Mission College
SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Jerry Eagleman, a student Air Force veteran from Mission College in Santa Clara, was named the CAPED Student of the Year for the State of California.
The California Association for Postsecondary Education and Disability (CAPED) named Eagleman based on his one-on-one multi-sensory tutoring in the Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) and in the Veterans Resource Center on campus.
“I can usually find a way to help students get the most out of their classes.” said Eagleman, who uses his over 30-plus years of teaching at the college and high school level to tutor in both math and science. “I use my extensive knowledge of how we intake and store information, as well as the effects of several learning disabilities and brain injuries (to help them learn).”
Eagleman, who is hearing impaired, reads lips rather than using an interpreter, uses live captioning in his physics courses and uses special camera equipment to help him with visual challenges. He also uses a power chair to get around campus.
For 12 years, a constant companion was Cooki, who fit snuggly into the front of his now famous overalls. Cooki, a trained service dog, could smell when Eagleman produced too much insulin and alert him. Cooki recently passed away.
Eagleman is currently on a service animal wait list and has set up a Go Fund Me page to assist in the cost <tinyurl.com/hyojqt7>. Eagleman prefers to train his own service dog due to his unique circumstances.
The award ceremony is later in Monterey.
