Story and photos developed by University Communications.

I n a recent class assignment, everyone in Betsy Short’s arts and literacy class expected Maddie to volunteer for an acting role. But, as parts were doled out, she never raised her hand.

Until the leading role, that is.

That’s when Maddie’s hand shot up. She got the part and “performed brilliantly,” said Dr. Nicole DeClouette, interim associate dean and professor of Special Education.

Madelyn St. John of Milledgeville is one of three young adults with intellectual disabilities in Georgia College & State University’s new GCSU Thrive initiative. The two-year certificate program operates through the university’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies to give these individuals hope, options and a place in the community.

“We think this will transform campus and the surrounding area,” DeClouette said. “There’s a huge potential to make this program more dynamic and inclusive. Disability is often forgotten when we talk about diversity.”

GCSU Thrive is one of more than 300 Inclusive Post-Secondary Education (IPSE) programs nationwide—eight in Georgia—that offer adults with disabilities the chance to continue their education and access resources their peers often take for granted. The program is a modified path to college, where individuals develop work skills.

Georgia College’s IPSE has an interesting distinction.

It’s located where “150 years ago they warehoused people like this. They were institutionalized just down the road,” said Dr. Rob Sumowski, co-director of GCSU Thrive and associate professor of Special Education.

“Milledgeville was home of one of the biggest mental hospitals in the United States,” Sumowski said. “That we can come full circle to the point where, rather than warehousing and writing these human beings off, we’re helping to plug them into society as active members—that does our hearts good.”

“In the land of Central State Hospital,” he said, “this is how far we have come in our treatment of people with disabilities.”

DeClouette and Sumowski discovered four years ago they were working toward the same goal. Both wanted to provide a higher education experience for adults with intellectual disabilities. They sought and received “amazing support” from Georgia College President Cathy Cox and Provost Dr. Costas Spirou, who immediately said “Of course, we will do it. It’s the right thing to do.”

“I’ll never forget that,” Sumowski said. “We walked out of that meeting and Nicole said, ‘We’ve got an ally.’ That’s what these kids need. Somebody who believes in them.”

The pandemic slowed things a bit, but the program finally launched in January with the help of several start-up grants from the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD).

During two years on campus, GCSU Thrive students take eight classes with Georgia College students. They get practicum jobs on campus and do internships in the community. Currently, they’re on campus two days a week taking courses in media literacy, arts and literacy, contemporary health issues and writing life stories.

Accommodations include reducing the number of pages to read, adding more pictures to text and having instructions read out loud.

“The goal is for them to be independent,” DeClouette said. “We expect them to do the work, do the readings, take the tests, do the projects. But it’s all modified, so they can be successful.”

GCSU Thrive students also take exclusive classes like “My Money, My Goals, My Future,” where they learn practical job and interview preparation skills. Sometimes, they go on excursions—like a recent trip to the Georgia State Capitol, where they met Gov. Brian Kemp on GCDD Advocacy Day.

Directors plan to increase the number of GCSU Thrive students this fall to five and add choices in curriculum.

Some intellectually disadvantaged students maneuver classes by themselves, take online tests and complete class projects without modifications.

Others get support from Georgia College education students, who sit in class with them. Peer mentors quietly discuss the lesson, help with note taking, read instructions, go to lunch with GCSU Thrive students and help them study.

This is essential to the program’s success, said Dr. Stephen Wills, co-director of GCSU Thrive and professor of special education. ISPE isn’t “a feel-good program,” he said. Mentors give support but don’t do the work for their mentees.

“We really expect them to learn in classes,” Wills said. “We’ve chosen classes on their level—practical skills they can use in life and employment. We want students who will benefit from the college classroom, not just sit in the back.”

Spencer Kirkley of Eastman has autism. First-year special education major Kaylin O’Riordan, serves as his mentor.

O’Riordan must quickly evaluate a situation and move in ways that aren’t unsettling for GCSU Thrive students. She enjoys the work and said it’s great preparation for teaching.

“Each student has a different way of comprehending and learning. You have to adjust to each individual personality and need,” O’Riordan said. “I love genuinely forming a connection and being a teacher to them and being able to help them with school—give them that experience that they’re in a college life adulting on their own.”

A month into the program, directors marvel at how well GCSU Thrive students are thriving.

Two professors have commented on Maddie’s eagerness to participate. She elevates conversation in their classes and raises her hand constantly. Her desire in life is to become a disability advocate, so she can help others.

This is the ultimate goal, Sumowski said, for GCSU Thrive students to earn their certificate in liberal arts education, find their niche in society and shine.