by
      Allan
      Manley
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Aces
      for
      /
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      .dult
      Connections
      in
      Educati
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      these
      days
      of
      cynicism
      and
      sar-
     
     
      casm
      it
      is
      a
      pleasant
      surprise
      when
     
     
      you
      discover
      something
      that
      not
     
     
      only
      benefits
      society
      but
      is
      sincere-
     
     
      ly
      altruistic.
      It
      has
      been
      my
      pleasure
     
     
      to
      discover
      more
      about
      the
      “Adult
     
     
      Connection
      in
      Education”
      program
     
     
      (ACE)
      that
      is
      run
      through
      the
      uni-
     
     
      versity.
      The
      ACE
      program
      is
     
     
      designed
      to
      help
      adults
      with
      intel-
     
     
      lectual
      disabilities
      to
      attend
      univer-
     
     
      sity
      and
      develop
      a
      number
      of
      facets
     
     
      in
      their
      life,
      it
      has
      been
      on
      campus
     
     
      for
      some
      time
      and
      has
      had
      some
     
     
      great
      success.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      facts
      (Stealing
      from
      ACE
      liter-
     
     
      ature):
     
    

    
     
      The
      ACE
      program
      is
      a
      four
      year
     
     
      program.
      Students
      attend
      12
      months
     
     
      of
      the
      year
      which
      include
      two
     
     
      semesters
      of
      university
      classes
      and
     
     
      activities
      in
      addition
      to
      a
      semester
     
     
      of
      on-
      the-job
      training
      or
      a
      volun-
     
     
      teer
      placement.
      Participants
      must
     
     
      take
      a
      minimum
      of
      one
      class
      per
     
     
      semester
      but
      may
      take
      up
      to
      three,
     
     
      these
      courses
      have
      a
      modified
      cur-
     
     
      riculum
      however
      they
      still
      get
      to
     
     
      enjoy
      the
      pleasures
      of
      writing
     
     
      exams
      and
      submitting
      papers.
      In
      the
     
     
      spring
      participants
      have
      job
      place-
     
     
      ments
      based
      upon
      their
      interests
      and
     
     
      aptitudes.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      While
      the
      literature
      provided
      at
      stu-
     
     
      dent
      services
      is
      very
      interesting
      I
     
     
      felt
      that
      to
      really
      understand
      the
     
     
      benefits
      of
      the
      program
      I
      needed
      to
     
     
      Speak
      with
      a
      few
      people
      involved
      in
     
     
      the
      ACE
      program
      itself.
      The
      first
     
     
      individual
      I
      encountered
      was
      ACE
     
     
      participant
      Brook
      Champion.
      Brook
     
     
      is
      in
      her
      first
      year
      of
      the
      program
     
     
      and
      is
      very
      happy
      with
      it
      so
      far.
      Of
     
     
      the
      various
      components,
      Brook
     
     
      speaks
      highly
      of
      the
      physical
      aspect
     
     
      of
      the
      program
      as
      her
      favorite,
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      that
      she
      can
      often
      be
      found
      on
      the
     
     
      track
      at
      the
      gym.
      In
      addition
      she
      is
     
     
      looking
      forward
      her
      summer
      place-
     
     
      ment
      which
      she
      hopes
      will
      be
      out-
     
     
      doors
      and
      working
      with
      kids.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      After
      speaking
      with
      Brook
      I
      had
      the
     
     
      pleasure
      of
      talking
      with
      Melissa
     
     
      MacDonald
      an
      ACE
      peer.
      Melissa
     
     
      has
      been
      with
      the
      ACE
      program
      for
     
     
      two
      years
      and
      has
      helped
      several
     
     
      participants.
      Melissa
      has
      a
      unique
     
     
      perspective
      on
      the
      program
      as
      her
     
     
      sister
      Madonna
      is
      a
      graduate
      of
      the
     
     
      ACE
      program.
      It
      was
      Madonna’s
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      experience
      in
      the
      program
      that
     
    
   
   
    
     
      encouraged
      Melissa
      to
      become
      a
     
     
      peer.
      What
      this
      means
      to
      Melissa
      is
     
     
      that
      she
      spends
      abut
      two
      hours
      a
     
     
      week
      ‘with
      two
      different
      ACE
      par-
     
     
      ticipants.
      The
      benefits
      according
      to
     
     
      Melissa
      are
      not
      one
      sided
      as
      she
     
     
      relates
      that
      while
      studying
      with
      her
     
     
      ACE
      students
      she
      is
      also
      learning.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Melissa
      explains
      it
      best
      saying
      “I
     
     
      have
      seen
      some
      amazing
      things,
      not
     
     
      only
      through
      my
      own
      experience,
     
     
      but
      through
      my
      sisters
      experience
      as
     
     
      well.
      It
      is
      a
      positive
      experience
      not
     
     
      only
      for
      the
      participant
      but
      for
      the
     
     
      families
      as
      well.
      You
      get
      to
      see
      the
     
     
      joy
      the
      students
      experience
      in
      learn-
     
     
      ing
      and
      interacting
      with
      the
      univer-
     
     
      sity
      community.”
      Melissa
      also
     
     
      enlightened
      me
      to
      the
      practical
     
     
      applications
      of
      the
      ACE
      program.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      only
      downside
      to
      the
      program
     
     
      appears
      to
      be
      the
      lack
      of
      public
     
     
      funding
      available
      to
      participants.
     
     
      The
      cost
      for
      a
      year
      of
      the
      program
      is
     
     
      $1830,
      which
      breaks
      down
      to
      $610
     
     
      a
      semester.
      Participants
      are
      not
      eli-
     
     
      gible
      for
      a
      student
      loan
      despite
      the
     
     
      diploma
      at
      the
      end
      of
      the
      four
      years,
     
     
      and
      although
      $1830
      is
      still
      a
      rela-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tively
      low
      cost
      for
      12
      months
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      education,
      it
      must
      exclude
      some
     
    
   
   
    
     
      people.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Madonna,
      upon
      completion
      of
      the
     
     
      ACE
      program
      now
      works
      with
      the
     
     
      Prince
      Edward
      Island
      Heart
      and
     
     
      Stroke
      Foundation
      three
      days
      a
     
     
      week.
      Doing
      clerical
      work
      in
      an
     
     
      office
      is
      beneficial
      in
      offering
     
     
      Madonna
      a
      place
      of
      employment,
     
     
      providing
      the
      Foundation
      a
      loyal
     
     
      and
      hardworking
      employee
      and
      also
     
     
      helps
      integrate
      Madonna
      into
      public
     
     
      life.
      Madonna
      is
      an
      example
      of
      the
     
     
      success
      the
      ACE
      program
      has
     
     
      attained.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      While
      looking
      up
      information
      on
     
     
      the
      ACE
      program
      in
      the
      Student
     
     
      Services
      center
      I
      received
      some
     
     
      great
      help
      from
      Jeni
      Mutch,
      Senior
     
     
      Program
      facilitator
      of
      the
      ACE
      pro-
     
     
      gram.
      She
      was
      personable
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      TPaVEél
     
    
   
   
    
     
      helped
      leave
      the
      impression
      that
      the
     
     
      ACE
      program
      is
      a
      quality
      compo-
     
     
      nent
      of
      UPEI.
      On
      the
      whole
      I
      was
     
     
      impressed
      by
      how
      much
      the
      pro-
     
     
      gram
      accomplishes
      on
      different
      lev-
     
     
      els
      and
      with
      such
      a
      minimal
      amount
     
     
      of
      peer
      support
      required.
      After
     
     
      researching
      this
      article
      it
      is
      very
     
     
      hard
      for
      me
      to
      justify
      not
      becoming
     
     
      a
      peer.
      I
      highly
      recommend
      that
      any
     
     
      returning
      student
      contact
      Jeni
     
     
      Mutch
      (jmutch@upei.ca)
      at
      the
      stu-
     
     
      dent
      center
      to
      help
      in
      this
      wonderful
     
     
      program.
      In
      general
      I
      am
      skeptical
     
     
      of
      the
      success
      of
      non-profit
      pro-
     
     
      grams,
      however,
      in
      this
      case
      I
      was
     
     
      very
      happy
      to
      find
      my
      cynicism
     
     
      misplaced.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      UPEI
      Cadre
      March
      9,
      2004
      page
      7
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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