BCC launches nation's first degree program
for developmentally disabled students
BELLEVUE, WASH. -
Bellevue Community College (BCC) has launched the
nation's first higher education degree program for developmentally disabled students.
With an expanded curriculum of 52 separate courses, the college's Venture
program now offers a 90-credit Associate in Essential Studies degree
through
which high-functioning individuals with learning, cognitive and
intellectual
disabilities can demonstrate mastery of an established body of knowledge and
gain the skills for lifetime success.
According to BCC, the program serves a population with untapped abilities.
"The cognitively and intellectually challenged are typically not expected
nor encouraged by society to learn as much as typical students," said
Cynthia
Johnson, executive director of the Venture program, which for several years
has been offering advanced courses for the developmentally disabled. "Too
many
people believe this population cannot possibly perform in the classroom or
in the workplace at an adequate level.
"Traditional teaching methods often don't work for our students," said
Johnson. "But this population can continue to learn and can reach their
full
potential with the help of an appropriate program and specialized teaching
techniques - such as short, repetitive explanations of content, hands-on
exploration
of the topics and extensive reinforcement through social interaction."
According to Johnson, high school programs for the cognitively challenged
typically emphasize pre-employment skills over academic coursework, and
students
normally are not given the intensive training they need to develop mature
social skills. As a result, they graduate high school with weaker academic
and
workforce skills than they are capable of achieving and then find few, if
any, options to continue their education. In the post-secondary programs
that
do exist, the focus is primarily on life and pre-employment skills with
little academic content, Johnson adds.
The Venture degree program, however, is designed to offer higher-learning
opportunities for the developmentally disabled population, providing
academics
combined with social and life skills development and workforce preparation,
with the ultimate goal of career placement and life success.
Academic topics in the program include mathematics, reading, writing,
science, art, media communications and history. Courses in social and life
skills
include learning strategies, conversation strategies, relationships, self
advocacy, disability awareness, nutrition, human sexuality, brain basics,
physical education and personal finance. Workforce-skills course topics
include
information technology literacy; problem solving in the workplace; job
research;
preparation of applications, resumes and portfolios; conversations in the
workplace; self advocacy; and internships. All content also emphasizes
problem
solving, critical thinking, communication and team building.
By reinforcing academic content with practical development of social and
workforce skills, the program works to prepare students to live
self-sufficient,
fulfilled lives with meaningful participation in society.
A major goal of the Venture program is for students to gain challenging
employment. A workforce development specialist provides social and
vocational
coaching and develops a support network to infuse appropriate vocational
training into the curriculum. Job internships, job placement and job
coaching all
provide the opportunity for students to gain first-hand experience,
increase
self-esteem and enrich personal knowledge and skills.
By combining academics, social skills and workforce training, Venture aims
to provide students with a seamless transition to successful employment.
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