Program helps students with disabilities make transition to university
A learning disability can be pretty intimidating when you're heading off to university. The higher academic expectations create greater challenges for people with learning disabilities such as attention deficit disorder, dyslexia and dysgraphia.
McMaster's HYPE program, which stands for Helping You Personalize Education, aims to alleviate some of that intimidation for incoming students. Entirely created, marketed and run by upper-year undergraduate students, the HYPE program informs first-years of the disability accommodations available to them and introduces them to campus life. The session will run from July 2 to 4.
HYPE students will stay in residences for three days and dine at campus eateries. The schedule also includes workshops on learning skills and disability accommodations at McMaster, campus and community orientation activities and nightly outings with the fourth-year program coordinators.
HYPE coordinators Mike Sunderani, Alek Bijelic and Mike Murphy have gone to great lengths to ensure that the camp will be fun as well as informative.
“When you come in September, you're already prepared. That's a real advantage,” says Sunderani.
HYPE is currently the most popular program of its kind in Ontario, and it is the only one that is planned, marketed and run by students.
According to one of last year's attendees, “I liked that it was run by students. You really get a realistic portrayal of university life.”
The program is designed for all students attending a university in the fall, and is also one of the only ones to be offered completely free of charge.
The HYPE program is entirely funded by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities through the Centre for Student Development.
Students can learn more about the program by visiting csd.mcmaster.ca/hype, e-mailing
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