"Higher Education?"

I had to print the following article in full. Expectations of what our children
are capable of aside, parts of the article are infuriating. Worst of all, they are
touting this to the mass public as a revolutionary way to treat people with
"Down Syndrome." As if the public at large doesn't already think our kids
are unable. The very specialists who are responsible give clues to the real
problem throughout the text. Here are some highlights:

1. “They are adults now,” said Sharon Sanders, the program’s founder and
 former director. “They were not when they came to me. We treat them
like adults. We so often treat them like children, and they grow. All
students do that.” 

She is talking about 20 year old students who theoretically graduated
 from High school, they weren't adults when they came to her?  What in
 the world did they do for the past 12 years? What in the world could they
have done if they were treated as equals and given the opportunity to
succeed in grammar, elementary, middle, Jr. and Sr. High school? Who
would they be if they were kept out of "special" environments and were
surrounded by specialists who were actually interested in giving mom
and dad a real action plan instead of the blasted laundry list of what
their child will never do?

2. "Without opportunities to keep learning, the prospects for independent
living are poor for these adults, said Donald Bailey, executive director
for College Transition Connection. His non-profit organization coordinates
 state funding to five colleges, including Clemson, that offer higher
education for the intellectually disabled".

The process of teaching a child to be independent begins at age 21?
In a "college course?" Of course when children are shuffled from special
environment to special environment they are not EXPECTED to achieve
 independence. Are we really going to play along and claim this is a
"College Opportunity?" No wonder we are looked at as freaks when
 we explain our intention for our children to graduate with a real degree
 and go to a real college with real expectations they will succeed. 

3. "With 92 percent of this population unemployed, the benefits to the
state are obvious, Bailey said. A similar program at Tate College in
California has reported that 88 percent of its graduates over the past
decade are employed. This will ultimately save the state millions of
dollars,” Bailey said.

Why don't they try to save money by actually teaching the children
in the school systems before they graduate. I think they've done studies
where primates were taught how to complete a task and then were able
 to generalize it in different environments. Apparently our kids aren't
even that bright if 92% of them aren't employable anywhere. Do we
need more proof that the current mindset is wrong?

I can't even comment on the following quotes:

“Families didn’t plan on their intellectually disabled son or daughter
 going to college,” Bailey said. 

AND...

 "Usually kids who are learning disabled come from low-income situations.”

And the saddest statement of all:

“As a parent, we found out she can do more than we expected,” she said.

At the end of this article is a section for comments. I need to compose
myself before I comment. Rest assured, I will comment.

Here is the unabridged version. At the end is an article I choose to believe is a more accurate statement of what our kids can do, just for contrast...and because I couldn't leave you with the bad taste in your mouth from the first one:

CLEMSON UNIVERSITY — Mary Alice Shartle, 24, dreams about
 getting a job someday working with small children.

At the same time, Shartle is clear about the hurdles she faces.

“I have Down syndrome,” she said. “I have trouble thinking sometimes.”

Shartle learned how to speak frankly about her disability during a two-year
 life skills program at Clemson University. She built on her strengths a
nd can articulate her challenges — both key to a prospective employer,
said the program’s director, James Collins.

This spring, Shartle and five other intellectually disabled young adults
were among ClemsonLIFE’s first class of six graduates.

“They are adults now,” said Sharon Sanders, the program’s founder and
 former director. “They were not when they came to me. We treat them
like adults. We so often treat them like children, and they grow. All
students do that.”

ClemsonLIFE is among five college programs in South Carolina for
intellectually disabled adults seeking higher education. The state’s public
schools allows these students to remain in high school until they are 21,
but there were no further education options for them until three years ago,
when the first such program started at the University of South Carolina.

Without opportunities to keep learning, the prospects for independent
living are poor for these adults, said Donald Bailey, executive director for
College Transition Connection. His non-profit organization coordinates
state funding to five colleges, including Clemson, that offer higher education
for the intellectually disabled.

South Carolina has about 2,000 intellectually disabled adults who would
 be eligible.

With 92 percent of this population unemployed, the benefits to the state
are obvious, Bailey said. A similar program at Tate College in California
has reported that 88 percent of its graduates over the past decade are employed.

“This will ultimately save the state millions of dollars,” Bailey said.

Shartle not only forged friendships with other disabled adults, but also
with mainstream Clemson students. She also tried a range of jobs she
 might someday take on full time.

Her parents live in Greenville. After moving away from home, Shartle
learned online banking, sharing chores with roommates, traveling by
bus on her own, shopping for groceries and cooking her own meals.
She attended Clemson football games and recitals at the Brooks Center.

“I like to cook healthy foods,” Shartle said. “Salmon is my favorite.”

Collins said Shartle shared a normal college experience with other
people her age.

Shartle’s mother, Janice Shartle, said her daughter has always wanted
to learn.

“As a parent, we found out she can do more than we expected,” she said.

ClemsonLIFE has grown from six students to nearly 20 this coming fall
and has acquired dedicated office and classroom space in Godfrey Hall.
Created as a two-year program, ClemsonLIFE will add a third-year program
in the fall for four students who want to get work internships and try
living off campus without a mentor.

Cally Vollmer of Atlanta will be one of those students. She has a
 summertime job selling jewelry at a store in Delaware, and her parents
 had to discourage her from taking on too many hours.

“When I first got there, I was completely nervous,” Vollmer said of
ClemsonLIFE. “I didn’t know what I was going to do. I didn’t expect
to be with so many awesome kids.”

She and her classmates interacted with more than 130 Clemson student
volunteers.

Clemson has drawn several out-of-state students because of the relative
rarity of the programs.

“These kids desperately need them,” said Saralynn Vollmer, Cally’s
mom. “We couldn’t have made it any better than it was.”

This past year, 30 students were enrolled in the state’s five new programs,
but Bailey predicts that number will quickly grow closer to 100 over
the next year.

The College of Charleston and Clemson each had 20 applicants for the
fall, he said. Two challenges still facing families are affordability —
tuition is comparable to full tuition and board for a regular university
— and awareness.

“Families didn’t plan on their intellectually disabled son or daughter
going to college,” Bailey said. “Then there are families who flat can’t
 afford it.”

This past year federal Pell grants became available to such programs for
 the first time, and South Carolina students can get some tuition assistance
 though the state’s vocational rehabilitation program. Lottery funds that
mainstream college students can access for college tuition, however, is not
 available to these students.

“We are very, very, very lucky,” Saralynn Vollmer said. “We’ve done well.
Usually kids who are learning disabled come from low-income situations.”

Bailey said South Carolina is setting a national standard for its public support
 of the programs. The state Legislature appropriated about $1 million over the
past five years to launch programs at Clemson, USC, College of Charleston,
Winthrop and Coastal Carolina.

“The Legislature has stepped up; educators have stepped up,” Bailey said.
“And they have made a good name for themselves nationally.”

Bailey said he got involved because he wanted in-state higher education options
for his own intellectually disabled son, also named Donald. He has a form of
high-functioning autism and was unable to finish high school.

Earlier this month, Donald, 23, walked the stage at the University of South
 Carolina as the first graduate of that school’s LIFE program. Today, he has a
 job at a county park near his parent’s home in Mount Pleasant.

“He drives himself back and forth,” Bailey said. “He lives on his own.
He’s independent.”

___________________________________________________________________

We all have our doubts creep in, but I would like to share with you one other article.
 If we dismiss the fear the path becomes clear.

From the moment she was born, Karen Gaffney began an incredible journey that
continues today. She is the President of a non-profit organization dedicated to
championing the journey to full inclusion in families, schools, the workplace and
the community for people with developmental disabilities. She is doing this by
creating awareness and calling attention to the tremendous capabilities of people
with disabilities.
Karen graduated from St. Mary’s Academy in Portland, Oregon and earned a
two-year Associates of Science degree from Portland Community College. She
successfully swam the English Channel as part of a six-person relay team. And
 two years ago, she accomplished her biggest swimming Challenge yet…she
swam 9-miles across Lake Tahoe in 59-degree water to raise money for the
National Down Syndrome Congress and to show the world that people with
Down Syndrome are more alike, rather than different, from everyone else. Karen
 travels the country speaking to a wide range of audiences about overcoming
limitations and about what can be accomplished with positive expectations.
Karen tackles any challenge she faces with determination and commitment,
knowing she has limits, but not allowing them to limit her drive to succeed.
Oh, and by the way…. Karen Gaffney has Down syndrome.