Cerritos College DSPS Staff Attends 31st Annual CAPED Conference

Former DSPS Director and Current Board Trustee Bob Hughlett Named CAPED President

Staff members of Cerritos College’s Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) Department attended the 31st annual California Association for Postsecondary Education and Disability (CAPED) Conference October 8-11 in Lake Tahoe and welcomed Cerritos College Board Trustee Dr. Bob Hughlett into the 2006-2008 CAPED presidency.

Hughlett brings a great deal of experience and perspective to the position—he retired in 2005 as director of DSPS after a career in education that spanned more than 30 years.

Outgoing CAPED President Dr. Lucinda Aborn began in July 2006 as the dean of DSPS at Cerritos College. Aborn came to Cerritos College from El Camino College in Torrance, California, where she served as director of DSPS for 12 years. As 2004-2006 CAPED president, Aborn was instrumental in raising more than $10,000 in funds for student scholarships, influencing the increase of funding for community colleges students who are deaf, hard of hearing or deaf-blind, and increasing CAPED membership.

Aborn worked for 10 years at California State University, Northridge's National Center on Deafness and Career Center. In addition, she served as principal investigator for more than eight multi-year grant projects, including the Rehabilitation Services Administration's Region 9 Sign Language Interpreter Training Grant.

“Dr. Hughlett is widely recognized throughout the state as one of the founders of CAPED,” explained Aborn.

“We’re thrilled that through Dr. Hughlett’s leadership, Cerritos College will have a prominent role in our state association.”

Hughlett was installed as a Cerritos College board member on December 7, 2005. A former councilmember for the City of Cerritos and former member of the ABC Unified School District Board of Education, Hughlett is very active in the community and places particular priority upon supporting programs and accommodations for students with disabilities. He directed DSPS at Cerritos College beginning in 1981 until he retired in 2005.

“I’m honored to be able to serve in this leadership role,” said Hughlett.

“I know that my energy and enthusiasm for CAPED and for our students is matched by that of my colleagues.”

Since 1971, the Cerritos College DSPS Department has provided access and accommodation services to thousands of Cerritos College students. Services offered by DSPS include career, academic and personal counseling, provision of and assistance with equipment, specialized intake assessment, adapted instructional materials, note taking assistance, orientation to campus, parking and mobility support, reading services, tutoring and sign-language interpretation, along with many other offerings.

Founded in October 1974, CAPED is the first non-profit, professional organization of post secondary educators of students with disabilities in the nation. CAPED provides equal educational access to students with disabilities through support services, adapted curricula, and academic adjustments. For more information about the CAPED conference, please visit www.caped.net.

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The Campus Connection Online, October 16, 2006