Disabled student benefits from new diploma

The Guardsman

Eric Park

Doran Lewis, 23, considers himself one of the more fortunate students enrolled in the high school diploma program at City College. That’s because he will complete the diploma program this semester, allowing him to finally focus on taking transfer classes in the fall.

Part of the transitional studies department, the high school diploma program provides adults a chance to earn their high school diplomas and also gives high school students the opportunity to take classes at City College and transfer the credits to their own schools. Transitional studies also offers GED classes, adult basic education and vocational foundation skills training.

But with City College facing up to $25 million in cuts for the 2012-2013 school year, as previously reported by the Guardsman, students enrolled in the high school diploma and GED programs may not be able to register in the core classes they need if classes offered through those programs are cut.

A first-year college student at City College, Lewis hopes to go on to medical school. However, because of the budget situation, he might find it impossible to enroll in required transferable classes, particularly in science and mathematics, if they become overcrowded due to course cuts.

Lewis, who suffers from Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, a chronic neurological condition, and Crohn’s, an inflammatory bowel disease, gets further support from City College’s Disabled Students Programs & Services. He walks with a cane and does not own a car. He worries about transportation costs and further tuition hikes. “I love to learn and it’s discouraging,” he said.

Though he vows to finish his education and see himself eventually through medical school, he sympathizes with the obstacle faced by other DSPS and Transitional Studies students.
“It’s easy to say, ‘I give up,’” he said.