Contact: Zack Plair

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Braving a cold, windy winter day, Daniel Mooney went to downtown Starkville on a Saturday to get a haircut. He was about to start a new job at OCH Regional Medical Center’s Wellness Connection, and he wanted to look professional.

Following the barber visit, he paid with his own money, walked back to the bus stop and rode the shuttle back to his on-campus residence hall.

When Mooney recounted his adventure to Elizabeth Williams, instructor for the MSU ACCESS Program, it nearly brought her to tears. Mooney is a senior in the program that offers the college experience and independent living skills training to students with intellectual disabilities. For him to strike out on his own for a haircut, Williams said, exemplifies the program’s goal.

“He’s in the transition stage between being in the program and living in the real world,” she said. “That haircut showed that he recognized the need to look his best when he starts a new job and also that he was willing to take it upon himself to go do it.”

Started in 2010 and housed in Montgomery Hall, ACCESS -- which stands for Academics, Campus life, Community involvement, Employment opportunities, Socialization and Self-awareness -- is a 4-year program that helps those who are high-functioning but often still not able to earn college degrees. Participants live on campus and follow a curriculum that teaches life skills, such as money math, current events, cooking and cleaning.

Participants also must audit college courses in their field of interest. While they don’t earn an official grade for college credit, Williams said they must attend the class sessions and demonstrate a grasp of the material in keeping with their learning capabilities. Those audit courses range from first-year seminars and public speaking to history and psychology.

Williams said each student must take at least 12 course hours per semester, with at least three hours coming from an audited college course and the remaining hours provided by the ACCESS curriculum.

ACCESS students also receive training on building portfolios, resumes and job interviewing skills, opening doors for employment opportunities once they earn their program completion certificate.

“These are students who fall between the cracks of total dependence and optimum independence. Most of them don’t have high school diplomas,” said Julie Capella, assistant dean and director for student support services, which oversees ACCESS. “They just about fit in both worlds, but they don’t really fit in either. This hopefully will help them find their place in the world and thrive.”

That goal varies according to the student’s abilities, Capella said, but some might one day be able to live alone and hold down jobs in certain fields so they can help support themselves.

Three students already have completed the program, she said, including two who have found employment. But tuition for the program is $17,500, not counting housing, dining and fees for auditing classes, and there is only one student scholarship available. That keeps the program at around a half-dozen participants per year, making it easy to individually tailor their experiences, but harder to reach the number of people who need ACCESS services.

“They can be eligible for PELL grants, but there are really no subsidies,” Capella said.

The program utilizes partnerships with several departments across the university, as well as student volunteers who interact with participants. Capella said she hopes that volunteerism grows into campus wide advocacy for ACCESS and an educational opportunity for traditional students.

“Just having the experience of being exposed to ACCESS will help MSU students better understand their fellow human beings,” she said. “Getting to be around diverse populations is what being at a university is all about.”

As Mooney stands on the precipice of becoming the latest ACCESS success story, he’s wearing the mantle of that challenge with style, blooming from a shy and timid freshman in the program to a young man brimming with confidence and purpose. In addition to his part-time job at the health center, he works at Mitchell Memorial Library and delivers test materials for MSU’s testing center.

Homeschooled in Brookhaven, he admits he wasn’t so sure about coming to MSU four years ago. It didn’t take him long to adjust, as he made fast friends with his classmates and started forming goals for his future. He specifically noted that during his time at MSU, he’s learned to do his own laundry and cook Asian food – his favorite.

“I was nervous because I didn’t really know anybody back in the day,” he said. “It was all new, and I wasn’t sure if this thing was going to work. But I got the hang of it, and it changed my life.

“When I first got here, I used to call my parents all the time, like two or three times a day,” he added. “Now, I call them, maybe, once or twice a week. I mean, they know I’m safe and they know I love them. So it’s good.”

Mooney loves studying history – especially World War II history – and after he graduates he wants to find an apartment in Starkville and get a job in the history field.

Both Capella and Williams are trying to help Mooney and others in ACCESS prepare for life after MSU, while also trying to build in-roads with potential employers to hire program graduates.

It’s a hard sell sometimes, Capella noted, but it becomes much easier when the students can do the talking.

“They’ll sell themselves if given the opportunity,” she said.

For Mooney’s part, he wants to stay in Starkville after he completes his time with ACCESS this spring. Armed with a resume, references and the confidence to handle a job interview, he’s available for employment and ready to work.

For more information on the ACCESS program, visit http://www.sss.msstate.edu/access/.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.