Cañada Counselor Acknowledged for Statewide Work

Congratulations to Cañada’s Learning Disability Specialist/DRC Counselor, Jenna French, who was awarded the 2020 RJ Scuderi Exemplary Award at the California Association of Post-Secondary Education and Disability (CAPED) conference. CAPED is the preeminent association advocating for and with students with disabilities in postsecondary education. For the past two years, Jenna has served as the CAPED California Co-Chair. When COVID-19 hit, there were no policies or processes for Learning Disability (LD) Specialists at the community college level during emergencies. Jenna, along with her co-chair, formed a new statewide council, "CAPED LD CIG Representative Council," made up of LD Specialists from each region. 

The council created the "Guidance for Temporary Disability Services and Accommodations" as well as, the "LD Specialist Roles and Best Practices During COVID-19" handout. Working with the Chancellor's Office, these handouts and guidance were created to support Disability Support Programs and Services (DSPS) offices statewide during these challenging times. They were sent to DSPS Directors/LD specialists in Fall 2020 and presented at the CAPED conference. Jenna remarked that it was an honor to be recognized for this hard work to support LD specialists and DSPS offices statewide.