by Tyler Harvey | Nov 11, 2019 | Galleries, News Slider, Student Spotlight
A cold autumn Saturday morning in November didn’t put down the high spirts of the runners for the fourth annual IDEAL Bison Boogie 5K. Twenty-nine degrees was the coldest-ever start for the Boogie in its short history of having fun while supporting Lipscomb’s IDEAL Program. All the money raised from goes toward the IDEAL program. The IDEAL Program gives students with intellectual or developmental disabilities the opportunity to come to Lipscomb to experience and learn in college. IDEAL students and Lipscomb faculty were among the participants in the 5K....
by Ashley Bingham | Apr 25, 2019 | News Slider
April is known for springtime, rain and Easter. It’s also known as Autism Awareness month, a time to come together and raise awareness for autism. The IDEAL (Igniting the Dream of Education and Access at Lipscomb) Program was founded by Misty Parsley in 2014. It strives to help students with special needs at Lipscomb get the most out of their college experience, including those with autism. Parsley was an autism consultant in her previous line of work, and she has been working with students with autism for most of her career. She now works as the director of special education programs and as a faculty advisor for IDEAL. Parsley said the program strives to individualize how they help students with their needs, everything from their schedule, to finding ways to motivate them to get their work done. “When working with those with autism, you have to somewhat learn as you go,” Parsley said. “You have to be willing to make changes and implement strategies as issues arise and be willing to meet the students where they are. We really just individualize based on their interests, their needs, what’s worked in the past and what we can implement here at Lipscomb.” One student with autism in the program, Cooper Everitt, said the IDEAL program has benefited him, and he enjoys being a part of it. “Lipscomb is a very nice school, and I love doing the IDEAL program,” Everitt said. “It helps me become a better person, to be more flexible and more responsible.” Parsley noted that autism is a constant struggle with social situations and sensory input, and those...
by Sarah McGee | Mar 7, 2015 | News Slider
Ready or not, Singarama has come to a close for 2015. Ready or Not was also the group that stole the show this year, winning the Singarama Sweepstakes Award Saturday night in Collins Alumni Auditorium. “We started working on the show before Christmas break,” script writer Craig Harwell said. “It has been a gradual process working out the kinks of everything, and we’re so pleased with how everything worked out. We feel like our script, music and dancing really came together in an amazing way, and that we told a great message to the crowd.” The story of Ready or Not was centered around Caroline, a girl who was getting prepared to move to New York to attend NYU. She was unsure if she was ready, along the worry of her father not ready to let her go. Despite winning, the show had some setbacks during its preparation phase. “Our original actor who played the father broke his back last week, so we randomly brought in someone completely new,” director Anne-Claire Smith said. “It took us forever, but we worked so hard these past couple days and it has for sure been proven since we won.” “Ready” consisted of the social clubs Phi Sigma, Sigma Iota Delta and friends. Among the group of friends was IDEAL student A.T. Banks. The IDEAL program has become an important feature on campus, and one that was made even more clear during the IDEAL tribute at Singarama. In between every show, a tribute video for the IDEAL program played, accompanied by the voices of the hosts and hostesses. It was shown to honor the students and...
