The Outreach Program (TOP) is designed to prepare students for their future by providing community-based transition services to enhance post-school quality of life for students with disabilities. The students range in age from 18 to 21 and have gone through traditional high school special education programs. While at TOP, students can complete their final portfolio to meet the last requirement of the culminating project.
Students at TOP receive assistance and instruction in daily living skills, such as money management, communication, appropriate social behavior, use of public transportation, and personal grooming. The use of money, budgeting, functional academic skills, and decision-making are high priorities. The community serves as our classroom. The skills needed to be successful in the future comprise the curriculum. All of these valuable life skills are embedded into the program during the natural time when these skills are needed. The program utilizes community locations that include the public library, restaurants, grocery stores, Kent Parks Department, and movie theaters. These locations allow the students to work on these skills in a "real-life" setting.
The objective of TOP is to increase student skills and opportunities in Independence, Community & Employment (ICE):
Independence
- Daily living practices, managing money, budgeting, and performing their own personal care needs
- Personal and disability awareness, self-direction, and determination
- Autonomy to the maximum extent possible, based on each individual
Community
- Interpersonal skills such as maintaining effective relationships, demonstrating socially acceptable behavior, and good citizenship
- Using public transportation to become familiar with a system they'll continue to use
- Social awareness and pedestrian safety
Employment
- Work assessments and job sampling in both volunteer and potential private business opportunities
- Exposure to many different types of work such as retail and manufacturing
- Job skills such as punctuality, respect, and diligence
Once at TOP, staff work closely with the student and family to develop the best plan to meet each student's unique needs with the intent of increasing independence to the maximum degree possible. Our goal is to teach students to be successful in the community with natural supports. As students' community skills increase, their time at TOP is decreased. TOP aims to establish a balanced life with routines and activities that will promote lifelong happiness and success.
