GRCC students gain real-world skills by helping students of the Ready for Life Academy
Students of GRCC's Occupational Therapy Assistant program are teaming up with a local organization that assists students with disabilities in an arrangement that benefits all. GRCC students learn how their education can be used in a practical way to help others achieve academic and career success.
The Occupational Therapy Assistant program at Grand Rapids Community College has teamed up with local organization Ready for Life in an arrangement that pairs students from each organization. Students of the Occupational Therapy Assistant program were faced with a conundrum after the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In March students who had been earning credit for fieldwork done in local hospitals were recalled and as hospitals were ready to have the students back, many had fallen behind. This prompted GRCC Professor Robin Pegg to connect with colleague Emily Perton, who is the executive director of the Ready for Life Academy. Ready for Life offers assistance to college students with special needs who may need help meeting some requirements for higher education.
Through the partnership, GRCC students are able to gain valuable experience in helping Ready for Life participants find practical solutions to barriers they face. The Ready for Life Academy students enjoy the chance to work with other college students in meeting their goals. Students from each group were paired together. GRCC Occupational Therapy Assistant students are shown a video of their counterpart trying to navigate a task that they have trouble completing. The GRCC students then have one month to communicate with the Ready for Life student and formulate a solution. The plan is then reviewed by caregivers and Pegg, then presented to the Ready for Life student.
One such partnership was between Calvin College student JonJon Conflitti and GRCC student Mandy Enos. Conflitti is a person with autism and sometimes struggles with focusing and it interferes with his ability to complete assignments. Enos was able to use her education and background to help Conflitti develop a homework checklist, complete with his school's logo, to provide a structured system for completing work. The checklists are in clear plastic sleeves, meaning Conflitti can write on it as he works then erase it later to be ready for the next day of assignments.
The exchange recently garnered attention from the School News Network, which recently published a piece about the partnership. In it, Pegg and Perton express that they are both pleased with the results, saying that participants from both sides are benefitting through experiences that are both practical and positive. The practical problem solving and plan development give the GRCC students a chance to hone their occupational therapy skills while the Ready for Life Academy Students gain strategies for completing their education and career goals. The success so far leaves Pegg optimistic for the future. "The gains are huge and it helps reduce the workload on our community partners. We now have some structure and control around ensuring the students share a similar experience and gain the same sense of accomplishment."