Haverhill, MA (January 27, 2025) – Northern Essex Community College is the recipient of a new, $170,000 grant from The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation, to create a Classroom Support Specialist Program. The program is designed to “increase college success for complex learners” through additional supports inside the classroom for faculty and students, and additional training and awareness for NECC faculty, staff, tutors, and academic coaches.

NECC’s Director of the Center for Accessibility Resources & Services (CARS) Susan Martin says the need for such support has been growing steadily since the pandemic. Faculty and staff report wider gaps in learning and more mental health concerns among students. Programs like MassEducate and a new education initiative for individuals with intellectual disabilities have also brought a broader, more diverse group of learners to classrooms, with a wider array of needs.

“It doesn’t take long for students to realize their skills aren’t the same as the person next to them. Something small can discourage students and make them not want to return to class,” says Martin.

“Technology is a really big part of it,” echoes DJ Chase, an NECC alum, now an Accessible Media and UDL Specialist with CARS. “We have students who don’t use computers regularly, yet nearly everything they need to access for class is online. The specialist will be able to incorporate assistive technology to aid in their learning.”

The classroom specialist would be on hand to address student needs in the classrooms, in real time. If a student needs help logging into computer programs, is struggling to follow the directions given in class, or is struggling to regulate their emotions, the specialist can help them work through challenges like those so that their learning can continue. This will also allow faculty to continue with their instruction and limit interruptions to the class.

The Center for Accessibility Resources & Services provides various accommodations for students with diagnosed disabilities. Martin says they’ve seen an increase in accommodation requests in recent years; this year, about 12% of students are receiving support through the center. However, she and Chase estimate many more students have an undiagnosed disability and, therefore, can’t or won’t seek accommodations. The classroom specialist can be especially vital in supporting those students.

“We estimate about a fifth of college students have some sort of disability,” says Chase. “We see nowhere near that amount of students in CARS. There’s still a stigma around disability so some are hesitant to pursue a diagnosis. It can also be really expensive and time-consuming to get a diagnosis once a student is out of high school.”

The Classroom Specialist Program will start with two pilot classrooms. Faculty, students, and staff will be surveyed regularly about their experiences, and feedback will be used to make adjustments. Martin says this program could serve as a model for other institutions and be incorporated into other support services already available at NECC and other community colleges.

Funding for the Classroom Specialist Program comes from The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation. The nonprofit works to support young people, from birth to age 26, who have intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, mental health issues, and/or substance use disorders. The Classroom Specialist Program is also complemented by a $20,000 grant from the John W. Alden Trust to purchase new assistive technology.

To learn more about how Northern Essex supports complex learners and the Center for Accessibility Resources & Services, visit the webpage or contact Martin at smartin@necc.mass.edu.