Beginning with the 2014-2015 school year, Questar III now offers a program for students in special education classes to become involved on a college campus.
In conjunction with Russell Sage College in Troy, the “Sarah’s Sisters Program” is open to male and female students age 18-21 who are high school students and have completed their high school credential, either a Career Development and Occupational Studies Credential (CDOS) or a Skills and Achievement Credential (SAC).
The program was named after the daughter of the first president of Russell Sage College, and because the school is a women’s college, “Sarah’s Sisters” was chosen. However, both male and female students are eligible for the program.
Sarah’s Sisters offers a full-day program on the Russell Sage Campus, based on the Questar III calendar, and students learn life skills, participate in a work-study program, learn how to utilize public transportation, and take advantage of college facilities including the gym, library, and dining hall.
“What we try to do with these students is give them a college experience, because for this group of students, it would be the only opportunity that they have to be on a college campus and participate in campus life. So we look at where the students are, what their IEP’s say that they need to be working on, and we base what we do on what they need,” said Questar III Director of Special Education Robin Sobol.
Kelsey DeTraglia, 19, said it was a push from her career coach at Saratoga High School that got her to join the program. DeTraglia works in the Management Information Systems office on campus, which helps maintain the college website, as well as the parking management system and e-mail network.
DeTraglia says she’ll be earning certification in several pieces of software, and has so far been trained in Colleague (the college’s administrative information system), Microsoft Word and Excel, and the setup of email accounts and emergency alerts.
Her favorite part about Sarah’s Sisters is learning how to be ready to join the workforce. She and the other students are learning about writing resumes, how to interview for jobs, and how to dress and interact in the professional world.
Christine Miller teaches the class of six students along with one Teaching Assistant. She says while the program is still very much in the developmental stage, there’s already a great deal for the students to gain from the program.
“I already see a big difference in their sense of accomplishment, confidence, and relationships. The environment is nice for them to be with people their own age striving for something their peers are striving for,” Miller said.
It’s not just work for the students in the program, though. They also attend plays and art shows on campus, and participated in college activity day. They also participate in any other appropriate activities on campus.
“Anything to get us out there, and it builds their communication skills,” said Miller.
An open house for the program, held in mid-November, gave students a chance to invite their families on campus to learn about their college experience.
“It was nice that they students wanted to take their parents to their work sites, show them what they’re doing, where they’re going every day. That was very positive. It was heartwarming to see employers there and how connected the students were and how connected the employers were with the students,” Sobol said.
She adds that parents like that it seems to be a much more typical progression for young adults with disabilities that make them feel like their peers.
Russell Sage faculty is also getting involved in the program. Dr. John Pelizza, Chair of the
Department of Professional Education Programs at the college gave several presentations to the class on team building, stress management, positive thinking, and building self-confidence.
“These students are students who we’re trying to help be able to move into the workforce, and they need to learn some of these skills,” Dr. Pelizza said.
Dr. Pelizza focuses on showing the students that they can always improve any skills they have in their lives. He tells them when you work to improve your skills, your energy levels will increase, your confidence goes up, and you feel better in general. He encouraged the students to always be asking themselves, “How can I get better?”
He also gave the students a book he wrote to help them with self-journaling, which has been shown to boost self-esteem and confidence.
Sobol says while she hopes the program will grow, she doesn’t want to let it get too big to the point of losing the personalization of the program. Right now the program is limited to six students, but will eventually enroll eight. She hopes to see increased involvement on the college campus and in the community.
The one thing everyone involved seems to agree on is that it comes down ensuring the program is meeting the needs of the students. The goal will always be to help students transition from high school to a college environment, and then into the workforce.
“I hope we’ve provided some independence for them in the community and we’ve provided some job skills so they can maintain themselves in a job environment,” said Sobol. “I’d like to see continued and increased access to whatever is appropriate on campus so they can really get the feel for what it is they can do and so they learn more about who they are and where they want to be in the future.”
