Wisconsin programme helps students with disabilities

Whether they're practising cleaning skills, learning to make phone calls or ride the city bus, students in the Next Step Connections programme spend their days working on skills to become semi-independent.

For seven hours each weekday, the six students with cognitive disabilities make an apartment at Washington Park Manor their home. The students are 18 to 21-year-olds from Lincoln High School whose class already has graduated, but federal law allows students with special needs to remain in school until age 21.

Years ago, the students in that group spent their days at the high school, and later they spent part of the day in a house near Lincoln owned by the Manitowoc School District. This is the third year of the Next Step Connections programme, which involves the school district renting an apartment at Washington Park Manor at the corner of 12th and Marshall streets.

"You're right downtown, middle of the community," said programme co-ordinator Todd Lotz.

That makes it easy for the students to get out into the community, which they do for a variety of reasons.

Lotz describes the programme as "holistic" - combining home, community and leisure activities.

All of the students have an unpaid work experience for no more than two hours each day, according to Lotz. The hope is that work will prepare them to hold down a paid job some day. Some of the students will go on to work at Holiday House, a non-profit organisation in Manitowoc that provides work opportunities and other services to people with disabilities, and others may find supported employment in the community through the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation.

"I like to clean at Towsley's a lot," said 19-year-old Brandon Peterman.

Cleaning at Towsley's and Econo Lodge, both in Manitowoc, are among the work-experience opportunities available to the students, according to Lotz.

"This has been a really great experience," said Terry Bosch, president of Towsley's, which is participating for the third year and employs two students from the program.

"The job that they've done for us has been excellent," he said.

Treated like employees

Bosch said the students are treated like other employees - invited to the company Christmas party, or joining in when someone brings birthday treats.

"The employees here embrace the programme," he said.

The company recognises the purpose is for the students to gain both work and social skills, so "our employees intentionally engage them socially," Bosch said.

"We also do a lot of community activities just to get them out," Lotz said.

They go swimming at the Y, participate in art classes at the Rahr-West Art Museum and visit the public library.

"It's really building ways that they can have leisure in their lives," he said.

They have taken field trips to Lincoln Park Zoo and the Manitowoc County Courthouse, according to Cindy Kloida, a children with disabilities aide with the programme. They also take walks, and they go to restaurants so they can learn to order and pay for their food.

"I think it's good for the whole community," Lotz said.

He believes it's good for the public to realise the young adults with disabilities are in the community and to know how to interact with them, and for businesses to be made aware of how they may be able to use the students' abilities.

Monthly activities

Lotz said he and Dave Koenig, who co-ordinates the Next Step U.W. programme for higher-functioning 18- to 21-year-olds with cognitive disabilities, plan to organise monthly activities for the two groups to do together. They had their first with a cookout at the apartment.

Becky Heim's favourite part about coming to the apartment is talking to the other students. The 21-year-old also enjoys playing Frisbee at Washington Park, which is just across the street.

Josh Fairchild, 20, likes listening to music and taking walks, while Mary Rose Bolle, 20, likes books and movies about princesses. When Bolle has money, she uses it to buy books, said CWD aide Pam Kouba.

Peterman likes swimming at the Y and using the computer at the apartment - to look up Elvis, he said.