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SPERO

SPERO
Louisiana State Universty of Alexandria
SPERO
Office of Academic Affairs, Mulder 130, Louisiana State University of Alexandria
8100 Highway 71 South
Alexandria, LA 71302
icon name
Program Contact Brittany Soden, Director
Program Contact Email bsoden@lsua.edu
Phone (318) 427-4475
Website Program website
Facebook link to program Facebook page

Special Program for the Enhancement of Resources and Opportunities

LSUA SPERO, “I hope” in Latin, is a four-year program for students with intellectual disabilities which aims to bring hope to the lives of students with intellectual disabilities. Students in the program audit college classes alongside their traditional LSUA peers and take special SPERO program classes designed and taught by Life Skills Specialists to improve their daily living skills, social and communication skills, and employment skills. Students achieve social integration through participation in on-campus and community events and activities. Students also participate in internships and workforce training either on campus or at approved off-campus venues and are assisted by student mentors and job coaches both during and outside of class time. While student mentors, job coaches, LSUA students, faculty, and staff provide assistance to SPERO students, they claim that our students "make the campus a better place!"

Program information submitted: January 31, 2024

General
Public or private: Public
Type of school: 4-year college or university
Is this program a federally funded TPSID program? No
Number of students: 8
Requirements
Program serves students who have left high school? Yes, all of our students have left high school
Regular high school diploma required? No, an IEP/non-standard diploma/certificate of attendance is accepted
Deadline to apply to this program: End of the prior Fall semester
Criteria for admission
  • Student must be 18 or older
Accepts out-of-state students? No
Please indicate which disabilities students in this program have:
  • Intellectual disability
  • Autism
  • Down Syndrome, Williams Sydrome, etc
Planned program length 4 years
Acceptance, Retention, and Completion Rates
Acceptance rate for the most recent fall term: 100.00%
Retention rate for first year students from the previous academic year to the current one: 100.00%
Cost
Average student tuition and fees for the current school year: $3900.00
Is this program able to provide federal financial aid as a Comprehensive Transition Program (CTP)? Yes
Students pay for the program in the following ways:
  • Private pay (student and family)
  • Vocational Rehabilitation Funds
  • Adult intellectual/developmental disability state agency funds
  • Federal Financial Aid
Academic
Students enrolled in this program take the following types of inclusive courses (with students who don't have disabilities):
  • Typical college courses for credit
  • Typical college courses for audit
More about course access: Auditing or participating in courses for which the student does not receive academic credit Each semester, all program students audit six hours of credit-bearing courses in which regular degree-seeking students are enrolled. Recent courses that program students have audited or are currently auditing include THTR 1020 (Introduction to Theatre), CMST 1061 (Communication Fundamentals), CMST 2010 (Mass Communications), and AGRI 1011 (Introduction to Animal Science). The program students who audit these courses do complete class assignments or modified versions of such assignments but do not receive regular academic credit upon course completion.
Students take courses that are only for students in this program: Yes
Information on special classes: All program students take non-credit bearing “skills” classes. These classes, which are taught by the program director and Life skills specialist, address three areas: 1) daily living skills; 2) social skills; and 3) employment skills. The skills curriculum is based on the Life Centered Education Transition Curriculum developed by the Council for Exceptional Children. These classes are not attended by students without disabilities.
Percentage of academic time spent in inclusive courses (with students who don't have disabilities): 100%
Do all students in this program enroll in at least one inclusive college/university course for credit or audit each semester? Yes
Credential(s) students earn upon completing the program: Certificate of Achievement
Is the credential approved by the college/university? Awarded by program, not officially recognized by the IHE
Students in the program have access to the following campus-wide services: Academic tutoring services
Employment
Percent of students in this program have paid work while attending the program: 0%
Other career development activities are:
  • None
Percent of students in this program that had paid work after exiting the program: 0%
Additional information about career development and work experience: Each program student aquires career development training during years 1-3 of the program. Such skills and attributes include understanding the important of punctuality and meeting deadlines; understanding how to treat coworkers with courtesy and respect; dressing appropriately for work; and being willing and able to work together with others as a team. In year 4, students will aquire on-campus employment or off-campus at approved venue.
Does this program have a working partnership with VR to provide funding, supports and/or services to students in the program? Yes
Housing
Housing is provided to students: No
Extracurricular
Percentage of social time spent in inclusive activities (open to all students on campus): 100%
Students may participate in the following extra-curricular activities Campus events