Northeastern State University is searching for its second group of students for a program serving people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
The RiverHawks Scholar Program gives students with those disabilities the full college experience at NSU's Tahlequah campus while preparing them for independent adult lives. It's the first of its kind in Oklahoma.
Director Justin Chase said no matter what students are interested in studying, the program works with professors to modify material to an appropriate level.
"We’re not trying to take away the work or the rigor side of it, but we’re trying to get it to a level where they can reach and be successful at that level. If you put me in a master’s or doctorate-level astrophysics class, I’d be swimming," Chase said.
Coordinator Ivy Atkism said academics account for about one-fourth of the program.
"For most college students, we put academics right on top, and that’s the main focus. You know, you have to pass your classes, you have to do this, you have to do well on tests. But for our students, we have to prepare them for life after college, and that’s just as important as what they do in the classroom," Atkism said.
For their freshman year, RiverHawks Scholars live with student assistants who help them learn skills of daily living, like cooking and cleaning.
Chase said typically, 10 to 20% of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities can live on their own and hold down a job.
"When they complete programs similar to the RiverHawks Scholar Program, those numbers can jump anywhere from 70 to 80, 85%. We are modeling our program after one of the very best in the nation in South Carolina, and they have a 91% employment rate," Chase said.
RiverHawks Scholars earn post-secondary certificates through the four-year program.
The first cohort of RiverHawks scholars will be sophomores when classes start next month. NSU officials hope to have 40 total students in the program in the coming years.
