No matter the obstacles, everyone has a desire to succeed - success in the
classroom and success in the real world - leading independent and fulfilling lives.
This is what the COACH program at College of DuPage is designed to do -
help young adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities go from
desire to achievement.
<<We provide reading, writing, math, and computer literacy,
career exploration, and interpersonal skills - with those students in mind.
And we understand that they all learn differently, and I think that we're all
pretty patient. I think it's a wonderful program and it's fun too.
<<I think the goal is to develop skills, to open up vocational opportunities, to give
them resources in order to be independent. The students are really
stepping it up, really becoming more appropriate. We see them maturing from
year one. They're just seeing by modeling of other students so there's a great
piece of just being around age-appropriate peers.
<<During the first year of the two-year cohort program, students build on their skills in math,
literacy and computer technology. Experienced College of DuPage
instructors teach real-world applications of each subject preparing
students for tasks they may be asked to perform when seeking employment or on the job.
<<I teach the computer class and we cover Microsoft Word, we cover flyers,
how to design a flyer and the students are very creative with that. Then we do
letters of application along with their resumes. We do labels, we do envelopes,
we do basically anything you can think of in Microsoft Word, we do. Then we also do
a PowerPoint and we also do Excel. And then of course we start out with an
email, so they can do a formal email to teachers or to anyone else.
And then on Friday, I teach interpersonal skills and that's a fun class.
It's a class that helps the students to communicate effectively in the real world.
<<COACH students are encouraged to be
independent throughout the program, learning how to navigate college life on
their own, and supporting each other as classmates. Small class sizes allow for
easy communication and getting to know peers. One thing I really love about the
program is there's only 13 students. I think with that small group they, they're
able to form those friendships. When we went back for our second year
orientation and the kids all came in the class, they were all like, "Oh Hi Megan!
Oh, I missed you Megan," and they all were like this close-knit group of kids that
Megan just adores and loves. I feel this program promotes independence from the
very start. My questions were to the teachers, well, like are they all gonna
eat lunch together? Or how is she gonna get a gym class? Are you gonna walk her
down there? and they were very kind and sweet and said it'll be all right she'll
figure it out. and so I probably didn't sleep the night
before her first day of school and she came home and I was - How it go? How it go?
It was great mom, I loved it! It's made her feel good about herself and I'm much more confident
<<COACH also encourages joining on campus clubs, including
COD Buddies, which pairs COACH students with other College of DuPage students.
Members participate in group activities together while ongoing mentoring occurs at
regular meetings. Students further their growth in year two of the program when
they begin job shadowing, both on and off campus, throughout the semester.
<<The job shadows are short. They do about four sessions, two hours each and they're
doing a variety of different things. They're working in the warehouse, they're
working in security, the computer lab, Horticulture Department, Pete's Fresh
Market. And what they're doing is they're actually learning what the job would
actually entail. And on the Fridays when we kind of process, I talk about, Would
you think you would like this? Would you like to stand on your feet? Would you
like to wear the uniform? Look around and see if there's something else you would
like to do in this store. So it's neat to get them exposed to things they've never
thought that they could do.
<<I liked it because it got me involved in it.
I wasn't just watching someone else do it, I was hands-on
doing something, which I learn better than just watching someone do it, and
then I have to copy them.
<<At Pete's, I learned how to organize, and bakery.
And at the police patrol, I learned how to make the campus safe. In the warehouse I
learned how to scan packages for the customer and deliver them and have a nice day.
<<Joe does the same thing any other student would be doing. I think
it's great for him. He might not get the opportunities in real life that
maybe we could give him here. And it's a good example of, you know what it's like
to work in a workplace and know how to be with people outside of maybe what
you're used to at home.
<<So currently I have Akash. What we do is you like to
start them off sitting at the desk and get an interaction with the public.
As you can see, we get a lot of people that come up to us and talk to us, so it's a
good way for him to interact with the public and kind of understand how
everyone functions when they come up to a police department desk at least.
He's definitely become more sociable. So during the first stage when he first got
here he was a little bit reserved, but now he is done a little bit more time
with me and gotten involved in the community.
<<So they're getting a full feel of a little bit of all
different aspects of horticulture. I think it mostly boosts
the student's confidence and gets them more aware of what's out there for
them in the job force, and in different internship opportunities.
<<During their final semester in COACH,
students are able to select and apply for internships
at the various job Shadow sites, providing an in-depth exploration of the
working environment.
<<The internship is the culminating activity for COACH 2.
They will do two during the semester and it'll be a job that they've already
shadowed, that they're interested in and they want to explore more. They'll be
doing surveys to see which they like the best, out of the 13 sites we have.
And we'll see with the employer if it's a good match. After two years of
continuous growth, the program culminates with a graduation ceremony where faculty
and families gather to celebrate students and their achievements.
<<We wish our classmates, and ourselves, good luck in the future.
And like the philosophy, we hope to find the positive attitude and the love what we do
at a job, no matter what it is.
[Applause]
<<If you're considering doing the COACH Program,
I say you should do it. It's a lot of fun, it's a good experience and
you'll just love it in the end.
<<It's fun, college experience I've been waiting for.
My teachers are very nice and helpful, I also get to meet a lot of new friends.
<<I just can't say enough. I think it is just such a wonderful and unique experience
and opportunity. It's just the perfect perfect college experience for young people.
<<The COACH program can lead you from success in the classroom
to success in the real world, and living independent fulfilling lives.
Achieve your goals. Get started at College of DuPage.