Events & Programs
Cathy Schelly, M.Ed., OTR/L, Assistant Professor, Director, Center for Community Partnerships
Updated February 2011
As an occupational therapist and faculty member, Cathy Schelly has focused more than 23 years of her work at CSU supporting individuals with disabilities in their educational, employment, community access and life pursuits.
Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders Symposium
Cathy Schelly is the director of the Center for Community Partnerships, a direct service and outreach arm of the Department of Occupational Therapy at Colorado State University. As an occupational therapist and faculty member, Ms. Schelly has focused her 23 year career at CSU on supporting individuals with disabilities in their educational, employment, community access and life pursuits. Under her direction, the Center for Community Partnerships has been awarded numerous federal grants from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration, and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services—all to develop and implement inclusive classroom instructional strategies, as well as community-based interventions, that will allow individuals with autism spectrum disorders, traumatic brain injury, PTSD, mental illness and other disabilities to become self-advocates and fully access education, employment, recreation and the community at large.
Presentation: Learning Supports Provide Opportunities for Postsecondary Success for Students with Asperger's
Abstract:
An exciting new program called Opportunities for Postsecondary Success (OPS) is providing supports to college students and high school students transitioning to college. This session will examine key components of the program, namely Universal Design for Learning and Student Self-Advocacy, along with specific examples of their application in college and high school classrooms for the benefit of a wide range of students, including students on the autism spectrum. The session will also review the goals of the OPS program, the challenges students face, the benefits they receive from individualized services and mentoring, the support strategies being implemented, and successes that participants are experiencing as they connect and work with college student mentors while pursuing their postsecondary educational and career goals. The OPS project is an innovative partnership between the Center for Community Partnerships (CCP) in the Department of Occupational Therapy, the Assistive Technology Resource Center, the Division of Student Affairs, Resources for Disabled Students, Front Range Community College, the Poudre School District, and other community partners
