Everyone needs that extra motivation to succeed in college. Maybe it’s family, friends, or an educator. Jennifer Argo, the Access Resource Educator at Longview, help students with disabilities succeed in college.
Students who have disabilities are just like any other college students. They probably just need a little more assistance and guidance, and that’s not a problem when the future is top priority. Argo says she tries to make the students feel at ease and comfortable when coming to meet with her in her office. The Access Office provides note takers, sign language interpreters, scribes, and audio recording lectures, depending on the disability.
Argo has been working at Longview for almost five years. In the beginning of her college career, she wanted to be counselor, then her passion evolve into being a positive part of people lives, she said.
“I’m working for the best interest of a person,” said Argo. Working in the Student Support Services in college sparked the interest in the career she has today.
Her daily routine is meeting with students about concerns they may have with classes or instructors. With the traffic busy throughout the day, Argo sees about five to 20 students a day. Argo also wants to make sure she provides a safe and comfortable atmosphere.
Her main priority, she said, is to give the student that she’s meeting with at that time her undivided attention, and to be respectful in giving them the time they deserve. Though working with students who each require different needs is a challenge, Argo gets to know them genuinely by listening, and asking questions, she says.
The busiest time of the semester is at the beginning, with new student enrollment. During this time traffic of students coming in and out is around the clock. The process of getting accommodations for classes requires a student to identify as having a disability, provide record of disability by sending previous documentation about the disability, along with any physician evaluations, and then meet with her. Sometimes, if there’s still uncertainty, Argo will give a brief tour of the campus and introduce potential students to other people that they can talk to.
Argo encourages students who think that just because they have a disability, they can’t experience college success, to come to her office to learn more. They also can visit the website, but the important thing is for the student to learn their rights, whether they use the Access Office or not.
“All students have opportunities to succeed,” said Argo.
March 24, 2010 at 2:37 pm
I used to work for Jennifer. She really is a kind and caring person who seems to love what she does. I always got the impression she wanted every student to succeed and that she would do everything she could to help them do so.