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Graduate Students Coordinate Work Readiness Program for Adults with Special Needs

August 13, 2009

Left to Right: Mark Warren, Melissa Bonar, Jaclyn Rossi, and Christopher Rifenbark

This past summer, College of Education graduate students, Melissa Bonar and Jaclyn Rossi, coordinated a six week work readiness program for sixteen adults with developmental disabilities designed to facilitate transition into community-based employment. A partnership with Opportunities Unlimited of Niagara, made classroom and real-world experiences, along with using computers and other technology available to adults coming to a university campus. This program provided these graduate students with incredible exposure and experience working with this unique population. "Before this opportunity, I always focused on working with children," said Bonar, currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Special Education. "However, these sixteen incredible adults opened my eyes to a career option that I was completely unaware of and am now interested in."