College Access Navigators

College Access Navigators (CAN) is an innovative peer mentor support program for ASD students and students with ADD/ADHD to assist them in accessing campus resources and navigating potential institutional barriers. Willamette University strives to promote a campus and community of inclusion that ensures autistic and ADD/ADHD student populations have access to student support, academic advising, course instructions, and campus activities.

CAN’s mission is to provide peer support in navigating Willamette resources through mentorship and educational opportunities that increase self-knowledge in the areas of executive functioning, learning skills, and self-advocacy while highlighting the uniqueness and strengths attributed to their neurodivergence.

Participants meet with a peer mentor (Navigation Assistant) weekly to discuss their week, get organized, and identify any resources that may be needed. Time spent in the meeting can be used for creating planners, discussing time management, receiving help sending/responding to emails, and much more.

The College Access Navigators program is not for mental health and wellness counseling, please visit Bishop Wellness Center to learn more about the university’s mental health services. While CAN is supported via Accessible Education Services (AES), students do not need an accommodation to participate in the program nor is the program itself an accommodation.

To be eligible, students must meet the following criteria:

• Admitted to Willamette University as an undergraduate at Willamette College or the Pacific Northwest College of Art (students in their first two years have priority)
• Identify as either ASD or ADD/ADHD, diagnosed or undiagnosed
• Be willing and able to participate in all aspects of the program including weekly navigation assistant (peer mentor) meetings and required program events

If you are a current or prospective student interested in the CAN program, please complete the CAN Interest form. For more information, please check out our CAN Presentation (Google Slides).

CAN was piloted by the Student Success Hub Fall 2019 in collaboration with the Autism Spectrum Navigators program at Bellevue College in Washington State.