The Clark Inclusive Scholars Program

Funded by the Clark Family Foundation, the Clark Inclusive Scholars Program is an individualized post-secondary certificate program for students with intellectual disabilities and Developmental Disabilities. It is expected that upon completion of the program, students will either be prepared to enter the workforce or continue on for an associate degree. In the program, students will: typically complete the certificate program in four semesters, and spend an average of 20 hours or more on the Firelands campus attending classes, gaining work experience, receiving individualized instruction and support, and socializing with peers. Student have access to the same learning environments and student life activities as all other BGSU Firelands students. The program uses an individualized plan to guide the development of each student’s program of study, career development activities, and student life involvement. Learning experiences will focus on the development of academic, social, and career skills that lead to competitive employment, meaningful careers and community membership.
This is a new addition to the Clark Program. It will be a 1 or 2 week summer program on BGSU Main campus in the Dorms. 1. Our summer program is indented to address the independent living skills of our students. We want them to become as independent as possible. Students will be living in an on-campus dorm for two weeks. During those two weeks, our staff will be assessing their independent skill level to find out where their greatest needs are. Skills include laundry, hygiene, cooking, time management, socializing, financial literacy, etc. We will also be going out into the community and learning about all the things that are offered on a college campus and in the surrounding community. To address the need for travel training we will practice getting from various places in the community using a variety of transportation modes. For personal and information safety training, we will provide lessons on kitchen safety, basic first aid, and how to keep important information private. The primary outcome for the program is to improve our students’ independent living skills. We intend that following this program, our students will either be better prepared to live independently or live more independently within their home by contributing more to household and other life skills.