Johnson State has recently launched the Think College Program to better suit students with intellectual disabilities. This diverse learning experience provides an opportunity for all students to be part of the JSC community.

JSC Associate Professor of Education Perry LaRoque started the Think Program in the fall of 2011 and, working with the University of Vermont, received a $240,000 five-year grant through the US Department of Education. JSC was sub awarded the grant through UVM.

Seven students are now enrolled in the program, three who are returning students and four who are new. As director of the Think College program, Christopher Kennedy notes that Think College is geared toward students with intellectual disabilities.

According to the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, “an intellectual disability is a disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior, which covers many everyday social and practical skills.” Students take one class per semester, along with extracurricular activities, based on their career plans. Kennedy has 10 years of teaching experience in public and private school prior to joining the JSC community.

The two-year-long certificate program integrates social life and educational skills through a comprehensive four-dimensional program, made up of acquiring independent living skills, attending college classes, learning socialization work skills, and performing an internship.

The goal is to match students with jobs in their field of interest. “The mission of the program is to create student centered goals and instruction which will maximize what the students can get out of the program as well as their time on campus,” said Kennedy.

The program is for students ages 18-25 years old. Participating students work with mentors who help them in various ways, whether it’s time management, study skills, or socialization skills. “I think anyone who wants to continue their education after high school should have the opportunity to do so, regardless of ‘ability.’ Our program gives our students the chance to do that alongside, and with the support of, their peers,” Kennedy said. “Students that finish the program, which ends with an internship in their career of interest, receive a certificate in Higher Education.”

According to mentor Chelsea Rood, all courses open to freshmen are open to Think College students. The students also run a campus club called Living for Giving, which raises money to distribute to the community. Those funds, according to Kennedy, go to local non-profit organizations.

Twelve mentors are in the program, each of whom is trained in the beginning of the semester. The program provides students with necessary transitional support from the high school setting to post-secondary education. “If this program wasn’t in place, chances are that the students would not be able to attend classes,” says Carrie Baker, one of the program’s mentors.. “When I found out about this program I jumped on it and it was the perfect match for me.”

Baker noted that students are provided with the support and structure often lost when they graduate from high school.

For lead mentor Jessica Mott, Think College has advantages for all involved. “Think College has not only changed my life, the lives of the students but life here at Johnson,” she said. “I believe this program is one of the best things to happen to Johnson in a long time.”

According to Kennedy, the program is planning off campus housing for students and mentors “to reinforce skills in independent living.”

Students interested in mentoring should contact Chris Kennedy.