Young Adult Transition Program Internship (Spring 2017)

Last week was my first week interning with Dr. Laughlin for the Young Adult Transition Program. This program is an educational experience that works disabled students from 2 nearby schools (Wayne and Banyan). It is a fairly new program so it is still a work in progress. Even though I have had experience being around people with disabilities, I wasn't sure what to expect. The day before our meeting with the YATP students, Dr. Laughlin scheduled a meeting where all of the program coordinators created a program and outline of how the Friday meeting with all of the students would go. We went over nutrition logs and fitness activities that were going to be presented to the school's teachers and students. The goal of this program is to train individuals who are transitioning from high school to adult life. They must be able to gain life skills in order to go about their daily lives safely.

Wayne and Banyan had students that were very different. These 2 groups come on separate days of the week. There were more overweight and mentally challenging students in the Wayne school than in the Banyan school. Out of all the students that came for the program, only 1 student was both physically and mentally very challenged. She was wheelchair bound and could not speak clearly. I was able to work with her along with another coordinator, She understood what we were saying to her but she was always distracted and had to be constantly reminded what she was doing. It was difficult at first because she wasn't familiar with me. However, after encouraging her and acknowledging her good work, she became more comfortable with me. It was very rewarding when I she smiled at me after she was able to achieve her task.

I am looking forward to seeing how these students improve physically and mentally! I also hope to help the program grow and expand.