Onondaga Community Living is embarking on a brand new adventure! A journey unlike any other service that we have seen an adult agency begin!

We have spent much time over this last 1 ½ years learning from many people and their families about their true goal and commitment to go to college. We are now teaming up with Syracuse University to begin a service that will allow 6 students with severe disabilities to participate in college level classes. We have learned so much from the OnCampus Program through Syracuse City School District, who is a leader in an inclusive college level program for students with disabilities and see them as our mentor with this new endeavor.

With this new service we will maintain our current direction of personalized supports. Each student will develop their own educational plan and will register for classes just as any other SU student does. Our students will take regular classes along side of other SU students and will be paired up with 1:1 staff support (Campus Mentors) that will assist him or her with classes, adaptations, note taking, presentations, assignments and studies. Each student will also be paired up 1:1 with a SU intern that will assist each person with the social aspect of college life. All of this will be coordinated by one full time Special Education Teacher with expertise in inclusive educational services. The Teacher/Coordinator will work closely with each student’s support team and the variety of professors and classes, to ensure that each student is best supported, based upon their unique learning style, and are able to participate as fully as possible with each class. This Teacher/Coordinator will also work directly with other professors, administrators and departments within SU as we all work collectively towards a truly inclusive educational experience on the SU campus for each student. Both SU and OCL have a true belief in inclusiveness for all students.

Students will also continue to be supported through the summer as we continue to work one on one with each student in locating a summer job placement, based upon each person’s personal interests and educational goals. The teacher/coordinator will work with the OCL Director of Vocational Services to ensure a smooth transition to the vocational portion of our agency. During this time, each student will continue to be supported 1:1 as they work to pair their educational knowledge with experience that is either paid or volunteer.

We are targeting the fall semester of 2006 as the start of this new service.

Anyone interested in auditing classes that has an developmental disability can access the application here.

Anyone interested in supporting one of the students in this unique opportunity at SU as a Campus Mentor , please send your resume and letter of interest to anna@oclinc.org