AHRC NYC’S Higher Education Program Celebrates 10 Years

The Melissa Riggio Higher Education Program (MRHEP), which provides students with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD) with a fully inclusive college experience, will celebrate its 10th anniversary at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn on Thursday, June 14, from 8-10 a.m.

Family Is Driving Force

AHRC New York City’s MRHEP is a product of innovative vision, solid partnerships, strong advocacy and the next step in true inclusion. The program is named after the late daughter of Laura and Steve Riggio. Their daughter Melissa dreamed of going to college and her parents believed in her dream. They became unrelenting advocates for access to higher education for people with I/DD. Steve Riggio is a former AHRC NYC Board Member, currently serves on the AHRC NYC Foundation Board, Vice Chairman and CEO of Barnes & Noble and Director of B&N.com. Today, MRHEP offers services in four of the five boroughs of New York City.

‘Uncharted Territory’

MRHEP students are immersed in a fully inclusive college life. They attend classes,manage their workload, make appointments with professors, participate in study groups, work in internships, engage in all aspects of campus life, all supported by peer mentors who are current students of the college.

“When we created the program, we were working in uncharted territory,” said Matthew Weiler, Associate Director of AHRC NYC’s Adult Day Services, who was the program’s first director. “Although there was a strong focus put on the academic portion of the program, we recognized that for our students to be prepared and successful in this environment, we needed to expand learning past the traditional academics. Traveling independently, problem solving skills, gaining confidence and autonomy, abuse prevention, technology, financial literacy, and employment skills were equally important and had to be taught simultaneously with academic courses.”

In a recent survey of MRHEP students, they stated that they are proud of their progress and increased independence and self-confidence. Students also expressed that they are learning new skills, enjoy their classes, and feel they are a part of campus life.

Students Excel

Alicia Melendez, of Marine Park, is graduating Thursday.

Alicia has focused on her goals and interests since beginning MRHEP and has leveraged the college experience to excel in those areas. She is passionate about self advocacy and fashion. She took several fashion design courses and used her senior project to work on designing tote bags (which will be the first item of her collection). She is working closely with a professor from the fashion design department to guide her on the project. The tote bags are linked to self advocacy with words of encouragement displayed on each tote. She is currently interning at Mood Fabrics and has interned at Housing Works Thrift Store.

Brian Campbell, who also is graduating on Thursday, has an affinity for New York City’s history and tourism.

For his Senior Project, he is working with another graduate to create a documentary on “How People Celebrate the Holidays in NYC.” They visited many popular places and interviewed New Yorkers. Through his internships with the MRHEP, at NYC’s Human Resources Administration and the Kingsborough Community College Alumni Office on campus, Brian discovered he was interested in working in an office setting. A Dyker Heights resident, Brian is on the road to finding employment in this area.

Strong Partnerships Create More Opportunities

A shared mission and common values are among the core elements that contribute to the success of MRHEP. Our partnership with the administration at the College of Staten Island exemplifies this.

“When you have the vision and good partnerships, you can make anything happen,” said Dr. Carole Gothelf, Director of Individualized Supports for AHRC NYC. “This is a life-changing experience.”
Faculty members agree that the inclusion of students with I/DD has impacted the sense of community in their class, how they think about the ways all students learn, and other students understanding of intellectual disabilities. “All students with and without disabilities all benefit from having this program on campus,” one faculty member said.

“When you provide people with opportunity, anything is possible,” Carole said. “That’s what AHRC NYC is about and that’s what Kingsborough Community College is about.”
AHRC NYC in partnership with The City University of New York the University of Rochester received a federal Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disability Grant to develop and expand opportunities and access for people with I/DD in CUNY schools.

About AHRC NYC

AHRC New York City is a family governed organization committed to finding ways for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities to build full lives as defined by each person and supported by dedicated families, staff and community partners.