Supported Education Program

The Supported Education Programs department serves students with intellectual disabilities in three separate programs.

CLEAR Saturday: Life Enrichment. Students aged 18 and over with no upper age limit enjoy classes from 9:30 to 3:00 on Saturdays in two identical seven-week sessions each spring and fall. Students have between eight and nine different classes to choose from in each time block. The classes provide the opportunity to meet friends and socialize, continue education, and find new hobbies and interests while enjoying the landscape of a community college setting. The average Saturday class has twelve students and typically one hundred students attend each session each semester.

CLEAR Expansion: College based post-high program. The CLEAR Expansion program is an adult life-skills focused post-high partnership program. Classes take place for 50 minutes per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students have between two and five classes to choose from in each time block each day. The program partners with the 18-21 post-high school programs in the expanded metro area to serve as an important piece of their overall programming. Students are eligible to attend CLEAR Expansion classes from age 18 until the semester in which they turn 27. Classes are offered for 14 weeks each spring and fall semester. Class sizes average between sixteen and twenty students and on average, one-hundred and sixty students attend each semester. Students in the Expansion program can choose to work towards a completion certificate in one of four tracks: Employment Skills, General Studies, Art or Independent Living.

CONNECT: Inclusive Transition Program. The CONNECT program is an immersive transition program that aims to replicate the college experience to a higher degree than either of the CLEAR programs. This program is aimed at students who have a higher readiness for academics but are unlikely to complete a traditional credit degree or certificate program even with accommodations due to testing requirements, reading comprehension and writing requirements, etc. The CONNECT program is a two-year, non-degree, continuing education certificate program. Prospective students must complete a competitive application process the results in 12-15 students chosen each year. Each semester, students participate in three CONNECT specific courses focused on career development, job readiness, independent living skills and social skills. Students are also required to engage in activities that include peer mentorship and campus life activities, as well as elective courses through continuing education and/or credit courses for audit or credit. CONNECT utilizes the pillars of Guided Pathways to provide intensive wrap around services for students on either a vocational or transition to AA pathway. Students participate in person-centered planning regarding career, academic and life goals. CONNECT students utilize the traditional resources of the campus included AAC, Counseling, Access Services, Career Development, etc. to find success on their path.

While inclusive post-secondary education is an emerging trend in higher education, only 6% of colleges and universities currently offer these programs. JCCC was one of the first in the nation to begin these types of offerings with the Saturday program beginning in 1977.