Transcript LYNCHBURG CITY SCHOOLS’ ON

College for Life
A POSTSECONDARY PROGRAM
FOR STUDENTS WITH MODERATE
TO SEVERE DISABILITIES
The Beginnings
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Establishing partnerships with K-12
schools, colleges and Universities.
A common goal
A time line for success
WHAT IS AN ON-CAMPUS
TRANSITION PROGRAM
(OCTP)?
OCTP
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Students with significant disabilities ages 18-22
years old (Post Grads) receive campus-based
special education services. The program is
offered on a four-year or community college
campus.
OCTP
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Post-Grads wish to participate in the same
activities as their same-age peers. They
wish to attend college and experience life
as a college student.
A Few Current Sites
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Maryland (Johns Hopkins, Towson, and
Frostburg State University)
New York (Buffalo State College and
Syracuse University)
Virginia (Virginia Tech, Radford University,
etc.)
Lynchburg – College for Life
Why We Need Mentors
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Age-appropriate volunteers are needed
one-on-one with students as they
transition into college life. As students’
progress, the volunteer fades away.
The volunteers meet students at bus stops
to attend classes, access the internet in
the library or eat lunch in the cafeteria
together.
Benefits of the OCTP Program
For the K-12 students:
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Provides more academic
learning opportunities with
same-age peers.
Increases students’
opportunities to participate
in age-appropriate
recreation/leisure activities
(i.e. various sports), as well
as extracurricular activities
(i.e. social events)
Benefits for the K-12 Students,
cont.:
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Increases the students’ opportunities to
develop new vocational skill, including a
variety of jobs available on campus.
Increases the students’ opportunities to
further enhance interpersonal skills with
same-age peers.
Courses at CVCC
Monday – Friday 9 a.m.-1:20 p.m.
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Civics
Cooking
Home Maintenance
Home Selection and
Management
Internet Basics
Nutrition
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Personal Finance
Self-Advocacy
Team Building
Work Ethics
Basic Hand Tools
For Parents:
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Provides a better understanding of the
needs of their son or daughter as a young
adult, as well as a better sense of what
their son or daughter can achieve with
individualized supports.
Provides a network of support from other
parents, professionals, and their
community.
Benefits for Parents, cont.:
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Increases their son’s
or daughter’s circle of
friends.
Benefits for the College:
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Increases the scope of learning
opportunities available for both students
and faculty.
Provides opportunities to prepare future
teachers to include all students in the
context of general education learning
activities.
Benefit for the college, cont.:
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Provides collaboration
opportunities with the
school system, the
community, and other
professional
organizations.
For College Students:
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Provides unique opportunities to develop
friendship with a variety of individuals,
and for increased acceptance of others.
Provides more hands-on learning
experience in natural settings, especially
for those students majoring in human
service professions.
Benefits for College Students, cont:
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Increases knowledge
of teaching students
with diverse learning
styles.
For Special Education majors:
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Increases community awareness and
knowledge of community resources.
Increases understanding of ageappropriate behavior for students age 1821.
Increases knowledge of learning strategies
and modifications in natural environments.
The Experiences of the LU
Students
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Gathering of Likert-style survey data
based on teacher competencies identified
in LU’s special education teacher preservice licensure program.
Personal written reflections of LU student
participants.
Preliminary Results of Surveys
When participating college students were asked to rate how the College for
Life partnership impacted the development of the Liberty University
teacher competencies for special education, the following were rated as
having a “major impact:”
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90% of participants reported
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Diversity
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Foundations of Special
Education
Human Relations
70% of participants reported
Classroom Management
Individual Differences
Professionalism
Their own impact on the
program
60% of participants reported
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80% of participants reported
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Development and
Characteristics of Learners
General and Professional
Knowledge
Learning Environments and
Social Interactions
50% of participants reported
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Communication
Curriculum
Language
Planning
What the College Students Say
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Interactions
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“The greatest strength (of the program) is the
experience of interacting with the students in the real
life college environment of the students.”
“Being able to interact on a social level with the
students, especially modeling appropriate behaviors
and giving them advice like typical friends, was really
amazing. They have so many concerns and interests
that they really want advice on and are curious about
(like living on your own, dating, etc..), and it was
really great to make such a tangible impact.”
What the College Students Say
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Appreciation of Diversity/ Individual Differences
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“At first I didn’t feel adequate to work with Susie who has serious hearing
disabilities. However, after watching her normal teacher work with her for several
days I finally did sit with her and work with her . . . I had observed her teacher
repeating directions often that the lecturer had given but Susie was unable to
hear. She also uses sign language for a lot of things. Susie actually taught me
some sign and one time we briefly skimmed a book on sign language that she
had at her desk that she uses. Eventually, I came to really enjoy working with
her because although it was a challenge she was mostly eager to learn.”
“John was unlike any other child with autism that I had worked with. Previously,
most of the children with autism that I had experience working with were very
unresponsive and had poor language skills. John, however, was very talkative,
very friendly and responsive, and very neat and organized. He actually had
difficulties not shouting out in class and talking in excess. I loved getting a
chance to work with him just to be able to see the different symptoms that is
included in the diagnosis of autism.”
“Through my experience at CVCC I have been able to eliminate most of my naive
thoughts and have been able to learn a lot.”
What the College Students Say
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Understanding of Special Education Foundations
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“Once they get to school, they usually have about twenty minutes of free time until class
begins. During this time they are allowed and encouraged to walk around campus or go to
the Student Center as long as they are back in time for the first class. I believe this has
really helped the students to become independent and confident in themselves. They are
being treated like adults which is the first step for them in becoming successful on their
own.”
“I saw a number of different accommodations and modifications every visit, but what
surprised me the most was how simple and easy to incorporate they all were. Without
watching purposefully they would have been easy to miss.”
“During a math assignment where the students had to determine which grocery item was
the “better buy,” and by how much, I saw my first, real example of differentiated
instruction.”
“One of the greatest things I saw just recently, was the student who is non-verbal actually
stand in front of the class and share his personal statement. This student was the first to
volunteer, and he walked proudly up the podium and began reading his statement. The
teacher just read the actual words along side him, but he made eye contact, used hand
gestures, and fluctuated his voice with his points. He seemed so proud and excited. It
really made me think, because with him being non-verbal I probably would have just let him
turn in a written statement, but he would have lost such a good experience, and the other
students wouldn’t have been able to benefit either.”
What the College Students Say
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Awareness
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“It was (a) very good hands on experience. It really opened my eyes to the life of a special
needs student in terms (of) their school life.”
“It helped me realize that I really don’t know as much as I thought I did about older special
education students and the dynamics of their transition.”
“Students in OTCP are encouraged and taught to think and act independently rather than be
a passive participant in the program.”
“The class and the program was a terrific way to help students prepare for the real world
and different responsibilities they would have to be responsible for.”
Enthusiasm for Career Choices
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“Since I started my first (special education college level preparatory course) and was seeing
first hand all of the different forms that we will have to do and really all that is involved; I
was starting to ask myself what in the world did I get myself into and was wondering if I
had made the right choice of switching from (an elementary education concentration) to (a
special education concentration). After being at CVCC today, I am convinced that I did make
the right choice and this is the field that God wants me in for the rest of my life. I
absolutely loved it!! I left almost without a care in the world and knowing and feeling like I
could do that for the rest of my life.”
“At first I did not want to work with students unless they were in elementary school,
however, now I prefer the older students. The students were such an inspiration and I loved
every single minute of working with them. I believe this program is going to be a huge
success and would love to some day work with it.”