The Munroe-Meyer Institute’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) has been awarded a $15,000 “opportunity subaward” from the Nebraska Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities.
Called “Nebraska Youth in Transition,” the award will fund a UCEDD project focusing on five areas of transition to adulthood:
- Awareness;
- Career exploration;
- Post-secondary exploration and planning;
- Work readiness; and
- Self-advocacy.
UCEDD program associate Dawna Daily developed the project in collaboration with PTI Nebraska, the Ollie Webb Center, the Millard Public Schools, the Elkhorn Public Schools, the Omaha Public Schools, Nebraska VR and the Down Syndrome Alliance. It is funded for a year and will begin in April and run through the following March.
“This project expands current service offerings to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in transition — leaving high school and the support systems in place there and learning to navigate adulthood,” Daily said.
The program will feature nine seminars exploring various aspects of the five focus topics.
“Under each area, there will be sub-areas,” Daily said. “When discussing self-determination, we may bring in agency providers or advocacy groups. We might have people come in from different organizations to talk about the services they can receive after leaving high school. After the program, they will know what services are there and how to reach out and access them, having had some exposure to them.”
For example, topics will include health care, living situations, and post-secondary education. Questions might include matters such as moving from a pediatrician to an adult doctor, or what to consider before deciding whether to sign a lease for an apartment.
“It really focuses on each area and helps them transition out,” Daily said.
She said there are several options for possible continued funding following the first year of the program. Success will be measured through pre- and post-surveying to explore whether participants feel more comfortable with various aspects of the transition process.
“Nebraska Youth in Transition” will join other MMI/UCEDD programs aimed at people with IDD in transition. For example, MMI has piloted a Think College program, and the institute is a partner in a highly successful Project SEARCH job training program.
“This grant will allow us to build on this overall mission,” said Wayne Stuberg, Ph.D., director of the MMI UCEDD. “Dawna will provide oversight, guidance, and technical assistance to carry out the functions necessary to ensure the project’s ultimate success.”
Opportunity subaward funds are intended to support smaller, innovative projects that do not meet the more formalized request for applications that the Nebraska Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities releases each year.