Sharon Hooper of Friday Harbor, and Cara Cohn, of Orcas Island, work with a non-profit agency called Washington Vocational Services. WVS empowers people with disabilities to take charge of their own lives and future by pursuing dreams for employment, housing, continuing education and community involvement. Their goal is for people with developmental disabilities to thrive in the community of their choosing.

Recently, Hooper and Cohn attended a Disabilities Summit Conference in Wenatchee, WA. While there, Cohn met Joe Wykowski, Executive Director from Portland’s Community Vision, Inc., who inspired her to implement a curriculum called Dream Builders.

Dream Builders is a highly successful middle school transition program that began in Portland in 2013. This program offers special needs students and their parent’s self-determination around future dreams and goals past high school. Middle School participants and their parents attend programming events, meet-ups with mentors and work one-on-one with program coordinators to explore personal interests and opportunities as well as develop life skills.

Transition Services are currently offered in high schools Nationwide for 16-21 year olds. The goal of Transition Services is to provide a meaningful plan for future life endeavors. Individual plans are created for each student to build a strategy for their future.  Research now shows that best practices introduce self-determination through Transition Services that start as early as  middle school. The best results include education and awareness for their parents as well. Our goal is to accelerate the success rate for the students by exposing them to the program at an earlier age.

WVS recognized the importance of this program for students and families, but had no funding to create this life-enhancing pilot program. Hooper, who has always been impressed with the San Juan Island Community Foundation, approached Director, Susan Matthews, to inquire about the process of submitting a grant application. Letters of support were gathered from Friday Harbor Principal Fred Woods, Special Education Coordinator Becky Bell, and Friday Harbor High School Special Education teacher, Becky Shanks. Cohn and Peggy Frisk, deputy director of WVS, completed and submitted the grant application.

Within a few short weeks WVS received a congratulations letter and check, they had received the grant.

“We are all excited about this innovative program that is currently in place at only a few schools in the United States,” Becky Bell said. “Friday Harbor Middle School is at the forefront of continuing to cultivate, strengthen and sustain community enterprises through yet another innovative program.”

The pilot program, which will begin in September, will consist of six classes, joining special needs students and their parents to consciously strengthen self-determination within the family and school. An important facet of the program will pair each student with a mentor who wants to help make a positive impact on a young person’s life.

On April 18, the Special Education department at Friday Harbor High School will be sponsoring their first ‘Transition to Career’ Special Needs Fair in the High School common room from 11-3 p.m. Organizations will be present to talk with families about a variety of special services. Please bring the whole family to enjoy conversation, food, door prizes and free child care at the event. Transportation is also available.

WVS is excited about empowering youth to take charge of their own lives and future by pursuing dreams in employment and community involvement. If you would like more information about Dream Builders, or WVS, please contact Hooper at shooper@wvs.org or Cohn at ccohn@wvs.org for further information.