On Thursday, October 11, HDI’s Teresa Belluscio and her two STEPS students, Emma Keyser and Brooke Wray, co-presented at a “Build Your Future” workshop at the McDowell Center in Louisville. The McDowell Center holds the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) and Kentucky Office for the Blind (OFB) Offices. The workshop was sponsored by the Center for Independent Living.
The speakers shared tips on choosing a college, how the disability resource center on campus can help, and being successful in college. They also discussed options for students with intellectual disabilities, and Emma and Brooke participated on the panel of current college students.
“It was good experience to go and talk to students that might go to college.” — Brooke Wray
“I think it was wonderful to see students and parents being involved in their students lives and their futures. It was also a good experience because we got to explain to them about our experiences in college.” —Emma Keyser
The STEPS program is our Supported Training Experience Post-Secondary program Fund for Excellence research study. Students in the study are high school graduates who have entered their first semester in college this fall. STEPS students have attended leadership camp, have been peer mentors, and continue to learn about skill sets that help them build success as college students.
Teresa is currently a Disability Program Specialist and the Supported Training Experiences Post Secondary (STEPS) Coordinator with University of Kentucky’s Human Development Institute and formerly Director of the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (OSID) at Eastern Kentucky University. She has 20 years experience helping college students with all types of disabilities, including physical and intellectual, reach their academic and career goals.
Photo by Kari Jones