Students at Sarah’s Sisters enjoy the beautiful weather on campus
Questar III’s Sarah’s Sisters program is already growing- and it’s only in its second year.
Sarah’s Sisters is located at Russell Sage College in Troy, and is open to special education students aged 18-21 who have completed their course of study in high school. It exposes students to life on a college campus and offers real-life experience in work environments and in the community.
Last year, Sarah’s Sisters had five students, one teacher, and one teaching assistant (6:1:1). This year, because of demand for the program, that number has been increased to seven students, with one teaching assistant and one LPN/teaching assistant (8:1:2).
“Last year was a good start, we picked a good number to start with. It really let us adapt the idea we had for the program and see how we could best serve the students,” Questar III Director of Special Education Robin Sobol said.
Students in Sarah’s Sisters spend part of their day in their classroom, but also spend a great deal of time out on campus. Some students have jobs either on campus or off campus within walking distance to the college. Students also spend time in the community volunteering. They learn how to navigate public transportation by using bus maps and figuring out where they’re going, how long it will take, what bus or buses to take, and when they need to take the bus back to get back to campus on time.
Last year students had the option of auditing a class on campus at Russell Sage. This year there are two classes available for auditing. Another new piece this year is the involvement of Russell Sage students in the class.
“New this year, we’re having student mentors from Sage earning credit to work with our students,” said teacher Chris Miller.
Miller was chosen to lead the program in the summer of 2014 and says it’s been rewarding for her and for her students.
“It’s been amazing just seeing how much the students have grown and what they can do now that would have been a challenge for them just a few months ago,” she said.
While Sobol says it’s great that the program is expanding, too much growth could hinder the program’s personalized approach. She says one of the huge benefits of the class is that it is very much about what the students need, and focusing the program around not only the needs of the students while they are with us, but helping them to achieve as much independence as possible in order for them to be ready for life after school.
“Growing programs is great, but we need to be cautious of expanding too much. Programs like Sarah’s Sisters depend on personalization to each student, and if the class gets too big, that personalization could start to be lost,” said Sobol.
