The College of Charleston is launching a new L.I.F.E. (Learning Is For Everyone) program for students with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities.  The College is joining more than 240 other leading colleges and universities in providing the opportunity for all students to realize their intellectual and personal potential, and to become responsible, productive members of society.

The program will accept its first students for the fall 2010 semester. During the planning and development year (2009-2010), the program is funded by a grant from the College Transition Connection and will be supported in the future by tuition and fees paid by L.I.F.E. students.

The L.I.F.E. program at the College of Charleston will be a four-year inclusive program designed to serve approximately five to eight students per year (total of approximately 20 students total when fully operational) who have intellectual disabilities. They will have the opportunity to participate in the academic, residential, social, and cultural experiences offered by the College, and will have the support they will need to succeed. L.I.F.E. students will participate in regular classes with traditional students, but will be responsible for a subset of the material (as appropriate for their level), and will earn a L.I.F.E. certificate rather than a traditional diploma.

“The L.I.F.E. program offers an opportunity for the College to extend its mission of providing extensivecredit and non-credit programs to students whose quality of life and opportunities to contribute to society hinge on access to educational opportunities,” said Interim Provost Beverly Diamond. “The College of Charleston is eager to fill a much-needed void by meeting the growing educational demands of this group of individuals, and at the same time increase diversity on a campus that is rooted in the liberal arts philosophy of embracing diversity and forward-thinking for a better society.”

It is important for the College of Charleston to host a program (in addition to ones at other S.C. universities) is that a large majority of individuals with developmental disabilities live close to family, and thus a program is needed in the Lowcountry to serve the growing number of individuals with disabilities who desire educational opportunities beyond high school.

The latest research indicates that students with intellectual disabilities who complete post secondary programs are twice as likely to be employed as those who complete “vocational” programs, and they earn 73% more than students who do not complete a program. The full benefit of these programs is just now becoming evident, as these opportunities are relatively new.

For more information, contact Cynthia May at 843.953.6735.