| It's like finally getting to drive a car. A young teenager watches his parents drive, his friends drive, and finally he gets his license.
“You know how exciting that was,” said Kandace Nasis, Wharton County Junior College's youth activities coordinator, relating that feeling to the opportunity persons with disabilities have to participate in educational classes under the new Success program.
“For these students - to be in a regular group and participate and be independent - to them, I think it's similar to that type of feeling. They've just achieved something. They're doing something they see all the time and have never been a part of, and now they're right smack dab in the middle of it.”
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, each public school is responsible for teaching special education students to live as independently as possible and to prepare students for further education and employment.
However, Cheryl Sewell, education advocate for The Arc of Fort Bend, said the schools in the Fort Bend County area could improve in preparing students with intellectual disabilities for further education and employment. The Arc is an organization which works for the inclusion of people with intellectual and related developmental disabilities in all aspects of society.
To fill that need The Arc, along with The WorkSource and Wharton County Junior College, have partnered to create the "Success" program, which seeks to help persons with disabilities transition into higher education and the workplace. “The goal for all three of us is to see these students rise to the highest capacity of their ability to be independent and employable,” Nasis said.
Geared for success
Under the “Success” program, students with disabilities in kindergarten through 12th grade are encouraged to participate in Kids' College, an on-going summer program offered by Wharton County Junior College. Held at Dulles High School in Sugar Land, Kids' College offers more than 200 classes in academic, career and hobby-related activities.
Students with disabilities may register for any class they want, but the WorkSource pays the tuition of qualifying students in 20 identified vocational classes, such as computer camps, criminal justice, algebra and effective communication.
To qualify for the scholarship, an individual must have a documented diagnosis of disability and proof of residence in Fort Bend or Wharton County.
The "Success" program was launched June 4 with the first of four Kids' College sessions this summer. Classes run every hour, from early morning through 4 p.m. Each session lasts Monday through Thursday for two weeks, and each class is $62 for eight instructional hours.
In addition to openly accepting students with disabilities in regular classes, there is now a class solely for those who need extra attention.
Furthermore, the "Success" program has created summer classes for adults with disabilities, which run concurrently with the Kids' College program. In this three-hour-a-day class, participants learn about food preparation and cooking, social and communication skills, and math and money management. The WorkSource sponsors most students in these classes.
Fort Bend is growing, and there's going to be a need for more hospitality employees, Sewell said. The "Success" committee, along with the WorkSource, will partner with employers in the hospitality industry to discuss opportunities for funding classroom and job training to meet the growing need in Fort Bend County.
Birth of a plan
The idea for the Success program began last October when Sewell approached Nasis hoping to find a way for more students with special needs to attend Kids' College. Nasis liked the idea and wanted to create an adult program as well.
One week later, Sandra Pierce, area manager for The WorkSource, walked into Nasis' office and inquired if there were any classes that her son, who has pervasive developmental disability, could take. Nasis told her about how she and Sewell were in the process of creating that kind of program. Pierce said she would see if the WorkSource could help fund the program.
“This is the first time our three organizations have teamed up,” Sewell said. “If any one of our components was missing, the project would not have been as successful.”
All contribute
“The WorkSource has the funds to help these families by giving scholarships to youth who are interested in pursuing a career in a demand occupation,” Nasis said. “Cheryl Sewell with the Arc has the resources and clients. The Arc has been the advertising and marketing component. [WCJC] brought in the educational component.”
Earlier this year, the coalition discovered transportation to and from the "Success" programs would be an issue. Many of the parents work all day and would not be able to transport their children to Dulles High School. The solution came with Fort Bend Transit's cooperation in transporting the students. Fort Bend Transit, which serves the elderly and disabled, now drives all over the county - from Needville to Beasley, Fulshear and Katy - to bring students to class. The cost is only $1 each way per student.
Linda Feng's 15-year-old son, who has pervasive developmental disability, took the computer camp at Kids' College. He liked it so much, Ms. Feng decided to self-pay so he could take more courses the next session. His mother works full time, so she appreciates Fort Bend Transit.
“He's got transportation here,” Feng said. “This is most convenient for me. Cheryl arranged this Fort Bend transportation service. I like it. I only pay $1 per trip. That's affordable.”
Peer mentors
The WorkSource helped in another way by hiring “peer mentors,” ten 17- to 19-year-old girls who shadow persons with disabilities in inclusion classes and act as aides in non-inclusion classes.
Many of the mentors are interested in making special education a possible career path. Richmond State School's staff development department trained the girls for almost 20 hours about what to expect.
“RSS was delighted to do this because the mentors may be potential employees for them,” Sewell said.
Persons involved in this summer's program have a variety of disabilities such as mental retardation, Down syndrome, autism, Asperger's syndrome and various learning or emotional disabilities. One has a spinal disability, one has a visual impairment and another has a severe hearing impairment. There were 45 to 50 total persons with disabilities participating throughout the summer, Sewell said.
The "Success" partnership wants to go beyond offering summer programs. They are in the process of developing adult classes for special needs students at Wharton County Junior College held during the regular college year. The classes will focus on vocational, social and office skills as well as provide industry-specific training.
The hope is to connect students who successfully complete course work with employers willing to hire them.
“We identified some major fields where we thought these students would be successful, such as retail, hospitality, construction trades and lawn care,” Nasis said. “We want to expand the employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.”
The semester program is not quite ready, but they hope it will come together this fall.
Changing perceptions
All these programs will and are changing people's perceptions, Sewell said. One young man, who has been discouraged at school from taking computer classes, is thriving at Kids' College.
“I talked to his teacher, and she said he's better than the others,” Sewell said. “The teacher indicated that he's not fidgeting. He's totally focused on this assignment. He doesn't always get the chance to participate in general education classes during the regular school year.”
Vino Gupta, who teaches an “effective communication” class at Kids' College, has had several special needs students in his class. He affectionately calls the peer mentors “the posse.”
“If it wasn't for the posse, I wouldn't even know (they were special education students),” he said.
Nasis said she believes this program will affect potential employers, too.
“I think there's an education component for the employers,” she said. “Some of these students can make phenomenal employees. I just don't think (the employers have) had anything to relate to that.”
The semester program will identify where each student can be successful and help make a successful match with an employer.
“These students will be able to do things they may never have thought of before,” Sewell said. “The benefits for persons with disabilities can be amazing.”
“SUCCESS” is an acronym for:
S = Students with disabilities who are
U = Undeterred by their different abilities,
C = Capable of achieving their goals and objectives,
C = Career-oriented,
E = Enjoy educational opportunities,
S = social skills training, and who are
S = Success-driven.
Any employer interested in partnering with WCJC, The Arc and The WorkSource in developing vocational-related classes for persons with disabilities should contact Cheryl Sewell at The Arc of Fort Bend, 281-494-5924; Kandace Nasis at WCJC, 281-239-1530; or Sandra Pierce at The WorkSource, 713-750-0057.
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