This fall, Sweet Briar College joined forces with the Amherst County school system on Transition to Work, a new program aimed at helping young adults with special needs move into the work force after high school.

Five Amherst County special education students — 18- to 19-year-old, post-secondary students who are still eligible for educational services — are currently involved in the program and are working on campus as unpaid interns.

Two are serving as teaching assistants at the Sweet Briar Campus School, two are washing dishes and working the food line at Prothro and one is helping physical plant with its recycling program.

Prior to the spring semester, they will formally apply for the same jobs. The program will provide real-world experience and could lead to full-time, paid positions at the College. Students in Sweet Briar's education program, serving as mentors, will help them fill out job applications, write resumes and get ready for interviews.

The Sweet Briar students — seniors Tracey Nicely, Jessica Pisciotta, Erin Coppersmith and Lindsay Webster — are enrolled in EDUC 410: Transition, Consultation and Collaboration, a course offered as part of the College's new special education endorsement. They are working with the Amherst students as part of their course work.

The idea for Transition to Work originated in the fall of 2007 after Margaret Ann White and Dena Lowman, education program instructors and teachers at the Sweet Briar Campus School, attended a transition workshop with Jim Gallagher, who directs special ed services for Amherst County Public Schools.

Amherst County High School had recently hired its first full-time transition director, and White, Lowman and Gallagher thought a collaboration could be mutually beneficial.

"I teach [Transition, Consultation and Collaboration] and I wanted to provide the college students with some hands-on experience with transitioning and looking at the work options available to special needs adults," White said. "This seemed a perfect opportunity for the county and Sweet Briar."

Gallagher agreed. "Amherst County Schools had a need to expand the community-based and college-based transition opportunities for our students with disabilities," he said. "In discussions with [White and Lowman], the concept of the partnership developed. We realized we both had needs and the partnership would be beneficial to both participants."

In addition to assisting the Amherst students in the upcoming application and interview processes, the Sweet Briar students guided them students through orientation and are monitoring their work and acting as liaisons between them and College administrators.

"We have a great group of high school students this semester," Webster, a double major in psychology and liberal studies from Amherst, Va., said. "They are all doing great and have received many compliments from co-workers and supervisors."

Coppersmith, a liberal studies major from Walnut Creek, Calif., described the Amherst students as "role models for future transition program students" and said, "Every time I see the student I'm coaching, it is a delight to be able to work on his interests with him and tell him how wonderful of a job he is doing."

Coppersmith, who plans to pursue a Master of Arts in Teaching after graduation with the eventual goal of becoming a teacher, said the program has also helped her by reinforcing the importance of assessing students' skills and goals, academically and vocationally.

"For the students who do not want to pursue an academic career after high school, it is so important for them to venture into the world at a young age and find the career choice that suits them the best," she said. "This program is giving those students a chance to prove they are very capable and excited to work."

Pisciotta, a Spanish major from Delmar, N.Y., said working with the program has given her valuable teaching experience. After graduation, she hopes to work with special ed and bilingual students, possibly as an administrator.

"I believe that having a diverse background in teaching, no matter what field or specialty you plan to pursue, is beneficial," she said. "This experience has allowed me the opportunity to work with a different population of students than I have in the past."

Webster agreed and said the program will help her achieve her goal of becoming a school psychologist. "I will be working with students of all ages, many of whom will have special needs," she said. "This is great experience for the future when I will be part of the [Individualized Education Program] teams working to develop students' transition plans."

According to Gallagher, the response to the program from students, parents, on-site supervisors and the College in general has been positive.

"The students have demonstrated very good performance while on site and that's probably attributed to the Sweet Briar students who are their job coaches, the supervisors who are on site in the different departments and just hard work put in by the students themselves," he said.

"Thus far, all responses have been very favorable and very positive. We're starting small but looking forward to growing as we move forward."