“The entire campus is a support for individuals with disabilities in the Empower program and those seeking further education locally,” explained Grace Kestler, Executive Director of The Arc of Bartholomew County. “We are blessed to have numerous options for individuals to pursue education and training locally. Support for individuals with disabilities is crucial in ensuring equal opportunities for all learners in our community.”
The Empower program is a partnership with IU Columbus, the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation, the Community Education Coalition and Ivy Tech Community College. The program piloted during the 2022-2023 school year with two students and fully launched in 2023-2024 with nine students.
Modeled after the IU Indianapolis SITE program, BCSC students aged 18-22 are provided the opportunity to engage with peers at the AirPark campus rather than remaining in a high school environment. The role of IU Columbus is to provide mentorship and student life opportunities for Empower students. For example, Empower students regularly volunteer to stock the Pride Pantry; participate fully in clubs, such as the bowling club; and join campus events such as Spring Fling and immersion trips.
Poulsen noted that, while we expected to see Empower students grow and learn, what we’ve seen are tremendous gains in interpersonal skills, which will aid in their employability, and their engagement with community and family. “Students who were homebodies began wanting to engage socially with peers, students who are low on verbalization began to talk to their parents about their activities, and students over the course of the year develop interpersonal skills like making eye contact, saying ‘hello’ to acquaintances, and making small talk.”
To learn more about Empower, watch the video from BCSC and read the article in The Republic.
