PITTSBURGH — A new Indiana University of Pennsylvania program for those with intellectual disabilities will aim to fill a “real need” in Indiana and Armstrong counties.
The Crimson Hawks Bridge program designed to help dozens of individuals gain skills and credentials to live independently and transition to the workforce is kicking off this year, with backing from a $1.34 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
Although community services in the region support residents with intellectual disabilities, this new program will fill a need for a post-K-12 educational program, said Ali Kappel, a professor in the Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Department of School Psychology, Special Education and Sociology.
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Kappel will serve as director of Crimson Hawks Bridge.
“When students graduate from high school and age out of programs, there are not a lot of opportunities for academic support to help these individuals gain meaningful employment,” Kappel said in a news release. “The Crimson Hawks Bridge program is meant to be that literal bridge, focusing on work-based and life-based skills.”
Over the next five years, 80 high school students and graduates with autism or other related disabilities will enroll in the two-year certificate program.
It will start with 10 students at Indiana High School this January who will enroll in a college-in-high-school class that will teach them essential skills such as career research, money management, housing and transportation. During the semester, they will take four trips to IUP’s campus.
From there, students will enroll in classes at IUP, earning credits in retail, hospitality, child care and animal grooming.
In the students’ second and final year, they will have the opportunity to live in an IUP dorm with other Crimson Hawk Bridge students.
As they adjust to campus life, these students will work in supported employment jobs. The goal is also to help them make friends through the Best Buddies program, which matches IUP student volunteers with people with intellectual disabilities.
The end goal is to build a “skilled and credentialed” workforce while ending stigma surrounding intellectual disabilities, Kappel said.
“We want potential employers to see the value of these individuals and give these students confidence in their value and identity,” she said. “A real, earned credential is a very positive step toward earning that respect by employers, co-workers and the community.”
IUP officials anticipate the program will be self-sustaining with enrollment funds. Officials did not disclose the cost of enrollment.
To afford the program, students will be able to access educational support funds from the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, as well as state and federal financial aid agencies, the release says.
In some ways, the program will operate similarly to Rock Life at fellow state-owned university Slippery Rock.
Founded in 2016, Rock Life is a four-year, non-degree certificate program that gives students with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to earn college credits, socialize and adapt to independent living at the Butler County school.
Key leaders in the IUP and Slippery Rock programs plan to meet monthly to discuss challenges, review program developments, share best practices and participate in program evaluation.
“IUP’s program builds on the Rock Life program, but it is significantly different because the goal of the IUP program is to offer a credential for the students completing the program, in this case, a certificate,” Kappel said.
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