LifePrep@Naz

Individuals eligible to participate in the LifePrep@Naz program fall into two categories:

• High school students with intellectual disabilities, ages 18-21 years old, who have completed at least four years in the high school setting, will not earn a regular diploma, and require continuing school-aged services
• Post-graduate adults (over age 21) with developmental disabilities who are eligible for OPWDD services

The Arc of Monroe will accept applications from individuals 21 and older who are OPWDD eligible/Medicaid eligible.

Student Criteria for LifePrep@Naz

No. The Victor CSD Board of Education policy allows other districts to contract for services. Parents of school-aged students must work with their District’s Director of Special Education to determine if their District’s Committee on Special Education will consider LifePrep@Naz as an appropriate placement for the student. Parents are not able to privately enroll their student in LifePrep@Naz

For school-aged students 18-21 years old, the sending school district is responsible to provide transportation to and from LifePrep@Naz.

For adult students 21 years and older, The Arc of Monroe provides door to door transportation to and from LifePrep@Naz, for Monroe County residents. Students who reside outside of Monroe County work with their Medicaid Service Coordinators to arrange transportation.

Our current capacity is twenty students.

LifePrep@Naz staff includes a special education teacher from Victor Central School District, a vocational trainer and job coach from Arc of Monroe, an Arc program manager, and a program manager from Nazareth College, who oversees the student mentor component of the program.

Students will earn LifePrep@Naz credits in order to receive a Certificate of Completion. LifePrep@Naz students attend one Nazareth College class each semester, as a guest student. Students do not earn Nazareth College credits.

School-aged students will have the option of remaining in the program through the school year in which they turn 21 years of age. Individuals who enter the program as adults will have the option of participating in LifePrep@Naz for either three or four years at a maximum.

Each student will have the opportunity to participate in unpaid internships. Internships will be supported by LifePrep@Naz staff through job coaching and ongoing assessments.

Nazareth College offers many majors that prepare their students for careers working with individuals with developmental disabilities such as Special Education, Speech Therapy, Psychology, Physical and Occupational Therapy, Social Work, Art Therapy, Music Therapy, etc. Students in these programs often seek opportunities to serve as peer mentors to the LifePrep@Naz students.

The peer mentors assist with homework and understanding Nazareth class material. They also act as classroom buddies during special education instruction, supporting students with subjects such as social skills, dating, budgeting, etc

Person-centered planning is a keystone of LifePrep@Naz, and work experience is individualized to the needs of each participant. LifePrep@Naz staff works with each student and their family to identify what goals they would like to achieve, always with the goal of meaningful employment. Collaboratively we will work together on taking the necessary steps to achieve those goals

Applications for school-aged students are available on this website. Work with your District’s Director of Special Education to determine the appropriateness of LifePrep@Naz for your student. If your District is supportive of the placement, the student (with support from parents and teachers, if appropriate) should complete the application and submit it to your school district’s Director of Special Education, who should complete the cover page and submit the application and additional documents. Applications are not processed without the signature of your District’s Special Education administrator

For students who will be participating as a school-aged student (ages 18-21):
The Application for 18-21 year old students is available to download on the Victor Central School District’s Special Education webpages. Do not complete the adult application found on the Arc of Monroe’s website. For more information, contact:

Leanne Gmeindl, Director of Special Education  
Victor Central School District
585-924-3252, extension 1456 
gmeindll@victorschools.org

For students who will be participating as adults (21 and older:
Contact:

Matt Fico
Community Outreach Coordinator
The Arc of Monroe
2060 Brighton-Henrietta Townline Road
Rochester, NY 14623
p. 585-672-2222
f.  585-770-1580
mfico@arcmonroe.org

Or visit www.arcmonroe.org and click the LifePrep@Naz logo to download an application.