Creating Social Connection Opportunities

for People with Disabilities

A Proposal for Fargo Forward

20 November 2018
 1

Table of Contents
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………...2
Current Situation…………………………………………………………………..….….……..3
Students with Disabilities and Higher Education………………….…………….…..3
North Dakota and NDSU…………………………………………………………..…..4
Moving into the Community……………………..…………….…………..…...….….5
Objectives……………………………………………………………………….....…………....5
Plan………………………………………………………………………………………....…….6
Phase One: Seminar…………………………………………………..……….……….6
Phase Two: Involvement……………………………….…………………….…….......6
Evaluation/Outcome……………………….…………….………………………………..…...7
Qualifications……………………………………...………………………………………....….7
Costs…………………………………………………………….…………………………..……9
Benefits……………………………….………………………………………………….….…...9
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………...10
References………..…………………………………………………………………………….11
Appendices……………………….…………………………...……………………….……....12

Introduction
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
North Dakota Advocates for People with Disabilities is excited to submit a proposal in response to
Fargo Forward’s Request for Proposals dated August 21st, 2018. Our proposal includes creating a
 2

mentoring program called Friendly Faces in which students at North Dakota State University connect
on a social level in order to help combat social inequalities and barriers. The NDAPD’s plan intends to fill
the gap between people with and without disabilities to increase diversity and inclusion on campus,
using a two-phase design. In phase one, all incoming students will attend a seminar that provides
awareness of the more common disabilities along with how to work towards eliminating the stigma and
biases that surrounds those with a disability. During phase two, upper class psychology students would
get real-world experience in the mental health profession by receiving class credit by connecting
classroom concepts to our Friendly Faces program.

North Dakota Advocates for People with Disabilities (NDAPD) believes that people with disabilities face
more challenges than the average person when it comes to transitioning into adulthood. Often times
stigmas, biases, or social disconnects can cause a divide in our community that is hard for people with
disabilities to overcome. We hope to eliminate stigma in our society by connecting individuals with
disabilities with the surrounding community. Our mission is to promote inclusion and diversity by
illuminating a path for friends, alike and different, to follow to in order to find friendly faces everywhere
they go. Other disability services in our area promote increased independence for people with
disabilities through programs that teach independent living skills. Unlike the others, our organization
focuses on creating opportunities among the younger generation to connect and help eachother grow.
Much like Fargo Forward, NDAPD wants to encourage individuals with disabilities to overcome barriers,
biases, and systemic inequalities that may inhibit them by creating opportunities in the Fargo area.

In the sections that follow, we discuss the current state of disability programs in the Fargo-Moorhead
(focusing more specifically on North Dakota State University) and provide research on the surrounding
community. Next, we outline our objectives for the Friendly Faces Program and provide a detailed plan
for enacting a one-year pilot project at North Dakota State University. We include the qualifications of
the team members found at NDAPD and what our team can do to help build said program. Finally, we
will discuss the costs and benefits of creating the Friendly Faces Program for the 2019-2020 school
year. We believe our proposal stands out for its emphasis on meeting unmet needs in the Fargo-
Moorhead area with a developed plan of implementation based on research and evidence-based
approaches.

Current Situation
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before continuing with our program plan, we would like to highlight the current situation that has led
NDAPD to believe that there is a need to integrate Friendly Faces into the community. Higher
education has become less of a privileged opportunity and more of an expectation for young adults
looking to join the workforce. As every employer will be looking for at least a bachelor's degree listed
on a resume, we believe that students should have equal opportunities to thrive in a university setting.
However, students with disabilities enter universities with more challenges to face than the average
student. In addition to this, often disabilities centers focus on learning disabilities and providing
academic help, which can neglect the social aspect to campus living. Since these students eventually
 3

become active members of communities, we believe that it’s important to ensure their success in
higher education institutes. We at NDAPD see a need to develop a program that will help to make this
transition easier on incoming students facing different challenges while providing current NDSU
students with practical application of classroom concepts.

Students with Disabilities and Higher Education

According to research conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (2011), degree granting
institutions reported enrolling approximately 707,00 students with disabilities in the 12-month 2008-09
academic year, with about half of these students reported enrolled in public 2-year institutions. With
these students reporting a wide range of disabilities that go farther than just learning disabilities, about
one-third of disabilities reported by institutions were specific learning disabilities. See Table 1 for the
percentage distribution of disabilities reported during this study (Raue & Lewis, 2011). These numbers
show the immense diversity that
there is among students with
disabilities, however many
institutions often focus solely on
helping students with learning
disabilities.

Many of the institutions in this study

reported offering assistance that
would not necessarily help all
students with disabilities. 93% of
institutions reported providing
additional exam time to students with
disabilities, 77% of institutions
provided classroom note takes, 72% provided help with learning strategies or study skills, and 70%
reported providing adaptive equipment and technology (Raue & Lewis, 2011). However, even with
these numbers, a study done in 2011 done by the National Center for Special Education Research found
that special education students were less likely to go to and complete college (“General Statistics about
College Students with Disabilities”, 2018). With these numbers, the question becomes how can we
provide more well-rounded and developed disability assistance programs to help students with a wide
range of disabilities?

North Dakota and NDSU

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in North Dakota almost 73,000 of the civilian noninstitutionalized
population have a disability. This represents 10.5% of the population. Individuals under 18 years, has
just under 5,000 people with a disability or 3.1% of that age group. The working age group, age 18 to 64
years, has just over 35,000 people with a disability or 8%. For the disabled population, 14% have
attained a bachelor’s degree or higher, while 30% of the population with no disability have a bachelor’s
degree or higher (“General Statistics about College Students with Disabilities”, 2018).
 4

On the NDSU campus, assistance is available for students who need/desire special accommodation to
aid in academic success. Eligible students are able to apply for services that provide support in the
classroom. However, the Disability Center lacks a program that allows students to gain support
navigating the social setting found at the university level. North Dakota State University’s Disability
Services has a mission statement that states the program works to “collaborate with the NDSU
community to facilitate equal access in academic pursuits, promote self-advocacy, and foster inclusion
for students with disabilities” (NDSU, 2018). While this mission statement is certainly seen on the
academic side, we believe that students are not given the opportunity to apply for services that assist in
gaining social skills for future success. Students who come to university are often faced with academic
challenges and social settings that are hard to navigate in themselves. Students who enter university
with underdeveloped social skills, disabilities, or learning gaps have an even harder time adapting to the
new environment.

Moving into the Community

Students graduating from North Dakota State University play a large role in the surrounding Fargo-
Moorhead. In fact, NDSU has a total enrollment of 13,796 students as of the Fall 2018 academic
semester (ndsu.edu) and in 2017, Fargo had an estimated population of 122,359 (World Population
Review, 2018). Which means that NDSU students make up approximately 11.3% of the Fargo
community. In addition to this, many of the students that go to NDSU end up staying in the community
after graduation. According to NDSU data, the retention rate at NDSU rose to 79.6% as of 2015, up
from 76.1% in 2011. The university has a goal of increasing the retention rate to between 83 and 85
percent in the next several years (Springer, 2016). This means that students are often directly applying
the skills and knowledge that they gain at NDSU to the Fargo-Moorhead area. We believe that
developing our program at NDSU, will not only be helping university students, but will be helping to
develop skills that young professionals will bring to the surrounding community.

Objectives
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our goal is to ensure that all the North Dakota State University students have the opportunity to get
involved on campus. Given that academics is the primary reason for attending college, there are other
important factors such as getting involved on campus. Usually students are supposed to handle this
portion of their college experience on their own. Some students are unable to get involved on campus
alone. A student may feel apprehension or fear of being made fun of. Even if a student can, other
medical problems may arise that take up a great deal of time or resources, putting friendships on the
back burner. A simple program could make socializing a possibility for students or just a manageable
process in their busy life.
 5

Unlike academic requirements that give all student the chance to excel, universities are not expected to
provide disability services for social contexts. Currently, our focus is on spreading awareness to all
students of disabilities and how to interact and aiding those with disabilities in social environments.
This is to give everyone equal opportunity to advance socially. The North Dakota Advocates for People
with Disabilities has developed a plan called Friendly Faces to ensure all students are given an equal
opportunity on campus in all aspects of student life.

Plan
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our plan intends to fill the gap between people with and without disabilities to increase diversity and
inclusion on campus, using a two-phase design. Each phase is intended to help a different population
on campus based on their level of social experience. As each population has specific needs, they will be
provided with solutions that fit these needs.

Phase One: The Seminar

In phase one, all incoming students must attend a seminar. During this, students will be informed of the
more common disabilities in young adults. Each disability discussed will have a general description of
symptoms and problems one faces with the specific disability. This is to ensure that students
understand common issues others face that most are unaware of. Then demonstrations will be given to
show how to interact with those who have a disability. As some know how to socialize with a person
with a disability, it will be much easier with a few tips for interaction. With this portion of the seminar,
students will feel more comfortable in these situations. Finally, the presenters will discuss inclusion.
This is the most important portion of the seminar. Although not all disabilities can be spoken of,
everyone should be included. The seminar will be held six times in the fall semesters and four times in
the spring. North Dakota State University strives to ensure people can connect despite their
differences.

Phase Two: The Involvement

During phase two, upper class psychology students would get real-world experience in the mental
health profession by receiving class credit. One PSYC 493 credit will be allotted to students who spend 3
hours per week with students in need. These hours can be utilized in three ways: taking students to
events or clubs on campus preparing the monthly meeting and working at the monthly meeting. This is
the most important portion of our plan, as it liberates students who otherwise would miss out on
college experiences.

Students, with disabilities who wish to partake in the program, will sign up for events and clubs they
want to go to on campus. The students receiving the class credit will then take students to these events
 6

and clubs throughout the week, helping others use the learned social skills from the monthly meetings.
This to guarantee that those with disabilities feel comfortable in a new environment with a friendly
face.

The monthly meetings will help those with disabilities perform daily tasks. These can be social or non-
social skills. Social skills will include topics such as conversation starters, body language, and
appropriate facial expressions. These meetings will be run by the students in the 493 PSYC class. On the
non-social side, another nonprofit will run the monthly meeting. A soup kitchen in town will show
students simple meals to cook. Other meetings could be run by the Red River Valley Autism-Asperger’s
Network to work on doing laundry and household tasks. All students deserve to be involved on
campus, and we hope this plan accomplishes this.

Evaluation/Outcome
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In order to evaluate if Friendly Faces’ success, three surveys will be mailed to all students involved, by
their specific population. One survey will be mailed to all incoming students who attended the seminar.
Questions will be asked pertaining to the relevance of the topic and if other things should be discussed
in the following years. The second survey will be sent to all the students who signed up for the program.
This is to evaluate if the monthly meetings are useful and to generate other meeting ideas. Also,
questions will be asked about the part of the program where the students go to events and clubs.
Finally, the last survey will be given to those who applied for the class credit. Questions about the
significance of the real-world experience will be asked. Together all of these surveys will conclude if
Friendly Faces should continue or change.

Qualifications
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
North Dakota Advocates for People with Disabilities (NDAPD) was founded in Fargo, North Dakota, in
March of 2013. Carrie Styles, Holly Papineau, Ashley McCoy, and Gracynn Young founded the NDAPD
together. They all feel very passionate about working with this population, because all the founders
have been influenced and touched by someone who has a disability. All four of the founding members
of the NDAPD would be involved in the Friendly Faces Program if it were to be implemented. The four
founding members and a new employee all have the experience and expertise to make the Friendly
Faces Program thrive, because they have been working with people with disabilities at the NDAPD, and
other human service agencies for years. They would be by working together and using each other’s
strengths to make sure the program was as positive and beneficial as it should be. All founding
members of the NDAPD have unique backgrounds and education, which are described below.

Carrie Styles, MBA, NDAPD President- Carrie earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree at
Dickinson State University in 2001. After her bachelor’s degree, Carrie moved on to get her Master of
Business Administration from the University of North Dakota. After Carrie received her MBA, she
 7

worked at Prairie St. Johns in Fargo as an operations manager until 2013, when she became co-founder
and the president of NDAPD. Carrie will continue to be the president of NDAPD, but if the Friendly
Faces Program is implemented, she would also oversee all activities of the program.

Jenna Marcus, B.S. in Communications, NDAPD Public Relations Officer- Jenna started at the NDAPD as
an intern while earning her degree from North Dakota State University. She graduated in 2015 with a
Bachelor of Science in Communications. Because of Jenna’s upbeat attitude and self-motivation, she
stayed at the NDAPD after she graduated and became the full-time public relations officer. If
implemented, Jenna would be the Friendly Faces hands-on program manager. She would be working
directly with the college students with the events Friendly Faces has to offer.

Holly Papineau, MSW, NDAPD Social Worker- Holly received her undergraduate social work degree at
North Dakota State University in 2004. After getting her BSW, Holly worked at CCRI in Fargo as a social
worker for 7 years. Holly achieved her Master of Social Work from the University of Minnesota in 2012.
If Friendly Faces were to be implemented, Holly would be the social worker for both NDAPD and the
Friendly Faces Program.

Ashley McCoy, Ph.D. NDAPD Social Service Organizer- Ashley earned her undergraduate degree in
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities from Minot State University in 2001. After, she decided to
move to Minneapolis, Minnesota to continue her education at the University of Minnesota. Ashley then
got her M.A. and Ph.D. in Family Social Sciences by 2010. While getting her graduate degree, Ashley
was a family planning counselor for Abbott Northwestern Hospital. Ashley and her family moved to
Fargo, North Dakota in 2011 where she became connected with the other founders of the NDAPD.
Ashley would work as the outreach director for the Friendly Faces Program if funding is awarded.

Gracynn Young, Ph.D. NDAPD Social Psychologist- Gracynn received her Bachelor of Science in
Psychology with an emphasis in Social Sciences in 2004. She later earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Social
Psychology at the University of North Dakota. In 2010 Gracynn worked as a social psychologist at
Prairie St. John’s in Fargo, North Dakota. This is where she met Carrie Styles, the NDAPD President,
and that is when they came up with the idea for the NDAPD and joined forces with Ashley and Holly. If
Friendly Face were to be implemented, Gracynn would be the supervisor for Jenna and help her at the
psychological level in regard to the program.

Costs
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Based on our employee expertise and research conducted of similar based programs in other areas,
NDAPD has put together an established budget for the Friendly Faces Program that is proposed. The
program is estimated to need a budget of 99,625 dollars for management, labor, facilities, equipment,
materials, travel, and communication. This proposed budget meets the Fargo Forward’s grant
requirements. It’s important to note the that breakdown does not consider other funds that will help
the program and assumes that there will be no donations from outside community sources.
 8

We have allocated most of our resources to phase one of our Friendly Faces program as we feel that this
a crucial part of our outreach. Most of our budget will go into creating a training video, designing and
printing resources such as handout and business cards, and training individuals that will be running our
seminars each semester. We believe that by spending the money to develop material and foundational
information, we will see a benefit in the response and outreach we have. The remaining part of our
budget will be put into labor and paying for miscellaneous things that our program members may need
such as event admittance fees or catering food. Our budget is flexible, as we want to be able to
accommodate for any unexpected expenses. For a full budget, see Appendix: Friendly Faces Program
Budget Details.

Benefits
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Implementing this program will give new incoming, nervous college freshmen with disabilities the
option to feel more at home and welcomed, which is a major benefit of Friendly Faces. Many college
freshmen feel like a fish out of water when they first go to their campus, but Friendly Faces will help
them put their best foot forward. These students will have people to help them with not only
socializing, but where to find their classes, how to buy books, basically the ins and outs of everything
college has to offer. Having this extra confidence on a new campus will therefore keep the students
with disabilities thriving during the school year.

Another benefit of this proposal is the staff are already exquisitely trained and qualified to do it.
Friendly Faces staff would be made up of professionals who know what they are doing. Having a well-
equipped staff makes the Friendly Faces proposal stand out from the rest. Everyone at the NDAPD
have been working there for years and know each other quite well. Instead of having a program with
new, different people, Friendly Faces will already be past that part. They will be ready to put the
program into place as soon as the grant is awarded to them.

If Friendly Faces is put into place at North Dakota State University, there will be evaluations of how
effective it is. If awarded positive feedback, Friendly Faces could benefit far more campus’ other than
NDSU. Another reason why Fargo Forward should give the grant to Friendly Faces, is that this proposal
could benefit not only the Fargo/Moorhead community, but other colleges across the nation. If the
proposal does not get adequate reviews, we would change the program, so it better fits the group of
students we are trying to help. By improving the program year after year, Friendly Faces can benefit
colleges all over the country, and personalize it to fit the campus it is on.

With all the information given, the benefits clearly outweigh the costs. If Fargo Forward graciously
gives Friendly Faces the grant, NDAPD would not only be spreading positive social behaviors across
North Dakota State University, but so would Fargo Forward. Friendly Faces and Fargo Forward would
share the positive outcomes that generate from the program.
 9

Conclusion
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In conclusion, Friendly Faces main intent is to create equal opportunity on college campus’. Specifically,
for the social aspect for people with disabilities. We at the NDAPD believe that with the right help,
people with disabilities can thrive in any environment they are put in, including college campus’. It has
always a passion of all of the members at the NDAPD to bridge the gap between people who have
disabilities, and people don’t, and Friendly Faces is one way to achieve that. Our team is more than
qualified to make Friendly Faces thrive, and we will with our thought-out plan. Also, through effective
evaluations, we will make Friendly Faces the best program that it can be. With all the information about
who we are, what we want to do, and how we will do it, our proposal should be more than enough to
earn the Fargo Forward grant.

Thank you for your consideration of our Friendly Faces proposal. We would greatly appreciate your
decision to reward Friendly Faces this grant, and we eagerly wait for the decision. If you want more
information about the North Dakota Advocates for People with Disabilities, please visit our website at
ndapd.org. If you have any questions at all, feel free to contact the programs manager, Jenna Marcus,
at (701) 222-1234, or email her at jenna.marcus@ndapd.org.
 10

References
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Data Reporting and Student Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2018, from
https://www.ndsu.edu/data/enrollment/

Fargo, North Dakota Population 2018. (2018, June 3). Retrieved October 23, 2018,
from http://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/fargo-population/

General Statistics about College Students with Disabilities. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2018, from
https://www.nccsdclearinghouse.org/stats-college-stds-with-disabilities.html

United States, North Dakota Department of Commerce, North Dakota Census Office. (2016, August).
Population with Disabilities in North Dakota. Retrieved October 23, 2018, from
https://www.commerce.nd.gov/uploads/8/CensusNewsletterAug2016.pdf

Raue, K., & Lewis, L. (2011). Students With Disabilities at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions.
National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2011/2011018.pdf

Springer, P., & Forum News Service. (2016, December 28). F-M college campus retention efforts aim to
help students succeed. Retrieved October 23, 2018, from
http://www.westfargopioneer.com/news/4188389-f-m-college-campus-retention-efforts-aim-
help-students-succeed
 11

Appendix
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friendly Faces Program Budget Details

1) Management Salary Time devoted to Total Cost
project

a. Program Manager- Jenna Marcus $40,000 %50 $20,000

b. NDAPD (Friendly Faces Committee)

Carrie Styles, NDAPD President $55,000 %10 $5,500
Holly Papineau, MSW Project Manager $45,000 %20 $9,000
Ashley McCoy, Outreach Director $45,000 %15 $6,750
Gracynn Young, Special Education Expert $45,000 %15 $6,750

TOTAL MANAGEMENT COSTS $48,000

2) Labor Hours on Costs per hour

Project

a. Direct Labor
People running workshop x3 25 $20.00 $1,500
Collaborating professor 136 N/A $5,000

b. Indirect Labor N/A N/A $0

c. Hiring 15 N/A $0
Done by NDAPD

d. Training
People running workshop x3 5 $15.00 $225

TOTAL LABOR COSTS $6,725.00

3) Facilities and Equipment Total Cost

a. Room Rental
Century Theater- 10 total times 20 $300 $6,,000

b. Depreciation of Facilities N/A N/A $2,000

 12

4) Equipment

a. Computer Software and Hardware

Included in room rental N/A N/A $0

c. Tables, Chairs, Desks

Included in room rental N/A N/A $0

d. Depreciation of Equipment N/A N/A $2,000

TOTAL FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT COSTS $10,000

5) Materials

a. Direct Materials
Training video N/A N/A $10,000
Handouts N/A N/A $2,000
Business cards N/A N/A $1,000

b. Indirect Materials
Office supplies N/A N/A $500
Catering for group meetings N/A N/A $3,000
Group meeting supplies and miscellaneous N/A N/A $7,000

c. Documentation (User manuals, etc.)

Training handouts/binder N/A N/A $3,000

TOTAL MATERIALS COSTS $26,500

6) Travel

a. Motorpool
Renting vans for traveling to events (included at NDSU) N/A N/A $0

TOTAL TRAVEL COSTS $0

7) Communication

a. Phone
Project manger phone $75/month N/A $900
 13

b. Internet provider N/A N/A N/A

Use of NDAPD’s existing provider
Use of school internet

c. Postage N/A N/A $500

Mailing surveys

d. Documentation (printing budget) N/A N/A $7,000

Printing handouts
Other documents that may be needed

TOTAL COMMUNICATION COSTS $8,400

Pre-Profit Estimated Costs $99,625

TOTAL COSTS $99,625

Table 1