UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — If you ran into Mitchell Wagoner on the Penn State University Park campus, you would probably see him eating lunch with friends, rushing to class or studying for an upcoming exam.
What you would not see is what it took for him to get here.
Wagoner is a student in WorkLink, an inclusive post-secondary program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Wagoner’s application to WorkLink was far from typical. Instead of learning about WorkLink from a transition coordinator — someone who helps students with disabilities transition from high school to post-secondary school or work — at his high school or an adult services community support counselor, his mother learned about WorkLink by chance during a casual conversation with a co-worker.
“Our son graduated from high school with no concrete plans for day-to-day life,” said Mitchell’s mother, Mary Wagoner. “His days after graduation were spent at home, tending to his pets, and waiting for family members to return home from work. With no public transportation services in our rural community and his inability to drive, our son was left captive in our home day after day with limited contact with others.”
In fact, students with intellectual and developmental disabilities are least likely to be employed, enrolled in post-secondary education or training or live independently after high school, according to a 2011 study. Students living in rural areas, like Mitchell, also are likely to be isolated by the lack of transportation and the limited opportunities for work or training. Without close collaboration between those providing K-12 services and post-secondary service providers, students often are left to figure out their next steps themselves.
“Serendipity by means of a lucky encounter with a co-worker should not have been the only way to find out about the WorkLink Program,” Mary Wagoner said. “High school special education teachers and guidance counselors need to be educated that WorkLink, and other programs like it, exist. Rural students need a lifeline that somehow connects them to progressive post-high school programs.”
One huge barrier to students like Mitchell getting post-secondary support after high school is the lack of transition professionals in the field. There is a significant need for those who understand educational and adult services for students with disabilities, to support individuals and their families for the transition after high school.
In an effort to address this need, two Penn State College of Education faculty — Allison Fleming, associate professor of education (rehabilitation and human services) and Jonte “JT” Taylor, associate professor of education (special education), recently were awarded an Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) doctoral training grant along with colleagues from Michigan State University to support a focus on post-secondary transition for students with an intellectual disability from underserved communities.
The grant, called Project FUTURE, will fund four doctoral students — one from each university in both special education and counseling programs — to help prepare the next generation of teachers and adult services staff who will support students, like Mitchell Wagoner, in their transition journey.
“It is important for people like me who have disabilities to have access to these services because it helps me get involved and have a social life,” Mitchell Wagoner said. “Before WorkLink, I didn’t have a great group of friends that I fit in with. All throughout my school years, I had a hard time fitting in with other people. A lot of people didn’t understand me for who I was.”
Applications for Project FUTURE scholarships are due by Dec. 1. Anyone interested in applying is asked to contact Fleming (apf5208@psu.edu) for the counselor education and supervision doctoral training, or Taylor (jct215@psu.edu) for the special education doctoral training program.
Project FUTURE faculty from Penn State and Michigan State will hold a virtual open house in October. Visit https://www.projectfuturephd.com for more information about Project FUTURE funding and training opportunities.