Download
1 / 16
160 likes | 270 Views
St. Cloud Community Education Adults with Disabilities Program St. Cloud School District 742 Community Education. By: Serafina Scholl Special Education 531. Mission Statement.
E N D
St. Cloud Community Education Adults with Disabilities ProgramSt. Cloud School District 742Community Education By: Serafina Scholl Special Education 531
Mission Statement • The St. Cloud Area School District Community Education Adults with Disabilities Program enhances the lives of persons with disabilities by providing a variety of educational and recreational opportunities through collaborations, partnerships and connections with community resources. As a result, participants will be better informed, healthier, more social and more involved in the community.
Six Areas • Project Challenge • Recreational Activities for Adults with Asberger’s and participants in mental health programs • Assistance • Support • Education • Volunteer Opportunities
Social Skills for Young People with Asberger’s • Gale stated that she would like to see more young people with Asberger’s at the fun recreational nights that they have. However, she understands that not being social is part of the disability. With slow progress, the program is growing.
Transition Area: Recreation and Leisure and Community Involvement • Two of the five transition areas that we talked about in class was recreation and leisure and community involvement. After high school, adults with disabilities often times find themselves confined to their home. • School and work is sometimes the only place that people with disabilities get to socialize.
When did the program start ? • The St. Cloud Adults for Disabilities Program received its first federal funding in 1985. That was $30,000 dollars with a matched levy of $30,000. In 1996, federal funding was capped. So the program receives $60,000 a year, the same as it has since 1985.
What problem does the lack of money have ? • Gale Erdmann, program coordinator for the Adults with Disabilities program since 2000, and instructor since 1988, says that there main goal is to “break even”. • Since 1985, gas money, ticket prices, transportation, facility funding and individual class prices has gone up in order to cover costs • Economy: Participants used to take 10-12 classes every 4 month session, now they have to scale back to 3-5 classes
Credit to see the future…. • Gale credits the Director of Community Education in St. Cloud at the time for being able to see into the future. Had the director only asked for 10,000 or completely had disregarded it from her desk, the Adults with Disabilities program would not be what it is today. • Today there are 33 federal funded programs for Adults with Disabilities in Minnesota. There will be no more.
Question: What was one thing that you expected to happen that has not ? • In the mid 1980’s, with inclusion of students in special education in the general education classroom, Gale expected that there would eventually not be a need for specialized classes and that they would just provide services in the general community education classes. • However,(and for the good) the community has grown strong because of the specialized classes.
A Blast From the Past • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2TETZM0o8o
