Improving services for older students with special needs

By Scott O'Connell

GateHouse News Service

Posted Nov 25, 2011 @ 07:00 AM

A new bill sponsored by Rep. Tom Sannicandro aims to make the transition from school to the working world easier for students with special needs.

The legislation, which was engrossed in the House of Representatives last week and now moves on to the Senate, would revise licensure requirements for special education teachers to allow them to seek certification in transitional services by completing graduate-level courses or similar programs. That additional training will help their students better prepare for life after grade school, said Sannicandro, an Ashland Democrat who represents several Framingham precincts.

"Right now they're not adequately prepared for that transition," he said. "A lot of times there's a drop-off."

Advances in education for students with special needs over the past few years have boosted their chances at finding employment or additional training opportunities after high school, however, which means the students who aren't receiving proper transitional services are seeing those skills go to waste. Some of them simply go on to receive state services instead.

By better training transitional coordinators, supporters of the bill hope schools will able to more effectively plan for students' post-high school plans. If a student likes to work with animals, for example, the coordinator would be better equipped to guide him or her to a career in the veterinary field, for instance, or pet care.

Facing tight budgets and stretched resources, public schools currently have a tough time offering such transitional services, Sannicandro said.

"They don't know what to do either," he said, even though many have "done a great job educating" their students with special needs.

The Framingham school system's special education department has identified expansion of the district's programming for 18-22-year-old students as one of its top priorities for the future, for example. Right now, most of the students in that age group are in regional collaborative programs like ACCEPT and The Education Cooperative, department director Betsey McKeon told the School Committee during a presentation earlier this month.

Officials hope to offer more in-district services to those students, "but it takes space and certainly resources," she said, both of which are currently at a premium in the district. The department is eyeing a grant, though, that could help fund some program development as a first step, McKeon said.

"We'll start small — we're still in the infancy stages," she said. "But it's something we really want to look into."

McKeon is also hopeful about the new bill, which will help students once they turn 22.

"To see that that is a possibility is very exciting," she said.

Sannicandro said the measure has garnered wide support in the Legislature, and is optimistic the bill will progress through the Senate and eventually be enacted.

Read more: Improving services for older students with special needs - Framingham, Massachusetts - The Framingham Tab
http://www.wickedlocal.com/framingham/news/education/x1326071403/Improving-services-for-older-students-with-special-needs#ixzz1fD6G3vpz

FIU offers program for students with special needs

WEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) -- A local university is giving students with special needs the opportunity to go to college.

Florida International University started it's Project Panther Life for intellectually disabled students. "It's important for people to realize that an intellectual disability does not limit you from so many other things that you can do in your life," said Liliana Demoya, a mother who helped start the program.

A group of freshmen students in the program enrolled in their first college class. "They're taking a course a semester, and they are engaging in the same assignments that all of the other university students are doing," said Diana Valle-Riestra, Assistant Professor of Special Education at FIU.

The young adults have difficulty communicating and developing socially, but the program offers a way for them to be included. "The biggest thing for them is to be included with the mainstream and as well to feel part of society with everyone else," said a faculty member.

Faculty and fellow students are welcoming Project Panther Life students with open arms. Each student is paired with two mentors who introduce them to life on campus and help them with their assignments. "First day of school, I got good friends right now in my classroom. I've got Alex, he's a really good person, me an him have become super best friends," said one student.

"I love my classes, I love my FIU program," said student Alex Demoya.

Demoya's family is thrilled there is an opportunity for him to continue his education beyond high school. "I think he can teach a lot of students skills that are not academic skills. I think he can teach them strength. He is the most motivated, hard-working person I've ever known," said Liliana Demoya.

Thanks to Liliana, the program allows these students to have academic access at a local college. "A program like this one was not available in South Florida, so I started to knock on doors and meet people at universities and meet presidents and put together proposals," said Liliana Demoya.

The eight students in the project now call FIU home, and the future for these students has positive possibilities. "I think one of our last goals, as they graduate from the program, is we want to see them go ahead and develop the skills to interview for a job and retain a job," said Valle-Riestra.

The students are not graded and do not qualify for a diploma, but the program offers the students the skills for them to become independent, productive adults.

Read more: http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/21006006353619/fiu-offers-program-for-students-with-special-needs/#ixzz2MWISu79eWhenever Patti Thoman tells a story about one of her seven students, it usually ends with the words, "Oh, I just cried."
Like when she describes the moment Timmy Tedrow got his Walsh University ID.
"It was one of those moments when the tears were flowing," she said. "We go over to get our pictures taken. Timmy is the only boy, so he says, 'Ladies first.' When it was his turn, he takes his ID, looks at it, kisses it and says, 'I'm a college man now.' "
Tedrow, who has Down syndrome, and his six classmates, Chelsea Jacobucci, Kelly Stevenson, Alyssa Sutter, Billie Stevenson, Hannah Roberts, and Kristen Hall, are students of Transition U, a program specifically designed for cognitive/multiple disabled students, ages 18-22, who have completed social graduation with North Canton City Schools.
Social graduation means that students who have been on individual education plans throughout their school career and are exempt from testing, have earned enough credits to move on.
The unique collaboration between North Canton City Schools and Walsh University allows them to have a real college experience with their same-age peers — something neither the students nor their parents ever thought possible.
The students learn social skills through such activities as eating in the cafeteria, attending sporting events and hanging out with friends between classes.
Thoman, the program coordinator, along with assistants Pat Adams and Colleen Prentice, teach life lessons to their students in the Hannon Center at Walsh each morning. They learn personal care, pack their lunches, check emails and learn skills that will make them employable later.
In the afternoon, some go off to jobs, while others stay on campus to do life-skills transition exercises.
They have learned to follow a recipe, ride public transportation, use cellphones, order in a restaurant and figure out the tip, and shop for clothes and groceries.
While technically, the program is an extension of Hoover High School, said Thoman, "If you ask any one of these students, they will say they are Walsh University students. They wear the garb. They sit in the cafeteria."
Thoman still gets overcome with emotion when she talks about what she had hoped to do for her students and what actually has played out.
It all began when she heard one of her students talk about her dream to go to college.
"So I came to see my good friend Dr. (Jean) DeFazio, and asked what are the chances?" said Thoman. "All I wanted was a room. This is never what I'd dreamt," she said.
Whenever Patti Thoman tells a story about one of her seven students, it usually ends with the words, "Oh, I just cried."
Like when she describes the moment Timmy Tedrow got his Walsh University ID.
"It was one of those moments when the tears were flowing," she said. "We go over to get our pictures taken. Timmy is the only boy, so he says, 'Ladies first.' When it was his turn, he takes his ID, looks at it, kisses it and says, 'I'm a college man now.' "
Tedrow, who has Down syndrome, and his six classmates, Chelsea Jacobucci, Kelly Stevenson, Alyssa Sutter, Billie Stevenson, Hannah Roberts, and Kristen Hall, are students of Transition U, a program specifically designed for cognitive/multiple disabled students, ages 18-22, who have completed social graduation with North Canton City Schools.
Social graduation means that students who have been on individual education plans throughout their school career and are exempt from testing, have earned enough credits to move on.
The unique collaboration between North Canton City Schools and Walsh University allows them to have a real college experience with their same-age peers — something neither the students nor their parents ever thought possible.
The students learn social skills through such activities as eating in the cafeteria, attending sporting events and hanging out with friends between classes.
Thoman, the program coordinator, along with assistants Pat Adams and Colleen Prentice, teach life lessons to their students in the Hannon Center at Walsh each morning. They learn personal care, pack their lunches, check emails and learn skills that will make them employable later.
In the afternoon, some go off to jobs, while others stay on campus to do life-skills transition exercises.
They have learned to follow a recipe, ride public transportation, use cellphones, order in a restaurant and figure out the tip, and shop for clothes and groceries.
While technically, the program is an extension of Hoover High School, said Thoman, "If you ask any one of these students, they will say they are Walsh University students. They wear the garb. They sit in the cafeteria."
Thoman still gets overcome with emotion when she talks about what she had hoped to do for her students and what actually has played out.
It all began when she heard one of her students talk about her dream to go to college.
"So I came to see my good friend Dr. (Jean) DeFazio, and asked what are the chances?" said Thoman. "All I wanted was a room. This is never what I'd dreamt," she said.

Transition U sends special-needs students to college

By Lisa Reicosky

 

http://www.cantonrep.com/carousel/x1425132930/Transition-U-sends-special-needs-students-to-college?zc_p=2

 

NORTH CANTON —

Whenever Patti Thoman tells a story about one of her seven students, it usually ends with the words, “Oh, I just cried.”
Like when she describes the moment Timmy Tedrow got his Walsh University ID.
“It was one of those moments when the tears were flowing,” she said. “We go over to get our pictures taken. Timmy is the only boy, so he says, ‘Ladies first.’ When it was his turn, he takes his ID, looks at it, kisses it and says, ‘I’m a college man now.’ ”
Tedrow, who has Down syndrome, and his six classmates, Chelsea Jacobucci, Kelly Stevenson, Alyssa Sutter, Billie Stevenson, Hannah Roberts, and Kristen Hall, are students of Transition U, a program specifically designed for cognitive/multiple disabled students, ages 18-22, who have completed social graduation with North Canton City Schools.
Social graduation means that students who have been on individual education plans throughout their school career and are exempt from testing, have earned enough credits to move on.
The unique collaboration between North Canton City Schools and Walsh University allows them to have a real college experience with their same-age peers — something neither the students nor their parents ever thought possible.
The students learn social skills through such activities as eating in the cafeteria, attending sporting events and hanging out with friends between classes.
Thoman, the program coordinator, along with assistants Pat Adams and Colleen Prentice, teach life lessons to their students in the Hannon Center at Walsh each morning. They learn personal care, pack their lunches, check emails and learn skills that will make them employable later.
In the afternoon, some go off to jobs, while others stay on campus to do life-skills transition exercises.
They have learned to follow a recipe, ride public transportation, use cellphones, order in a restaurant and figure out the tip, and shop for clothes and groceries.
While technically, the program is an extension of Hoover High School, said Thoman, “If you ask any one of these students, they will say they are Walsh University students. They wear the garb. They sit in the cafeteria.”
Thoman still gets overcome with emotion when she talks about what she had hoped to do for her students and what actually has played out.
It all began when she heard one of her students talk about her dream to go to college.
“So I came to see my good friend Dr. (Jean) DeFazio, and asked what are the chances?” said Thoman. “All I wanted was a room. This is never what I’d dreamt,” she said.
DeFazio, chairperson of the education department, said “Everyone just said this is the right thing to do. No one talked about funds.”
The next thing they knew, they were in the office of Amy Malaska, the dean of students, again, asking for that room.
“I could see from their passion and commitment that they should have much more than a room,” remembers Malaska, who said, “Oh, we can do so much better than that.”
So, Malaska got Walsh T-shirts and student ID’s ready to go and they were invited to formal matriculation with Walsh’s 515 freshmen. They watched the processional of faculty and staff in full regalia, and then, much to their surprise, were introduced to their new classmates as, again, Thoman cried.
Their parents were invited to Parents’ Night and received “Walsh Mom” and “Walsh Dad” coffee mugs.
The relationship is not one-sided. Lauren Birtcher, a Walsh junior from Dover, says she has learned much more from the Transition U students than they have learned from her.
Birtcher is majoring in education with the goal of becoming an intervention specialist. She and her classmates get real-life experience working with the students and earn class credit at the same time.
Birtcher’s 10-hour requirement ended quite a while ago, but she still can be found at Transition U daily.
“I walk on air when I leave here. They make me appreciate the simple things in life, the things I take for granted,” said Birtcher. “I don’t know how else to say it. This is what I’m supposed to do. It makes me happy.”
DeFazio said that her students learn how special-needs students have a range of abilities and need individualized strategies for learning.
“We talk about education methods and statistics, but there’s more. We’re sharing lives with each other,” said DeFazio.
Birtcher once played basketball in the gym with Transition U student Kristen Hall. Kristen not only won, but she caught the attention of the Walsh girls basketball team, who asked Kristen to help out with the team.
Hannah Roberts, another Transition student, put together a slide show of pictures of her college experience so far, played to the tune of “A Whole New World.”
“That was another time I cried,” said Thoman.
Roberts said she is grateful to Thoman for the program.
“There’s nothing I don’t like about Walsh. I love being able to come here,” she said. “I never thought I’d get to go to college.”
More Hoover students will be eligible to join the program next year. They remain eligible until they turn 22.
“What’s neat is that Walsh University opened their arms to this idea,” said North Canton Schools Superintendent Mike Gallina. “Patti (Thoman) is the ultimate educator with regard to heart and passion for her students. She is always looking for a way to accomplish it, rather than hearing that we can’t.”
Malaska is already planning for the day their Transition U students move on and will plan a formal ceremony.
“We truly want a true college experience for these kids,” she said.
Just make sure there’s plenty of Kleenex for Thoman.

Turlock High prepares special needs students for careers

By Jonathon McCorkell
http://www.turlockjournal.com/section/17/article/12376/
In today's economy it can be tough for a young high school graduate to find work — especially if they are saddled with a learning disability or have special needs. In many cases these students will simply turn 18 and begin collecting Supplemental Security Income, also known as SSI.
But a 15-year-old program at Turlock High School is breaking the cycle of relying on the government — and giving them the skills to lead productive and independent lives.
According to Kathy Smith, a THS job coach and developer, the Transitional Partnership Program's ultimate goal is to break that cycle and produce contributing members of society.
The TPP is a triangle partnership between the California Department of Rehabilitation, Turlock Unified School District and the student. The THS program is allotted funding from the Department of Rehab to help graduating seniors develop skills necessary to find a job and keep a job.
Smith said that even things like a haircut and learning how to completely fill out an online application can be daunting task for some special needs students, however, with encouragement, they can make it in the world.
"Our first goal is get the kids to complete high school, and then find a reliable means of transportation. That could mean they get a California driver's license or learn the bus schedule," said Smith. "Then our goal moves to helping a student work on their strengths and understand their weaknesses."
Through the TPP curriculum students are expected to build a portfolio with a resume and letters of recommendation. They are also expected to learn how to dress and behave properly for interviews.
In addition to the portfolio, guest speakers visit the TPP and speak with seniors about finding jobs. Recently, Bianca Sanchez, a former THS graduate and currently with Employment Development Department Youth, held a presentation about applying for a job. She noted that students should keep in mind that even something as simple as an unprofessional ring back tone or an e-mail address could send an application to the bottom of the pile.
"Employers are looking for people who are mature, responsible and who can represent their company in a positive manner," said Sanchez.
One of the TPP primary responsibilities is to build relationships with local businesses that hire students. "Over the years we've developed connections with numerous businesses in Turlock and the surrounding area," Smith explained.
The program experiences a resounding amount of success, especially considering the current economic condition of the Valley. According to Smith, out of 27 students who graduated last year, 16 had been placed in employment within 90 days of graduation.
"We are giving these kids a chance and we are making sure we give them the tools to make themselves successful. Now obviously we aren't going to have lawyers or doctors, but these kids can have careers," she said.
Smith maintains files on about 40 students ranging from current seniors to last year's graduates. Through TPP she tracks them for up to one year following graduation to ensure they get a job and keep a job.
Employers are seeing the benefits of the program. Oscar Avila, Cost Less store manager, said he has hired several employees over the years from TPP.
"They always do a good job, they have great attitudes, they are reliable, show up on time and they just do their job. That's all we ask for. None of the other employees really know that we hire these kids from the program," he explained.
Current employee Adrian Garcia has been employed as a courtesy clerk for about three months and he said he enjoys his job and is thankful for TPP.
The TPP is turning heads.
"This is one of the most successful programs like this in the state. Other programs are modeling after us and it's all because of the great people like Kathy Smith who are involved in it and the character of the kids," said TUSD Student Services Director Gil Ogden.

New vocational option for students with disabilities

By Kate Thayer
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-11-14/news/ct-met-disabled-students-voc-ed-1114-20111114_1_disabilities-packets-assembly-program
Township High School District 211 is working with a local company to provide more real-world training for disabled students.
The initiative has operated as a pilot program since the beginning of the school year at Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, but it will now expand to include all five high schools and operate from a new space outside school property. The district's four other high schools are Fremd, Hoffman, Palatine and Schaumburg.
A Hoffman Estates parent who works for Richelieu Hardware in Hanover Park and has a daughter with a disability approached school officials with an idea that would enable students to help assemble tool packets for the Montreal-based company.
The company was already looking for a new way of preparing the packets in the Midwest, Associate Superintendent Dan Cates said.
The packets include hinges and screws, which are then distributed to Lowe's home improvement stores to construct various cabinets sold there.
More than 100 District 211 students already participate in similar vocational training programs at Ikea, Walgreens and more than a dozen other local companies.
Twenty-six students will be able to participate in the assembly program, which will operate out of a space in Hoffman Estates, instead of at Conant.
On Nov. 10 the board unanimously approved renting the space for $1,250 per month. Staff already supervising the program will continue to work with the students, administrators said.
"Some of our students having trouble in larger settings, like Ikea, have just done fantastic" in the new program, Cates said.
Besides assembling and boxing the packets, the program will allow students to learn other aspects of the business, like bookkeeping and management, Superintendent Nancy Robb said.
The multiple training opportunities make this program unique, and will ultimately benefit students who participate, Robb said.

College special ed: More institutions serving students with intellectual disabilities

http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-x-college-special-ed-20111109,0,1908574.story
By Leslie Mann, Special to the Tribune
November 9, 2011
Like many high school graduates, Jennifer Gans, of Glen Ellyn, wanted to go to college. But developmental delays put her in a population of students that few colleges serve: those with "intellectual disabilities."

Now Gans, 25, is a proud graduate of Elmhurst College's four-year Elmhurst Learning and Success Academy and has the certificate to prove it.

ELSA, which started in 2005, is one of a small but growing number of college programs in the Midwest for students with intellectual disabilities. The students' diagnoses include Down syndrome, autism, developmental delays, multiple learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder.

"Because of ELSA, I got the whole college experience," said Gans. "I lived with a friend in a condo near campus and walked to classes and to my favorite place in downtown Elmhurst for a smoothie."

Gans' studies included academics plus courses that improved her time-management and independent-living skills. Through ELSA internships, Gans explored career goals.

"I learned that working with animals is what makes me happy," said Gans.

Now, Gans juggles part-time jobs at a pet store and a clothing store while she completes the veterinary assistant program at the College of DuPage.

"Long term, I'd like to work for a large-animal vet," said Gans, who boards a horse and likes all things equine.

ELSA has graduated 19 students, and 24 are currently enrolled. Other ELSA graduates have landed jobs in fields such as recreation and photography, said LuEllen Doty, Elmhurst's director of special education.

The programs for students with intellectual disabilities vary from college to college.

In the ELSA program, educational coaches help students set goals and learn study skills. Mandatory community service gets them involved with local nonprofits. And the program is inclusive, Doty said.

"The ELSA students usually live at home but are with the other students all day," she said.

National Louis University's Skokie campus offers a two-year certificate program called PACE.

"Students live in the residence halls and participate with the others, academically and socially," said Assistant Director Barb Kite.

PACE grads work in fields including elder care and transportation.

"I had three internships," reported Zach Farber, 22, a recent PACE grad who lives in Evanston with a roommate. "I worked at a day care center, in food service at a high school — where I was the grilled-cheese chef — and in a hospital's physical therapy department. I decided food service is for me, so I'm looking for a job in that field now."

Farber said he also learned soft skills such as "making sure your potential employers get positive feedback from your previous employers."

PACE was a boost to his social life, added Farber, who keeps up with peers on Facebook.

"We went out to restaurants and plays," he said. "I joined the drama club. I will continue acting as a hobby."

The University of Iowa's REACH program includes 41 students — about 20 percent of whom are from the Chicago area. The two-year certificate program includes academics plus life-skills courses. Students live in the dorms, are matched with mentors and serve internships.

"Two-thirds of our grads get jobs or additional education," said REACH Director Jo Hendrickson. "For some of them, full-time employment is too much, so part-time employment is the goal. Of course, they're dealing with the same problem as other students; there are fewer jobs out there now."

REACH grads' jobs include posts in agriculture, office work and medicine.

Iowa has a generous scholarship fund, added Hendrickson.

"Many of these parents don't have college money because they've had had so many medical and tutoring expenses," she said. "And they didn't expect these kids to be able to go to college."

The University of Wisconsin at Whitewater does not have a separate program per se but does have services in place to help its approximately 80 students who are on the autistic spectrum and about 20 with low IQs who graduated from high school with modified curricula.

"They must be admitted to the university or transfer here," explained Elizabeth Watson, director of the Center for Students With Disabilities. "It may take them five or six years, but they can graduate. Some earn an associate's instead of a bachelor's degree."

Watson's staff helps students cope by, for example, taking a class on a pass-fail basis. A four-week, live-in summer orientation helps students learn "how to find their classes, live in the dorm and order a pizza," said Watson.

"Name the field, from computer science to social work, and we have grads in that field," said Watson.

DePaul University's PLuS program is similar. Students must be admitted to the university as undergrads or graduate students. But the PLuS staff works with them to make adjustments.

"A student may need to take a test in our office because he's easily distracted, for example," said Judith Kolar, PluS director. "If reading is difficult, he can get his textbook on audio. We lend them (digital pens) for note taking."

A few Illinois community colleges offer programs for these students, too.

Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey has credit and noncredit programs for students with intellectual disabilities. Its graduates get jobs in fields including education and Web design or go on to collect associate's or bachelor's degrees.

"The goal is to get marketable skills," said Director Kathy Harberer. "They have high expectations for themselves and work hard."

Parents of students with intellectual disabilities are used to advocating for their kids. But when it comes to finding a college, they really have their work cut out for them, said Karen Stopka, of St. Charles, whose daughter, Kelly, 22, graduated from the REACH program, then got a job as a preschool teacher's aide.

"There are more options on the East Coast," Karen Stopka said. "Here, we don't have many choices. There's no one guide to go to. Part of the reason is the kids have different needs. You can't lump them all together in one program."

Stopka suggests networking with other parents and attending college fairs.

"There is a huge, huge need for more colleges that serve this population," said Harberer.

But the directors see things heading in the right direction.

"It took us 40 years," said Watson. "But we've gone from the point where colleges were accessible to (students with) wheelchairs to being accessible to students with intellectual disabilities."