One of the classes the freshmen and seniors take is Community Navigation. In this class, students utilize the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) bus system to explore countless aspects of the Capital Region whether this includes an adventure to the Crossgates Mall or all the way to Troy, NY.
Many of our students are not able to drive, but our mission is to give them as many skills as possible to ensure independence. The students practice taking the buses with staff and eventually take bus tests on their own to each individual location with staff supervising from a distance.
The class is instructed by our Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional, Dominick Brown who is featured in the first photograph mapping out the routes for the students on the dry erase board. Numerous other staff members help out in the class by leading the bus trips. The second photograph features students in a group led by Edith “Plummy” Chase who are boarding the CDTA bus to practice traveling to the Rensselaer Train Station on Tuesday, October 1, 2019.
We look forward to many more bus trips while watching the students gain the confidence to explore these new destinations on their own. We will also support them as they work to become certified on each test so we know they will be safe and confident.
What comes after graduation? Many College Experience students, in fact most, choose to remain in Albany. They maintain friendships with their fellow and former graduates, form romantic partnerships, and some get married.