opportunities. In addition, the College for Children
stresses family involvement in children’s education.

This year more than 850 children registered in the
College for Children throughout the four quarters,
and over twenty different courses were offered,
ranging from Reading and Math Tutorials, Compu-
ters, and Headstart on Reading for Five Year Olds,
to Dance, the Martial Arts, and Breakdance/Pop
Workshop. Because of the high proportion of stu-
dents returning each quarter, intermediate level
courses have been developed in Typing, the Martial
Arts and Computers so that students can build upon
foundation skills. In addition a new, larger computer
room has been developed for the students’ use, thus
enabling the College for Children to accept a larger
enrollment in computer classes.

The College for Children’s commitment to the
special needs of homeless children has also continued
during 1984-1985. After a conference on the necds of
hotel children in Queens which was conducted by
the College in 1984, the College for Children began
opening places in its classes for children housed with
their families at the Travelers Motel in East Elm-
hurst, and this practice has continued. In the summer
of 1985 a special swim program for homeless children
will be conducted by the College for Children at the
Bulova School in Woodside.

Further program development in the College for

COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAMS

Children includes courses designed to respond to the
needs of deaf and hearing impaired children whose
parents are involved in the Division’s Program for
Deaf Adults. “Exploring N.Y.C.,” a summer pro-
gram for deaf and hearing impaired children will
take place on six Saturdays in July and August, and
will introduce the children to new and interesting
places in the city through a combination of classroom
activities, films and field trips. Teachers skilled in
communicating with deaf children will lead the ses-
sions, and further classes for deaf children are being 17
planned for later in the year. Finally, the College for
Children is in the process of arranging with the Insti-
tute for Art and Urban Resources (P.S. 1), for stu-
dents to study with some of the distinguished artists
whose studios will be located at P.S. 1 in the coming
year.


COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAMS

THE WOMEN’S
PROGRAM

Brenda Wiggins, Acting Director

626-8520

In 1984-1985 the Women’s Program continued to be
an important resource within the College for mature
women returning to school. The typical Women’s
Program participant is between 30 and 50 years of
age, and attends classes part time for the first quarter
or two of study. A support system of counseling,
specialized workshops and social functions bring
women together as they undertake beginning college
study.

The Women’s Program also placed considerable
emphasis this year on offering non-credit courses and
workshops, many of them focused on career and per-
sonal development, areas of ongoing interest for
many women. Holistic health, assertiveness training,
stress reduction, time management and “The Pro-
motable Woman” all were offered on campus as
well as at local community sites and businesses. Plans
are being developed to bring more of these work-
shops for women directly to the workplace in the
coming year.

Over 170 women and men came together in early
June to take part in the third annual Third World
Women’s Conference, a regular Women’s Program
feature. This year’s theme, “Economic Empower-
ment for the 1990’s: A Challenge for Third World
Women” attracted representatives from over a
dozen area businesses as well as distinguished speak-
ers and facilitators from a number of human service
organizations, corporations and professional groups
across the city.
employers but have advanced to new job titles
because of their new word processing and computer
application skills. The program was funded through
the Vocational Education Act by the New York
State Education Department.

“For me, working with the Women’s Program this year has
been very gratifying—offering experiences for women who are
returning to school, working to improve women’s lives, and
really seeing that happen. In the Office Automation Program,
for example, we’ve seen any number of women who have

gained not only in their skills but in their self-esteem, their
self-awareness. They begin to get in touch with who they are
and what they can do. They identify a career path for them-
selves and really start accomplishing their goals. This is what
the empowerment of women is all about. Their growth is
fantastic.”

Brenda Wiggins
Acting Director
The Women’s Program

OFFICE AUTOMATION

TRAINING PROGRAM

Claudia Iredell, Coordinator

Another Women’s Program effort, the Office Auto-
mation Project, provides women from a wide variety
of backgrounds and life situations with an opportun-
ity to retrain and thus compete for better positions in
offices and other organizations which use the newer,
more sophisticated automated office equipment. In
1984-85 fifty-one women attended classes one night a
week and all day Saturday to obtain training in spe-
cific office skills including word processing, data
base use and electronic accounting practices on
microcomputers. Graduates of the one year certifi-
cate program have obtained excellent positions using
their newly acquired skills in major private corpora-
tions. Others have remained with their on-going


HE VETERANS PROGRAM

Samuel Farrell II, Director

626-5536

The Veterans Program at LaGuardia Community
College is one of the oldest veterans’ programs on
the East Coast. Firsts funded through the Veterans
Upward Bound Program in 1972, the program has
been providing educational diagnosis, counseling,
tutoring, and classroom instruction to veterans of
U.S. military service since that time. 1985 is in many
ways a particularly good year to recognize the pro-
gram, since, as the tenth anniversary of ending of the
war in Vietnam, it has been a time for many Ameri-
cans to remember our veterans, especially those who
served in southeast Asia.

A portion of the Veterans Program curriculum
this year was built around a number of whole group
workshops which were of interest to all students.
These workshops included topics such as earth
science, graphs and charts, human relations, and the
most common grammatical errors encountered in
students’ writing. Tutorial work and learning labora-
tory activities, as well as individualized learning
modules were then related to these whole group
experiences, thus providing students not only with
academic support, but also with interpersonal and
group support.

The Veterans Program continues to offer both
full-time and part-time instruction to students from
noon to 9:00 PM Monday to Friday, with part-time
students accommodated in either afternoon or even-
ing programs. Through a refined intake testing sys-
tem, students’ academic strengths are pinpointed and
students are scheduled for the appropriate level of
preparation in each subject area. A multileveled
preparation program in grammar/writing and in
algebra/computational skills areas continues to be
available to program participants. Students once
again received instruction on four different levels,
Basic Literacy, Pre-GED, GED Prep and College
Prep. 124 veterans received instruction during 1984-
85, and of the 37 who were tested for a General
Equivalency Diploma, 31 passed. Finally, the pro-
gram continues to pool its expertise in basic literacy
with the LaGuardia ABE program to achieve a bank
of reading materials to serve students with a wide
variety of reading disabilities.

Because 1989 will mark the end of available educa-
tional benefits for ex-servicemen who served during
the Vietnam era, LaGuardia’s Veterans Program will
in the future be making renewed efforts to encour-
age veterans, and particularly Vietnam veterans, to
enroll in this program and to take the first step
toward improving their opportunities through educa-
tion. To this end, the program will continue during
the coming year to improve the services it offers
veterans and to devise even more effective educa-
tional methods to support student/veterans as they
work to secure the education to which they are
entitled.

“I remember realizing for the first time that I didn’t
like myself. I felt as though I had turned into a
nobody; I felt alone and empty inside. ... As time
went on, I began feeling like I wanted to jump off a
bridge . . . as though I had no control over my life.
Before it became too late to do anything about it, I
enrolled in the Veterans Program at LaGuardia in
hopes of finding the answers to my problem.

“T started reading books. At first reading was dif-
ficult for me, and I had to use the dictionary quite
often. After a few days went by though, I suddenly
realized that education was indeed the answer to my
problem. ... My motivation came alive like never
before. My life was turning around for me. My con-
fusion began to fade slowly but surely. I began feel-
ing good about myself.”

From “The Answer”’ by Freddie
Ambrose, student, in Spectrum,

the Magazine of the Veterans
Program at LaGuardia Community
College

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