CSUN Explorers is an inclusive, two-year, postsecondary certificate program offered through the university’s Tseng College. It is designed to increase the independence, and work and life skills of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities by offering them an opportunity to experience university life in an age-appropriate setting.
People have a lot of misconceptions about what people with intellectual disabilities can or cannot do. This program gives people with intellectual or developmental disabilities an opportunity to break down stereotypes about what they are capable of and get a taste of university life, while also getting skills that will expand their employment opportunities.
To be eligible for the CSUN Explorers program, individuals must have a diagnosed intellectual or developmental disability, be between the ages of 18 and 28 and have a certificate of completion or equivalent from a high school program.
Explorers take at least two classes each semester with CSUN undergraduate students. A classmate is identified as a peer mentor, to provide support in each class. Explorers are also invited to join student clubs and take part in other activities on campus. Their second year in the program includes internships on campus or in the community. In addition, Explorers also have access to various campus resources such as CSUN’s Disability Resource and Education Services (DRES) and the CSUN Career Center.
The program’s first cohort consists of three students. Courses included
- Freshman Seminar
- Introduction to Child Development
- Introduction to Recreation and Leisure
- Introduction to Food Science
- Introduction to Public Speaking
- Music in Early Childhood
- Health in the Community
- Introduction to Art
The next cohort of Explorers will begin Fall 2019.
CSUN is the second CSU campus to offer such a program. Fresno State launched a similar program, Wayfinders, in 2011. The creation of the Explorers program is a “natural” for CSUN, which has long championed inclusive education. CSUN has one of the largest populations of Deaf and hard-of-hearing students at a mainstream university in the nation. Each year, it has hosted the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference, the world’s largest event dedicated to presenting and exploring new ways technology can assist people with disabilities. The CHIME Institute, a national leader in developing and implementing model educational programs and dynamic research and training environments to disseminate best practices in inclusive education, and which operates an inclusive K-8 public charter school, started at CSUN, and the institute’s research and training center is housed in the university’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education.
Having a program such as CSUN Explorers is a perfect fit for the university, the community, and the CSU as a whole.
For more information about the CSUN Explorers program, visit its website.