In 2016, Sean Adams was one of five students in the first cohort of the Bridge to Independence, a two-year certificate program at Nicholls State University. During his two years, Adams made new friends, joined student government, lived in a dorm on campus, earned internships and landed a great job upon graduation.
Like so many other Bridge to Independence graduates since then, Adams is an example of hard work paying off.
“The goal for our students is for them to live and work as independently as they possibly can,” said Mary Breaud, who helped create the Bridge to Independence program. Breaud continues to serve as the program's director, as well as an associate professor of education at Nicholls.
Bridge to Independence ensures that students who are on the autism spectrum or have intellectual disabilities have a pathway to a career after high school ends and are able to enjoy the full college experience by teaching participants leadership and social skills.
The program offers two routes — a traditional degree for students with autism spectrum disorder or a two-year certificate program for students with intellectual disabilities.
Each route requires students to meet certain criteria. Once accepted, participants attend Nicholls classes, participate in campus events, join campus organizations and have the option to live on campus.
Sean Adams works at the Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court. In 2016, he was one of five students in the first class for the Bridge to Independence Two-Year Certificate Program at Nicholls State University
After graduation, Adams opted to stay in Thibodaux where he shares an apartment with a roommate and works at the Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court. There, he gets to puts one of his favorite hobbies into action.
"One of my favorite hobbies is organizing," he said.
At work, Adams, now 30, files and shreds documents and runs errands, delivering legal documents to various departments in the area.
His boss, Clerk of Court Annette Fontana, said her office interviewed Adams, "just like we would anybody else" and now he works "very independently." He has worked in her office for five years.
"He’s been a great addition to our staff. He enjoys his work here. He has a routine of all the things he does," Fontana said. "He likes to organize. He’s very methodical."
Adams says he loves his job.
“The main two reasons I like my job are the people I work with,” Adams said. “I know if I need something, I can depend on them. And every time I'm at work, there's always something new for me to learn.”
The National Down Syndrome Society awarded Adams the Dan Piper Award in 2013, an award that commemorates self-advocates by celebrating an individual 18 or older with Down syndrome, who through everyday activities brings about greater public awareness and understanding of people with Down syndrome. He is also a published author. He says his book, “I am Happy to Be Me,” is about him living life to the fullest.
“I knew God had a plan for me. I didn't know what it was, but I prayed and followed his guidance — that led me to become a published author, to go to college, to live here in Thibodaux with my friend, to work at the Clerk of Court.”
Sean Adams and Mary Breaud at Sean's graduation from Nicholls State University in 2018. In 2016, Adams was one of five students in the first class for the Bridge to Independence Two-Year Certificate Program at Nicholls State University
Breaud said Nicholls is Louisiana's only university to offer a dual path for students and Bridge to Independence was the first of its kind in Louisiana to be certified by the U.S. Department of Education. Other schools, including the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, have similar certificate-only programs for adults.
Building skills
Breaud explained that the two-year certificate program was established for students with intellectual disabilities who would not be able to apply and be accepted to a university. Both the certificate and degree programs allow students to focus on independent living and workforce readiness skills.
Along the way, students receive support services.
For example, Bridge to Independence hires and trains peer mentors who accompany students to classes to help with coursework and socialization skills. Those in the certificate side also complete internships either on or off campus, attend weekly social skill seminars and audit two college courses each semester.
Felix Parsons, a student with Bridge to Independence at Nicholls State University, holds a big at the petting zoo at Colonel Carnival.
Sydnei Mabile, the skills specialist who is in charge of the certificate program for Bridge to Independence, said that the experience provides a sense of community for the students involved, while also building hard and soft skills.
On campus, students can earn internships at the post office, Harold J. Callais Recreation Center, Mom’s Pantry (a community pantry for students) and Chick-fil-A. Mabile said internships with the Terrebonne General Health System in Houma are in the works.
Makayla Bynum, left, and Megan Messina, a student in the degree program at Bridge to Independence at Nicholls State University, work during a tutoring session.
After graduation, students earn jobs at various places around Thibodaux, including the Lafourche Parish District Attorney, Walk-On's and Bergeron’s Boudin.
“They really enjoy staying here. When their two years are up, sometimes it’s kind of hard to push them out the door. They just want to stay,” Mabile said. “We get to see them grow so much over the two years that they’re here with us. They just become like little social butterflies.”
A 75% success rate
Through the degree program, individuals with autism spectrum disorder work on a path of their choice to pursue a bachelor’s degree at Nicholls.
Breaud said that students have worked on various degrees — biology, geomatics, management, history, culinary arts, computer information systems and psychology — while Mabile said that students have obtained jobs at the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute, Houston Holocaust Museum, Disney World and others.
Justin McCormick, left, and Chelsea Vaughn volunteer at the Native Plant Installation with the Bridge to Independence program at Nicholls State University.
“We have a very high percentage of our students who find gainful employment after completing (the program),” Breaud said. “Our averages are better than the national averages for people with disabilities, so it’s very rewarding to be able to assist the students to be able to live out their dreams.”
According to Mabile, Bridge to Independence has a 75% success rate for student employment after graduation. In the degree pathway, students have held an average 2.5 grade-point average over the past 13 semesters. She said that the program currently has 49 students enrolled to participate in the degree program and 12 students in the certificate program for fall 2023.
What lies ahead
In the future, Breaud and her team hope to establish more organizations like Bridge to Independence in Louisiana, noting that she specifically wants to reach northern cities in the state.
Gov. John Bel Edwards recently appointed Breaud to the Postsecondary Inclusive Education Advisory Council through the Louisiana Board of Regents. She said the council’s mission is to increase the number of inclusive programs in the state and enhance the existing ones.
From left: Madison Laine, Zoe Hebert, Alyse Bourgeois, Delaney Terranova, Chelsea Vaughn, Lanie Curole and Zoe Billiot celebrate at the Bridge to Independence Graduation this year.
"When Sean was born, 30 years ago, they still believed a lot in institutions," his mother, Melisa Adams, said.
Caroline Nailor-Oglesby says early intervention plays a role in the success of post-secondary work some students with special needs are achieving. Nailor-Oglesby, director of the state's Early Steps program, said many families have a better understanding of how to support their children.
"With early intervention, that child is able to participate in the daily activities of a family, which helps with inclusion and succeeding in the classroom — and eventually having that child go on to college," Nailor-Oglesby said.
