This fall, 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis will enroll 12 extraordinary new students. All will have intellectual disabilities. They鈥檒l be called Redwood SEED (Supported Education to Elevate Diversity) Scholars and be part of California鈥檚 first four-year residential program for students with intellectual disabilities such as autism, fragile X syndrome and Down syndrome.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a game-changer. It鈥檚 the only thing like it in the west,鈥 said Beth Foraker 鈥86, Cred. 鈥87, an instructor in the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis School of Education and co-founder of Redwood SEED Scholars. Foraker has envisioned a program like this for years. Her 21-year-old son Patrick has Down syndrome, and she knows firsthand how limited the post-secondary options are for people like him.
鈥97 percent of adults with intellectual disabilities are living in poverty,鈥 she said. 鈥淭his is a chance for them to go on to make a living wage, to live an authentic life of true freedom.鈥 Students in the program will have an opportunity to live on campus, engage in social activities and organizations, take college classes and pursue an internship or job. They鈥檒l leave at the end of four years with a meaningful credential, prepared for employment success.
The 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis MIND Institute and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will jointly run the program, which will be fully integrated into the campus community. It鈥檚 funded largely by a $2.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, and the goal is to create a model that could be used by all schools in the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 and California State University systems. Renetta Tull, vice chancellor for diversity, equity, and inclusion, is also a principal investigator on the grant.
鈥淭his really is about diversity, equity and inclusion, said Leonard Abbeduto, director of the MIND Institute. 鈥淧eople with intellectual disability should have the same rights to post-secondary education options as everyone else.鈥
Redwood SEED scholars will have a support system, including undergraduate students who will serve as peer mentors, helping with academics as well as social activities, health and wellness and oversight of internships. A curriculum that combines regular 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis courses with some special courses focused on relevant issues such as independent living is also planned.
The program gets its name from the T. Elliot Weier Redwood Grove on campus. 鈥淩edwoods don鈥檛 grow in the Central Valley,鈥 said Foraker. 鈥淵et this grove flourishes thanks to careful tending, a habitat that allows them to thrive and people willing to make the impossible happen. Redwood SEED Scholars will take their cue from these on-campus giants.鈥