{"id":32050,"date":"2020-08-18T11:58:53","date_gmt":"2020-08-18T15:58:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/healthsciences\/?p=32050"},"modified":"2020-08-26T11:34:36","modified_gmt":"2020-08-26T15:34:36","slug":"heels-prep-interdisciplinary-program-to-support-young-adults-with-intellectual-disabilities-wraps-online-program-during-summer-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/healthsciences\/2020\/08\/heels-prep-interdisciplinary-program-to-support-young-adults-with-intellectual-disabilities-wraps-online-program-during-summer-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"HEELS Prep, Interdisciplinary Program to Support Young Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Wraps Online Program During Summer 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

HEELS Prep<\/a>, an interdisciplinary collaboration designed to support young adults with intellectual disabilities, concluded seven weeks of online programming in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

Through weekly virtual group classes and individual coaching sessions, HEELS Prep addressed key areas of the transition to adulthood, including self-management, life skills, career development, mental health, and community safety. It offered diversified learning experiences and practical application of the rights, responsibilities, and benefits of adulthood.<\/p>\n

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HEELS Prep Participant, Lucia Romano, at her workstation for online classes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dara Chan<\/a>, program director, noted the significant role of graduate students to the program\u2019s success as it moved online from in-person programming.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have an incredible team, and in this year\u2019s summer program our graduate students really shined,\u201d Chan said. \u201cThey took the lead with support and direction from our instructors and staff to quickly transform our program. As coaches, they provided valuable support to our participants to make what they were learning in their classes more meaningful in their day-to-day lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jacklyn Googins, a second-year master\u2019s student studying occupational therapy, said program participants showcased resilience and adaptability.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was uncharted territory, but it also opened up new modalities for communication,\u201d Googins said. \u201cAll of the participants developed the technical skills needed to meaningfully access the Zoom platform and express their ideas in a variety of ways.”<\/p>\n

Adela Van Name, the project manager and mother of a HEELS Prep participant, said bringing the program\u2019s lessons into the home environment via video allowed for continued support from family members.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe families were gracious in letting us come in,\u201d Van Name said. Depending on participants\u2019 goals, tasks often involved cleaning, organizing, grooming, and cooking.<\/p>\n

Julie Doran, a second-year student in the Division of Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling<\/a>, said each participant worked one on one with a goals and career coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe concepts really come to life when it\u2019s translated to their everyday experience,\u201d Doran said.\u00a0An interdisciplinary team of students and staff met weekly with each other to offer varying perspectives on program initiatives. According to Van Name, this also allowed for individualized modifications for the lessons and identifying gaps in service.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really allowed for us to get creative and see things from a different way than might have been our first instinct,\u201d Doran said.<\/p>\n

Co-coordinator Halie Ellinger (\u201920 MS OT), said this year\u2019s participants brought excitement and dedication to the program. \u201cThey really made the most of the virtual format and truly made the sessions feel engaging and collaborative,\u201d Ellinger said.<\/p>\n

Chan credited Ellinger with creating a YouTube channel<\/a> midway through the program in order to create video tutorials to reinforce the living skills and strategies that participants learned. Participants also shared their own video tutorials on the platform.<\/p>\n

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