How does one go from a food service career at a New Jersey college to directing a program that counsels disabled individuals at a Colorado college?

For Greg Sullivan, it was a two-step process. Step one. "After a while, I burnt out on food service, but I knew I wanted to be on a college campus." Sullivan discovered a new niche and earned his master's degree in rehabilitation counseling from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. He then directed a New Jersey nonprofit organization that helps rehabilitate individuals who suffer traumatic brain injuries.

Step two. "We came to Colorado to visit friends one summer and fell in love with it." So Sullivan, his wife and three children packed up and moved out west. Shortly thereafter, Sullivan was hired as a counselor at the AHEC Disability Services Office. For the past two years, he was assistant director of the AHEC DSO. Now, with the dismantling of the AHEC DSO and the creation of a Metro State DSO ("College Now Has Own Disability Services Office, July 16, 2003"), Sullivan is the new interim director.

It's an ideal situation, he believes, especially when he sees his counseling clients accept their hard-earned college diplomas. "It feels great to know you've helped them through school in some way. It's the ultimate goal." About 350 Metro State students with a variety of disabilities, including learning, vision, hearing, neurological and orthopedic, receive assistance from the DSO. That number has been increasing by about 10 percent per semester.

"We try to evaluate them and help them identify strengths and weaknesses and to provide necessary accommodations," he said. The accommodations often entail special testing accommodations, such as allowing extra time to complete exams. "We try to work closely with instructors as well so they understand the situation."

Sullivan hopes to strengthen ties with faculty. "I want to establish closer relations with faculty and help them understand what our role is and what their role is." He also plans to develop relationships with students that are more ongoing in nature and to create a peer mentoring program among DSO clients.

"Our staff is dedicated to serving students who attend Metro and serving as a resource for faculty," Sullivan said.