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.