Student pursues goal of becoming nurse with help from Education Access Center

Having a learning disability hasn’t stopped India Washington from reaching her education goals. Washington is finishing up an Associate in Science Degree in Pre-Nursing at Tulsa Community College and has been accepted to the University of Central Oklahoma. At UCO this fall, she will pursue a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing.

Washington credits much of her success to the staff at TCC’s Education Access Center (EAC).

“They’ve helped me a lot,” she said. “They helped me communicate with my professors and gave me everything in general that I needed to know in order to survive in college.”

The EAC (formerly the disABLED Student Resource Center) is the first stop to qualify students for educational accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The center’s staff assists students in starting the accommodation process, and they provide access to classroom instruction and college services.

Washington said during her time at TCC, the EAC staff has helped with her need to have more time allotted when taking tests. The EAC has also provided her with scholarship opportunities at transfer universities and given her information regarding universities that offer bachelor’s degrees in Nursing.

“They helped me narrow down which university I should pick,” she said.

After she earns a bachelor’s degree, she plans to pursue a master’s degree and become a Nurse Practitioner, specializing in labor and delivery. Until then, she will continue to gain experience in the health field by working as a pharmacy technician at a local pharmacy chain.

“The Education Access Center really helped me a lot,” she said. “I know I’m going on the right track.”

For more information about the EAC, call Lonni Williams, EAC Director, at (918) 595-7115 or visit eac@tulsacc.edu.