Greg Carlyle’s son Andrew was born with a heart disorder, leading to surgery which caused a stroke and resulted in Andrew having an intellectual disability.
Throughout the first 20 years of his life, Andrew had a neurologist who encouraged him to be positive and to see what life has in store.
“Every time we went to her and asked questions … she always just said, ‘Let’s see what happens,’” Carlyle said. “That has been our mindset going through middle school, high school and the ACCESS program at Mississippi State. Let’s see what will happen, and great things happened.”
Andrew participated in Mississippi State University’s ACCESS program, an inclusive program for students with intellectual or developmental disabilities, something Carlyle cites as what prepared his son for a life in the professional world.
After more than a decade of offering an on-campus program and nearly a year after launching ACCESS Online, the program is expanding to high school students through online enrichment courses.
ACCESS Online now is open to any student, age 14 or older, regardless of their academic level or disability. Among the first of its kind, ACCESS Online provides students with an online platform to learn career preparation and money management skills, ACCESS Academic Coordinator Stacy Jackson said.
“With our on-campus program, students have to meet some level of independence and meet certain qualifications to be interviewed and accepted,” Jackson said. “For these online classes, it’s more broad and anyone is able to register and enroll. It gives more opportunities to students.”
Jackson said the mission of ACCESS is to provide students with the knowledge and confidence necessary to become gainfully employed and live as independently as possible in their communities.
Students can enroll in these online classes through the ACCESS website as part of their high school curriculum. Jackson said the courses are self-paced with certified instructors teaching them.
“There’s no admission process or criteria for students to be able to register and enroll for these courses,” Jackson said. “The courses follow the Mississippi State semesters, so they’re offered for fall, spring and summer.”
Jackson said ACCESS is looking to partner with high schools across the state, with New Albany and Madison Central High Schools having already signed on. She said ACCESS instructors are happy to work with special education instructors at high schools as they complete their coursework.
“A lot of schools have been interested in using ACCESS online as an academic aspect as students are taking courses that are related to career and technical preparation,” Jackson said. “What’s been great is that students are able to have a college experience, but this is an added resource that teachers are given as additional coursework.”
The on-campus program allows students to choose a focused area of study and gives them the opportunity to live on campus in the residence halls. After completing the four-year program, students receive a certificate of completion, something Jackson said prepares them for pursuing a job after graduation.
“ACCESS is for students who are not (otherwise) admissible to the university,” Jackson said. “We are giving students that are typically not able to go to college or have a college experience.”
Whether online or in person, Jackson said ACCESS is the only program in the state of Mississippi that offers this type of educational opportunities for students with disabilities.
“We just hope we can give people more opportunities and give them the ability to learn these skills and take the next steps, whatever that may be,” Jackson said.
Andrew completed the ACCESS program last year, giving him a lot of pride in attending the university, Carlyle said, and prompting him to accept a job at MSU as a worker in The Fresh Food Company. Carlyle recalled an experience where Andrew dealt with a tough situation during his first few weeks of work, but thanks to ACCESS, Andrew powered through.
“I remember a call where he told me he was frustrated with a situation during his first few weeks on the job at The Fresh,” Carlyle said. “I asked him if I needed to call up there and help, and he said, ‘No, I know how to advocate for myself. I went through ACCESS.’”
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