Down syndrome student a role model
SYDNEY — Joanna Paul's face lights up when asked what she is most looking forward to about starting university in the fall. The answer — making new friends.
The 29-year-old is the first student with Down syndrome to be enrolled at Cape Breton University through its inclusion program, and the first L'nu to go through the program, which was launched in the fall of 2019.
She is also the first recipient of the Sharon Morrison Memorial Award of $500, established in 2020 by the Cape Breton Down Syndrome Society and the Morrison family of Sydney River to support a student with Down syndrome.
LEADING THE WAY
Kim Long with the Cape Breton Down Syndrome Society said Paul, being the first member of the society to embark on a university education, is a role model for her peers, including Long's son, Owen, who is currently in high school.
He spent a morning touring the campus with Paul and said he would like to attend the university, too.
Long said the program opens post-secondary education up to people with disabilities that otherwise wouldn't have access to that type of experience.
“What typically happens for a lot of our members is they graduate from high school with their peers but then there's a gap in time and opportunity,” Long said.
“Why shouldn't someone with a disability have that same opportunity as their peers? It's not just the classroom, but that social experience — what it's like to be on campus, to get a coffee between classes, those bonding experiences that happen during frosh week,” she said.
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES
Eleanor Muggah, the accessibility facilitator with the Jennifer Keeping Accessibility Centre at CBU, will work closely with Paul and the two other students enrolled through the inclusion program, to choose classes that are right for them. The staff at the centre will then continue to support the students and work with faculty to make modifications to courses to meet the students' abilities.
“They go to class, participate in any field trips that might go on, they work on assignments and group work, group discussions, same as other students,” Muggah said.
“The students choose what they are interested in, and we go from there.”
The program got started after Lynn LeVatte, an assistant professor at CBU in the education department, attended several international conferences and learned about programs at universities in the United States for students with Down syndrome.
“We brought the concept to the university, and they were very interested in developing a program and we've been able to partner with a university in Nashville, and also in Utah, and we're planning to, once COVID is over, do an exchange program so our students can go to Utah and their students can come to CBU,” she said.
SUPPORTING STUDENTS
LeVatte, whose research is focused on inclusive education and Down syndrome, said the CBU program is unique in that it can meet the needs of the students on an individual basis and work with the students to set goals.
“When that's done, I think you see the success because the students are enjoying learning and we're able to support people of all abilities who want to continue learning, however that may look for them,” she said.
Muggah said past participants in the inclusion program have gotten involved in the student newspaper, community art shows, student groups and the Boardmore Theatre productions doing makeup and working backstage, something Paul is enthusiastic about trying this year.
Paul, who said she enjoyed attending high school, recently moved to Membertou from Sipekne'katik First Nation and is excited to meet new people and get to know the campus.
She uses her iPad to stay in touch with her best friend back in her home community who also has Down syndrome, and she's planning to take him on a virtual tour of CBU in her first days as a student there.
Muggah said it's not just the students in the program that benefit, but the university as a whole.
“In general, it's great to have inclusive students on campus at CBU. Our students have made connections with peer tutors, with other people in their classes, and formed those relationships,” she said.
One thing is for sure — when classes begin on Sept. 8, Paul will be there with a smile on her face, ready to take on this new experience, with a bit of help.