Have you always wished for a college education? Westchester Community College has a new service for people who are homebound because of illnesses and disabilities. See information below regarding GABE: The Homebound Collegiate Initiative.
GABE means Get a Better Education. It is a service provided to the public colleges and universities of New York by Westchester Community College. GABE locates and refers qualified individuals who are homebound because of chronic illnesses and disabilities to public colleges so that they can enroll in credit-bearing courses leading toward a college degree. A qualified individual is one who has earned a high school diploma or a high school equivalency certificate.
A homebound person may use a mobility aid such as a cane, a walker, a crutch, or a wheelchair, and may require the assistance of another person to leave the house or immediate neighborhood. Careful planning of the trip is almost always required, including coordination of schedules and the setting aside of significant blocks of time to account for weather, traffic, and service delays. Homebound people cannot drop what they are doing and simply drive to the store to shop. They must depend upon other people when travel is required. A chronic illness can be any condition that compromises the health of an individual, such as auto-immune disorders, multiple sclerosis, quadriplegia, severe ulcerative colitis, or spina bifida.
Students in GABE enroll in a New York public college where they receive instruction at home using their computer with an internet connection. The classes are taught by professors, and their classmates are usually not disabled. Instruction takes place at specific hours and on specific days. The homebound student sees and hears his/her professor and classmates, and they see and hear him/her, just like traditional college instruction. This format is known as “synchronous online,” or “live/online,” or “live/remote.” The spontaneity of human-to-human daily contact can be highly motivating to individuals who have been sequestered as the consequence of chronic illness or disability. Homebound students must use time wisely to study, take remote classes, contribute to class discussion, research topics for term papers if required, and be evaluated by their professors to earn passing grades.
GABE participants receive help from counselors in the college financial services office in filling out applications that lead to grants (not loans) for tuition, fees, books, and supplies from federal and state sources. GABE participants are entitled to use other services available at the college, such as writing for the college newspaper or joining student organizations.
GABE: The Homebound Collegiate Initiative is affiliated with Westchester Community College. To get prompt service or for further information, please contact George Smith, MSW, at (973) 487-8095, or email gsmith898@myyahoo.com
