About 20 years ago, disability services at Western drew a small clientele.
Today, it has grown so much that the Student Development Centre (SDC), which oversees a number of student services including disability, recently moved to a larger space.
It was time to give the programs more room to reach their full potential, says Gail Hutchinson, director and psychologist of SDC.
And when thousands of students use the programs every year, that’s very important.
Whether students are new to Canada, need accommodations for a disability, or just want some essay writing tips, they’re covered.
“We encourage students to come in as soon as they notice there’s something they want to be involved in,” Hutchinson says.
There’s plenty of help offered at SDC, with programs as follows:
Services for Students with Disabilities – In an effort to be accessible to all students, Western offers support for students with disabilities – a service that has “grown enormously,” says Hutchinson. It offers an adaptive computing technology centre and a learning opportunities lab. However, she warns students not to wait until classes begin to arrange for accommodations because it is an involved process and often requires documentation that may take time for students to obtain.
Depending on the arrangements students require, they may need to start working with SSD even before they have selected their courses for the fall. Even students who require only exam or classroom accommodations would be wise to begin working with SSD in July or August, immediately after they have registered in their courses.
Psychological Services – University is a big change and making the transition can be stressful. Even dealing with academics alone can be a real emotional burden for some people.
Whether students are dealing with personal issues or just need someone to talk to, Psychological Services can help. Both individual and group counselling is offered and all services are confidential. They also deliver presentations throughout the year on topics such as body image, and offer support for gay, lesbian, queer, bisexual and transgendered individuals.
For more information, call 519-661-3031.
International & Exchange Student Centre – Adjusting to university can be trying and there’s even more to grapple with when students are new to Canada. SDC offers international and exchange students everything from workshops teaching conversational English to help with tax preparation, employment, immigration and financial aid.
In addition, a program in its third year called Porch Light is helping to introduce international students to Canadian culture. Female international students are invited into the homes of London families for social gatherings and meetings and get an opportunity to cook food and exchange information about their cultures.
“(They’re) coming to campus and never getting a chance to be in a Canadian home. It’s opening doors to that,” Hutchinson says. “They share their own culture with their host, share food and stories. Students really find it very helpful to their adjustment, to learning about Canada.”
SDC also organizes other activities for international students, such as sugar bush outings, snow tubing events and potluck dinners. About 19,000 international and exchange students use the services each year. IESC is located on the second floor of the new Western Student Services Building and can be reached at 519-661-3031.
Indigenous Student Services
– Western has been highly focused on Indigenous student enrollment and retention. External funding sources enable Indigenous Services to provide services that encourage and support the academic success of Indigenous students at Western, such as Counselling Services, Pre-University Enrichment, Academic Preparatory and Transition Programs, Undergraduate Student Enrichment and Professional Health Support for Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.
The Writing Support Centre – The Writing Support Centre offers Western students, faculty and staff a variety of services, from helping to plan and structure your writing to ensuring correct grammar, punctuation and citation. Whether you’re working on essays, reports, presentations, or any other form of academic writing, our tutors specialize in numerous disciplines and writing styles.
From the moment you’re given an assignment, through the research and development phases, to drafting and finalizing your work, our tutors are available to help at every step of the writing process.
Our main service is one-on-one tutorial sessions, during which a specific assignment or general questions about writing can be addressed. Sessions in the Writing Centre (WSSB 4100) are by appointment; we offer drop-in sessions at Weldon and Taylor Libraries and in Spencer Engineering Building.
Our online writing lab allows students to submit writing questions or samples and get feedback via email. We also offer workshops and seminars on effective writing strategies and related topics.
One of our most popular new services is our GradWrite initiative, which provides seminars tailored specifically to grad students (including a series designed especially for ESL students), tutorial sessions with graduate counselors, and an online dissertation discussion circle. And beginning in January 2010, our new Grad Lab and Resource Centre will be open to the entire Western grad community.
Learning Skills Services – Whether students need time-management strategies, tips for studying successfully or advice on how to take a multiple-choice test, Learning Skills Services can help. And students struggling with schoolwork aren’t the only ones using the program. According to Hutchinson, there is a huge demand from highly successful students as well.
“People come to learning services because they want to get better. They don’t have to be bad,” Hutchinson says.
Learning Skills Services also offers confidential individual counselling, presentations and a drop-in help centre. Services are available to all students – undergraduates, graduates and those in professional programs.
Volunteers In Progress – This service, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in January, has helped thousands of students gain valuable experience, make connections and give back to the student community. About 100 volunteer positions are available every year with SDC, such as working with the International & Exchange Student Centre or running English conversation workshops. Recruitment begins in late January for positions for the following academic year.
“It allows us to reach many more students,” Hutchinson says. “(Twenty-five years), that’s pretty good, eh.”
SDC recently moved to a new space – the Western Student Services Building, which is between Weldon and the University Community Centre.
For more information visit SDC.