The College Internship Program at the Berkshire Center

Today’s Disabilities Leadership Council spotlight is on the College Internship Program (CIP) at the Berkshire Center in Lee, Massachusetts. According to its website, the Berkshire Center provides “individualized, post-secondary academic, internship and independent living experiences for young adults with Asperger's Syndrome and other Learning Differences.” The program prepares students to live independently in a number of ways. It provides support and guidance for students enrolled in regular college courses, job training and internships, and helps students learn how to manage their own residential arrangements. The Berkshire Center also teaches important social and personal financial skills. The College Internship Program is also offered at three other centers around the country: the Brevard Center in Melbourne, Florida, the Bloomington Center in Bloomington, Indiana, and the Berkeley Center in Berkeley, California.

The Disabilities Leadership Council also had the opportunity to interview Karen Noel, the Center’s Admissions Director. She said that the College Internship Program generally has enough space for all of its applicants. When asked about the program’s financial aid policies, Karen said that financial aid is provided in three ways: “In California, the Berkeley Center is vendorized by the state Regional Center which provides financial aid to regional center clients coving most of the tuition, minus room and board, classes and therapy. The Student Educational Development Fund (SEDF) is a non-profit foundation developed as a means to provide financial aid to students who will benefit from the CIP program and cannot otherwise afford it. [And the] Sallie Mae TuitionPay payment program spreads payments out over 12 months instead of lump sums.” In these tough economic times, it is important that finances don’t prevent students from getting the services and care that they need.

Karen also talked in more detail about some of the services provided by the CIP. She said, “CIP’s goal is to develop a students overall well-being. Career coordination includes individual and group meetings with the intent on placing students in community service, internships and jobs. Socially, students meet one on one with mentors (usually psychology graduate students) to practice various skills in a comfortable environment as well as partake in social thinking classes.” However, according to Karen, CIP does not award diplomas or degrees; it supports students in their pursuits at nearby colleges. She said, “Students leave CIP with improved social and life skills and a better understanding of the strengths and challenges of their learning differences.”

Lastly, Karen explained where students go once they have finished the program. She said, “CIP graduates may transfer to a university, obtain a job, move into an apartment, etc. At the core of the program, CIP works individually with students to provide a foundation on which they can live independently.” The Council believes that the CIP is very important in providing support during the difficult transition from school into adulthood and the workforce, and that it practices the innovative solutions that are critically needed in the special needs community.

To read the full interview with Karen Noel, Admissions Director for the Berkshire Center, please visit http://docs.google.com/View?id=d56tc3v_5g7knj7gw