The Community Skills program is a curriculum that addresses functional programming and focuses on providing instruction in life skills. The goal of the Community Skills Program is to provide opportunities for students to develop the skills that will enable them to live in the community as independently as possible.
Students with moderate to severe disabilities, autism, multiple disabilities, and students who are on alternate assessment may participate in the Community Skills Program.
Once it is determined that a student has qualified for the Community Skills Program, and that he/she would benefit from a functional program curriculum, a parental consent form is obtained. The teacher is then trained by the Community Skills Trainer. Once the teacher is trained, he/she will first provide the student with instruction in the classroom, and then extend the instruction into the community.
Students of elementary school age learn activities and skills within five basic instructional domains: a) personal management, b) academics, c) school responsibilities, d) neighborhood, and e) recreation. At this level, students receive instruction that will lead them to become self-sufficient in environments such as grocery stores, bakeries, drug and convenience stores, to name a few.
As students approach middle and high school ages, domains change to emphasize vocational training with an emphasis on related skills training in the areas of personal management, community and recreation/leisure. At this level, students receive instruction that will help them acquire skills for independence in environments such as malls, parks, post offices, restaurants, barber/beauty shops, and taxis. Instruction for recreation/leisure activities takes places in public libraries, theaters, bowling alleys, and parks. Teaching materials such as games, video and audio equipment, books, magazines, and newspapers, are a few of the resources utilized in the recreation/leisure domain.
