Education & Training

Beyond I CAN: Creates jobs and experiences allowing individuals with disabilities the opportunity to operate a visual arts business. Located in Muncie, high school and post high school individuals with special needs learn how to operate a gallery and gift shop as they create a line of products within an integrated workplace. Beyond I CAN hosts teachers and administrators interested in its approach, presenting workshops and providing free support to organizations wishing to start similar programs.

Gary Art Works: A nonprofit organization based in Gary whose mission is "to provide meaningful employment and training in the arts without regard to gender, race, family income level or physical ability." Seeks to create a mentoring program between youth and established artists.

Indiana Black Expo Youth Video Institute: Click on Programs and Events. Provides hands-on training to Indianapolis students ages 13-19 in the fields of television and video production, computer animation/graphics, and broadcast journalism/on-air talent. The Institute has had demonstrated success with its students who go on to pursue post-secondary education in the fields of communications and technology, many of whom have received financial awards and college scholarships.

Indiana Repertory Theatre Summer Conservatory for Youth: Young people (ages 8 to 18) can learn about theatre-making from professional actors, administrators, directors, and technicians through the Acting Track (includes other peforming arts) or the Production Track (stage management, directing, lighting, scenic design, costumes, properties and playwriting).

Urban Artisans Program: Click on What We Do. A VSA Indiana program that supports young adults, ages 16-22, in the transition from school to the workplace.  Students with and without disabilities learn transferable, pre-vocational skills through making, marketing, and selling artwork in a professional artist studio.

Indiana Resources for Post-Secondary Education

Colleges and Universities in Indiana: A list posted by Indiana Humanities.

Indiana's Education and Training Choices: Search for training programs in career clusters including art, media, and communications. Compare the costs, training program outcomes, length of training, degrees, and certifications available.

Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services: Eligible persons may receive services and assistance for employment-related needs, including support for vocationally-related education. Look under State Government in the blue government pages of the telephone book for the number of your local office, or find regional offices listed online.

Learn More Resource Center: Information about college in Indiana, preparing for college, getting to college, student financial aid, Indiana career information, and other essential information.

Trip to College: Directory of Indiana Colleges: Search by major (for example, art therapy, arts administration, etc.) to see a list of colleges in the state offering a particular course of study.

Resources for Post-Secondary Students with Disabilities

Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD)

Accredited Online Colleges and Disability Education

Bookshare.org Library: Dedicated to providing the same ease of access to books and periodicals that people without print disabilities enjoy. Designed for people with visual impairments, physical disabilities, or learning disabilities. Memberships for qualifying U.S. students with disabilities are free.

Going to College: A resource for teens with disabilities“If you are in high school and are thinking about going to college, one of the best things you can do is to start preparing for it now.”

HEATH Resource Center: An online national clearinghouse on postsecondary education for individuals with disabilities. The Center is supported in part by Lumina Foundation for Education, an Indianapolis-based, private, independent foundation dedicated to expanding success in education beyond high school.

Summer Pre-College Programs for Students with Disabilities: Free, online publication from the HEATH Center (see above), updated.

Education Resources for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

We Connect Now: Created by a student with a disability, the website is dedicated to uniting people interested in rights and issues affecting people with disabilities, with particular emphasis on college students and access to higher education and employment issues.

Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities: "A recruitment and referral program that connects federal sector employers nationwide with highly motivated post-secondary students and recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to prove their abilities in the workplace through summer or permanent jobs."

National Directories of Post-Secondary Arts Education

All Art Schools: An online directory of accredited art programs and arts career resources. Focuses on the design professions: the Fashion, Interior, Game, Advertising, and Graphic Design fields; also includes these professions: Photography, Online Visual Communications, Art Management, Audio Production, CAD/Drafting, Film/Video/TV, Industrial Design, Multimedia and Web, Video Production, and Visual Effects. Search by school, type of degree, or location. You can request to be sent free information about any of the schools using an online form on the site.

ArtSchools.com: Directory of art and design schools, colleges, programs (including online), and workshops.

PerformingArtsSchools.com: Lists schools and programs in the performing arts.

Non-Degree/Certificate Programs and Training

Trip to College: Certificate Programs: Search by degree type to find certificate programs at Indiana colleges and universities that are eligible to receive State of Indiana financial aid. Private and public institutions as well as non-profit and proprietary schools are included. Programs listed include art/fine arts, computer assisted design, computer graphics technology, graphic design, piano pedagogy, printing technology, and welding.

Certificate Programs at IUPUI:List of nondegree programs including subject areas of American Sign Language, Basic Web Design, Computer-Assisted Design, Computer Graphics, Cultural Heritage Tourism, Floral Design, Journalism, Museum Studies, Photography, Professional Editing, Professional Floral Industry, Technical Communication and Translation Studies.

Mentoring

Brown County Creative Mentoring Program: Local middle and high school students are paired with volunteer artists, performers, or writers for mentoring outside of school hours. For information about the program or starting a similar project, e-mail Beth Mathers or contact her at P.O. Box 505, Nashville IN 47448; telephone (812) 988-9655.

Disability Mentoring Day: Connects nearly 13,000 students and job seekers with disabilities to thousands of employers each year in dozens of locations across the country, which have included Indianapolis. Sponsored by by the American Association of People with Disabilities.

See also: Internships   |    School to Work Transition

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