By Maura Bradley '11 | November 24, 2009
Freshman Adam Amick from Chesapeake, Va., looked into several colleges before graduating from high school.
He considered big institutions such as the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth University, but didn’t feel quite at home.
“The other schools were accessible in some ways, but weren’t in other ways,” said Amick, who was born with cerebral palsy.
Having limited movement from the waist down and partial hearing loss, Amick had several important items to consider when deciding on a college. On the top of his list was making sure he could navigate around campus in his electric-powered wheelchair, get to class on time and have an academic support system to accommodate his disability.
He found just that at Virginia Wesleyan.
Through the College’s Learning Center, Amick is able to find needed accommodations for learning. He takes tests, quizzes and mid-terms in the Learning Center, which offers a quiet room and extended time periods to complete assignments. He is also provided with someone to transcribe his responses to test questions when more than highlighting the multiple choice answer is required.
The Learning Center has also assigned Amick a personal note taker in the classroom, just in case he has trouble hearing and doesn’t capture the entire lecture on his laptop. The Learning Center is located in Clarke Hall, second floor, and can be reached by calling 757.455.3122.
“The Learning Center works with students who have learning, physical and psychological impairments, whether they are long or short term,” said Fayne Pearson, coordinator of disability services. Accommodations include tutoring, academic counseling, time management, in-class adjustments, registration assistance, study skills and testing services, she said. These services are free and available to all Virginia Wesleyan students.
Around campus, Amick is viewed by the community as just another college student with roommates, homework and goals.
“Adam is very self-sufficient and the only time he really needs anything is when he wants to talk politics or play video games,” said townhouse roommate Shaundell Pitts ’10 from Newport News, Va.
And he’s also extremely ambitious.
“I’m very happy with the accommodations and activities Virginia Wesleyan has provided me. I’m used to a bigger high school, so, it’s been amazing to come to such a small, personal college.” – Adam AmickAmick is registered for a 300-level history course (he’s only in his second semester of college), is involved with the history honor society and is in the process of joining the Wesleyan Activities Council. A good start considering he hopes to teach history and become involved in the political system one day. He plans to double major in history and social studies, minor in political science and obtain a teacher certification from Virginia Wesleyan.
“Adam always brightens my day when I see him moving around campus full-throttle in his motorized wheelchair,” said Associate Dean for Special Academic Projects Debbie Hicks. “Nothing seems to slow him down.”
And nothing does.
Megan Z. Shearin contributed to this article.