Programs to help young adults with learning differences succeed in employment, college and independent living are growing in Indiana.
The College Internship Program serves students who have autism, Asperger's, ADHD and other learning differences.
About a dozen staff members provide individualized support to fewer than 20 students at CIP. Some students take classes at Ivy Tech Community College or Indiana University.
CIP student Lauren Buchanan is pursuing a certificate program studying to be a Registered Behavior Technician. Before CIP, she started her academic journey at home. After she realized there wasn’t enough support for her at her college, CIP seemed like the perfect fit.
"If I didn’t have the support, I would, I think I would’ve not been able to do college at all," Buchanan says.
And fellow student Keely Micel can relate. She’s exploring different paths and plans to take on a double major. She says that CIP staff has helped her along the way with her progress.
“It’s certainly nice to have academic support like this," Micel says.
CIP’s academic coaches bring expertise from a variety of fields, like psychology, counseling, teaching, and more. They assist students with things like enrolling in classes, receiving accommodations or gaining skills.
Janell Yonkman is an Academic Support Specialist. She says working with students at CIP has a huge impact on both their lives and her own.
“You can see from talking to our students, they have the same desire as everybody else to be independence and to be educated and to be part of the working world," Yonkman says. "Just to be able to help them and see them succeed is just something that is... warms my heart."
More information about CIP and the services they offer are available online.