UNF receives grant for new postsecondary education program
The University of North Florida College of Education and Human Services received a $1.5 million three-and-a-half-year grant from the Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities (FCSUA) to start an inclusive postsecondary education program for UNF students with intellectual disabilities (ID) called USoar.
This award will provide funding to support up to 20 students. Additionally, USoar students will be eligible for up to $15,000 in scholarship funds.
USoar will offer students with ID various opportunities to enrich their academic experience, engage with the campus and community, develop independent living skills, foster self-determination and pursue career development and employment. Students will be able to participate in college courses, join campus and community clubs, seek internships and obtain competitive employment. Additionally, USoar students will have the option of living on campus in a unique Living Learning Community that is supported by program residential staff and the University.
Upon completion of the program, USoar students will obtain competitive employment that aligns with their program of study through a system of support provided by the Student Accessibility Center (SAC) staff, faculty members, academic and social mentors, university-based resources and other forms of support.
The program will be led by co-principal investigators Dr. Debbie Reed, program director for the special education and disability services concentration programs and associate instructor in the Department of Leadership, School Counseling & Sport Management, and Dr. Tara Frazier, SAC associate director and THRIVE program director.
The first USoar cohort will be admitted in Fall 2024. For more information, email usoarprogram@unf.edu.