Developmental Services Of Northwest Kansas, Inc.

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Center Based

The College for Living classes are the driving force behind the excellence of this exciting program. There are several different types of classes offered and each has its own unique service delivery and staffing pattern. The most common class offered is similar to those found at a high school or university. These “in-house” classes are taught by DSNWK Paraprofessionals and require weekly, detailed lesson plans to be completed a week in advance to ensure class objectives are being met.

Community Classes The College for Living is proud to offer individuals with developmental disabilities the opportunity to enroll in community classes. This is truly one of the College for Livings’ most innovative concepts. This program offers enrolled students the unique opportunity to attend classes taught by a community member, not by College for Living employees. It also promotes community access and participation for those persons served enrolled as well as an opportunity to build a lasting relationship with a person in the community. Community classes have been as unique as the concept itself with some classes offered being: origami, woodworking, piano, exercise, tennis, Earth science, arts and crafts, billiards, photography and adaptive physical education, just to name a few.

Outcome Classes

Another integral part of the College for Living program is outcome based classes. These classes are specifically designed to include the community and promote a visible outcome at the end of the semester. For example, an art class may have an art show at the end of a semester held at the local art gallery or a drama class may put on a play at the local amphitheater for a semester finale. These classes show that, with the participation of the community, hard work and dedication to a project can have positive outcomes. Once again, these classes offer integration into the community and the chance for persons served to build lasting relationships with community members.

Home Driven

Home Driven College for Living Services is yet another specialized program within the College for Living. This program was developed to be coordinated from a DSNWK residential setting and is specially designed for individuals in need of intense supports and who may be at risk of maintaining their community placement. Therefore, their days are very flexible with individualized schedules taking precedence. One of the benefits of the program is that it creates vocational and employment opportunities which might not otherwise be an option for those persons with severe disabilities. One such example would be the Field of Dreams which is a consumer owned produce farm.

Life Management

We also recognize that classes in a traditional setting may not be appropriate for everyone. Therefore, alternative day services have been developed and implemented where needed. One such service is our Life Management Program which focuses on those individuals that are elderly (at least 55 years of age), have a qualifying medical condition or desire a less rigorous lifestyle. If accepted into Life Management, the individual and their team will develop guidelines for that person’s involvement in the Life Management program. Program options include medical support; assistance with medical screenings and tests offered in the community; access to senior citizen meal sites; involvement in senior citizens activities; attendance at community events; flexible schedules; and a certified CMA staff.

Required Classes

There are three classes that students must take at least every three years. They are Health and Safety, Self-Advocacy and Sexual Abuse Prevention. We strongly believe that these three classes are necessary for the health and safety of the students and that they give students the knowledge to make informed decisions. Each required class has set curriculum that was developed by College for Living Teachers.

Resource Classroom

Another classroom that has been developed is the Resource Classroom. This classroom is for those persons that better learn through using their sensory skills such as touch and smell. Learning Centers with hands-on activities are the focus for this classroom as well as more individualized teaching.

Transition Classroom

The College for Living has established another classroom titled the Transition Classroom. Like the Resource Classroom, the Transition Classroom offers mostly hands-on learning with more individualized teaching. It is intended to be for those persons that don’t benefit from the typical classroom environment and need more specialized medical care. In many cases, personal assistants may provide intensive one-on-one training to individuals with severe disabilities.