[dropcap]T[/dropcap]wenty-two students in Hays CISD’s Adult Transition Services (ATS) are developing important hands-on skills for future job support and independent living.
The program is aimed at students with significant disabilities in order to transition them to adult life by providing certain jobs and daily living skills.
Students in Hays CISD’s program come from the special education departments at either Lehman or Hays high schools. They are eligible for the program from the ...
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]wenty-two students in Hays CISD’s Adult Transition Services (ATS) are developing important hands-on skills for future job support and independent living.
The program is aimed at students with significant disabilities in order to transition them to adult life by providing certain jobs and daily living skills.
Students in Hays CISD’s program come from the special education departments at either Lehman or Hays high schools. They are eligible for the program from the ages of 18 to 22 when they have received 22 credits toward their graduation at their high school.
Two groups of students make up the Adult Transition Services Program with another group participating in internships through a program called Project SEARCH.
“It’s a pretty amazing statistic on the percentage of students with disabilities that are able to get a job and keep a job and the number of students out of Project SEARCH that are able to get a job and keep a job,” Director of Special Education Nadine Hogan said.
A group of nine students work through Project SEARCH at Seton Medical Center Hays. The students must apply, interview and be accepted into the national program and then they spend a full year as interns at the hospital, supervised by Hays CISD staff and Goodwill career coaches.
“It’s a pretty amazing statistic on the percentage of students with disabilities that are able to get a job and keep a job and the number of students out of Project SEARCH that are able to get a job and keep a job.” Nadine Hogan, Director of Special Education
In order to receive a variety of work experiences, the student interns go through classroom instruction as well as several rotations in order to gain different skills and job opportunities within the hospital. These include setting up instruments in surgical or Emergency Response rooms, making up beds and housekeeping, and cafeteria duties.
John Fuerst, Hays CISD executive director of Special Programs, said this is the fifth year for Hays CISD to be in Project SEARCH and they have had 35 to 40 students go through the program.
“Previous to this year, 90-couple-percent had either been hired into the Seton system or in related areas,” Fuerst said. “They are not only teaching them amazing skills, but these kids are coming in with often more than minimum wage and doing a beautiful job.”
While Project SEARCH is located at Seton, the other 13 students participate in Adult Transition Services Programs located in buildings across the street from Kyle Elementary School.
One of the groups learns daily living skills in order for them to live more independently, with functional skills.
Those extend to keeping up with personal hygiene, fixing their own meals, helping pick out groceries at the store, doing their own laundry and community participation. These students will most likely require adult supervision for the rest of their lives.
The other group goes a step further and learns real-life work experience, while also receiving job training. Instructors create individual plans for students based on their needs and their personal interests and students will receive training corresponding to that plan.
Several times throughout the program students will be able to engage in community based instruction which allows them to travel to local businesses to practice job skills in a work environment similar to where they may end up working.
Community based instruction in the past has been provided through several local businesses including Garcia’s, Jardines, HEB, Kyle Methodist Church, Mama Fu’s, Jason’s Deli, Embassy Suites, Legacy Retirement Communities, and Cinemark Theaters, among others.