SSD On the Move
On February 21, 2019, the Office of Services to Students with Disabilities (SSD) hosted 31 students and 7 staff members from Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) to participate in SSD’s outreach program. The goal of the outreach program was to raise awareness of the services at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) that are available for students with disabilities. The program incorporated an SSD/WorkAbility IV (WA-IV) presentation, a student panel, and a campus tour. Daniel Carr, SSD Advisory Board member, emceed the event to include and led the student panel discussion.
Riverside Unified School District Students Visit CSUSB
(Diego, Tommy, Myrna and Joshua). Panelists talked about their experiences with the SSD office, how it has helped them achieve success in college, and why it is important to utilize the resources available to them as early as possible. The purpose of the panel discussion was to allow high school students the opportunity to interact with CSUSB students and hear firsthand about what to expect in college. The panel consisted of students who were either first-time freshmen or transfer students from a community college who informed our participants that there is more than one way to pursue higher education. SSD’s physical and visual disabilities specialist, Karmela Yahyakashani, attended the student panel portion and was able to help answer participant questions regarding required documentation and confidentiality. We look forward to hosting RUSD students and staff for future outreach events.
Daniel Carr will also represent SSD at the upcoming Student Leader Dinner hosted by ASI and SMSU at the end of the winter quarter to network with student leaders and campus administrations to discuss goals and potential partnerships to continue efforts toward student success.
1 Services to Students with Disabilities Winter 2019 Main Website Workability IV PDC SSD
Martin Luther King Jr.
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Civil Rights Leader Baptist Minister
Harriet Tubman Nurse American Abolitionist Underground Railroad Founder
Stevie Wonder Song Writer Singer Grammy Recipient
SSD and WA-IV are proud to honor the contributions of African Americans
#AbilitiesDefineYou
The student panel consisted of four CSUSB SSD students
WorkAbility IV Job Placement Circle –
Working Toward a Successful Future
Part of the mission of CSUSB’s WorkAbility IV (WA-IV) is to assist CSUSB students who are also clients of the California Department of Rehabilitation to find gainful employment, matching students’ qualifications and interests to positions that are consistent with their abilities. On February 7, 2019, WA-IV hosted one of their signature Job Placement Circles. The four-hour event, which took place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., brought hopeful, employment-ready students together with forward-thinking employers for whom diversity is paramount. Participating employers included Amazon, SoCal Edison, County of San Bernardino, County of Riverside, State of California, Department of Rehabilitation, CSUSB Human Resources Department, and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. Dressed in workplace-ready attire and with mock interviews completed, 26 future jobseekers each “put their best foot forward” to participate in 30-minute interviews with HR recruiters. Many students participated in as many as four interviews. Armed with the information and feedback provided by employers, students left the event better equipped to submit an application for employment and interview in the near future. Roger Dierson, a WA-IV aumnus, reported, “This opportunity introduced me to two organizations that are inclusive in their hiring practices and work culture and see the value in hiring a person living with a disability.” The event was a tremendous success for both students and employers.
SSD Presents to CSUSB Doctoral Candidates
On February 5, 2019, SSD’s Director Marci Daniels and Nighttime Accommodations Coordinator Consuelo Sanchez went back to the classroom to teach CSUSB’s doctoral candidates about strategies to better assist high school and community college students with disabilities transitioning to higher education. The interactive session defined the differences in applicable laws from K-12 to post-secondary settings, and discussed how this impacts the growing population of college students with disabilities. Also discussed were the processes for determining disability eligibility; the critical need for communication and education between post-secondary professionals and our K-12 colleagues; the various ways higher education can support our K-12 partners to prepare students for success in post-secondary settings and the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Dr. Stanley Swartz, who serves on SSD’s Faculty Advisory Committee for Accommodations and is co-director of the Office of Doctoral Studies, thanked SSD for providing a very informative presentation and remarked, “I know it was well-received by the class.”
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Melody Davis and Marc Guzman meeting with Amazon recruiter
Coyote Conclave
“The Coyote Conclave,” held on February 18, 2019, introduced mentors and mentees participating in the Coyote Career Network (CCN) in a fun and interactive speed-dating format allowing them to network and interact as a group. During the Conclave, the purpose, importance of mentorship, understanding roles and responsibilities, and the expectations of this unique vocational mentorship program were explained, and mentors and mentees had an opportunity to eat and interact. CCN was constructed to improve student graduation rates and professional networks. It consists of 24 faculty, staff and alumni that have agreed to participate as mentors and who are professionals in a wide variety of career fields, some with disabilities themselves, that are paired with 25 students with disabilities. Moreover, professionals with disabilities discuss disabilities and their impact on learning, the work environment, and overcoming their particular challenge(s). The second event, “Succeeding in Your Career Path,” is scheduled for the May 6, 2019.
GradCON 2019
On January 24, 2019, Robert Beam, WA-IV computer lab technician, Rosie Garza, PDC-SSD’s physical and visual disabilities specialist, Tyler Swanson, PDC’s WA-IV employment and job development coordinator, Jacob Santiago, PDC student services professional, and PDC alumni Spencer Winkle provided a highly interactive program at GradCON 2019. The presentation titled, “Defining Your Future” included information about admissions, SSD and WA-IV services and options for students with disabilities who are seeking continued education beyond high school to nearly 50 Palm Springs USD high school seniors. GradCON serves all mild to moderate special education high school seniors and juniors within the Palm Springs USD to immerse them in a total learning experience related to their life after graduation. In light of the success of last year’s presentation, which received rave reviews from the teachers and students, SSD was asked to provide a stand-alone 45-minute presentation. Palm Springs USD awarded SSD a Certificate of Appreciation for its efforts.
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Cody Coyote Greets CCN Mentors and Mentees
L to R: Roise Garza (Front) Tyler Swanson, Robert Beam, Jacob Santiago and Spencer Winkle
SSD and WA-IV Welcome
New Staff Members
Robert Beam
Robert Beam II began his position as WA-IV’s computer lab technician II on January 9, 2019. His interest in computers started at the age of nine when he began helping his parents with their IT needs. After earning his bachelor’s in Asian American Studies at Cal State Northridge, he continued to follow his previous passion for IT, which transitioned him back to a career in information technology and system administration. For more than six years, Robert has honed his IT skills with several companies in a variety of settings including IMF Insurance and California Energy Savers. In his role with WorkAbility IV, Robert hopes to not only help students understand the different tools they need to succeed, but to give them the confidence that will carry them forward in their future careers.
Alyssa Bradley
Alyssa Bradley, a licensed marriage and family therapist, has taken on the role as SSD’s student resources specialist serving those with psychological and cognitive disabilities. Alyssa is a graduate of California Baptist University (CBU) where she studied criminal justice. Her passion for working with people in the community gravitated her toward the graduate program at CBU where she obtained her Master of Science in counseling psychology.
Alyssa is passionate about helping individuals with disabilities recognize their abilities and channeling those abilities into achieving their life goals. One of Alyssa’s strongest beliefs is that every student needs advocates in their life who make a pivotal impact in guiding them to accepting their disability and using their strengths to respond to situations, which within themselves, creates a self-confidence that empowers them to overcome the stigma of their disability. Alyssa is excited to embark on her journey with CSUSB students, faculty, and staff to enhance students’ experiences here at CSUSB.
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Robert Beam II, WA-IV’s Computer Lab Technician II
Alyssa Bradley, M.S., LMFT, SSD’s Student Resources Specialist
