Comprehensive Assistance Program
The Comprehensive Assistance Program (CAP) at Iona University is an optional, fee-based program that offers comprehensive support and services for students with diagnosed learning disabilities, AD/HD, and/or traumatic brain injuries.
Our CAP program will provide you with skills-based comprehensive support that encourages success through instruction tailored to your strengths and needs. The program emphasizes broadly applicable strategies that cross academic disciplines.
Comprised of a team of professional learning specialists who are devoted to the support and guidance of each student, staff train students to incorporate appropriate skills-based strategies that cross disciplines. The goal is for students to gradually practice these skills until they are able to perform them independently. With success comes self-confidence and the ability to outline and achieve academic, personal and career goals.
Applying for CAP
You must apply to both the University and CAP in order to be considered for admission into the program. The CAP admission deadline correlates with the University’s admission deadline. Applications received after the deadline will be considered if space is available.
CAP Support & Services
CAP Virtual Information Sessions: 8/13 & 9/24
We will be holding virtual information sessions on Tuesday, August 13 and Tuesday, September 24. All CAP virtual information sessions are held 6-7 p.m. on Zoom. We hope to see you there, register today!
Fall 2024
Each week, you’ll have coaching sessions either in small groups or individually, with professional Learning Specialists. These sessions will focus on strengthening your academic skills through discipline-specific strategies tailored to your needs. For example, if you’re writing a paper, you and your Learning Specialist might spend the first 15 minutes brainstorming topics and the rest of the session (with the guidance of your Learning Specialist) you may work independently to search the Iona Library site for additional information that will help you narrow your list of topics.. You might also attend a small group session that teaches you how to develop your own test questions or on how to organize these elements in a paper. Each session aims to help you build a comprehensive approach to learning and to help you deepen your understanding of how to process the material. The goal is for you to gradually practice strategies learned until you are able to perform them independently. Students are encouraged to attend “drop in sessions” throughout the week to get help with homework assignments, test prep or other areas related to their academic growth.
Skills that are focused on often include:
- self-advocacy
- writing and editing
- note-taking
- test preparation and test taking
- reading comprehension
- time management
- organization
All professional learning specialists hold advanced degrees and are devoted to the support and guidance of our students.
When you are enrolled in CAP, you receive access to priority registration, allowing you to register for courses earlier and receive assistance with course selection and registration.
CAP students still receives advisement from the Center for Advising and Academic Services or the adviser for their major. When advisement has been completed, the CAP director and assistant director will work with you one-on-one as secondary advisors to assist you in creating a personalized schedule that blends your interests and abilities with Iona’s Core Curriculum.
Consideration is also given to matching your learning strengths with a professor's teaching style. Ideally, this process results in a manageable schedule that balances demanding coursework in weak skill areas with courses that utilize your strengths.
As a CAP student, you will be provided with reasonable accommodations under the law for qualified individuals with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are determined based on the documentation you submit with your CAP application.
If you are in the process of receiving new documentation, please reference a detailed overview on accommodations.
The documentation should provide enough information to decide what appropriate academic adjustments are needed in order to create access for your course. Determining appropriate accommodations is an interactive process between you and your CAP counselor, and may vary depending on the construct of the course.