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Achieving a Dream of Attending College

by Joyanne Cobb and Nikki Fletcher

"I decided I wanted to go to college a long time ago. I think that as soon as I found out what it was, I knew I wanted to go. I understood at a very early age that if I was going to get what I wanted out of life, I was going to have to get an education past high school. I want to be an attorney because I realize that with a law degree, I can help improve and strengthen the system of services for disabled people.” These are the words of Nikki Fletcher, a young woman who is successfully pursuing her dream with support from I Can Work!, a project designed to assist youth and young adults with disabilities who receive Supplemental Security Income to make a successful transition from high school to adult employment and independence.

Nikki has cerebral palsy. She uses an electric wheelchair for mobility and has attendant care services on a daily basis. In May, 2000, while still in high school, she enrolled in the I Can Work! project, funded by the Social Security Administration and operated by MAXIMUS, a company that provides a wide range of program management, information technology, and consulting services to government agencies throughout the United States. From the beginning of her participation, she made it clear to the I Can Work! staff that postsecondary education was her goal and that she was not going to let any obstacles prevent her from achieving it. The MAXIMUS staff began to identify gaps in transition services that had to be addressed to help her achieve her goal. A transition team was formed and a Youth Transition Plan was drafted and implemented that identified strategies and services necessary for Nikki to succeed.

Today, Nikki is in her first semester at Catonsville Community College in Baltimore, Maryland, and is planning on eventually transferring to a four-year college. Below, she talks about her journey thus far from high school to college.

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In high school, I had to deal with things that other kids take for granted, like the need to have the halls clear so I could get to and from classes on time in my wheelchair, and the fact that it takes me longer to write and I need help with my reading and writing. Just the amount of time it takes for me to get ready in the morning to go to school is something that others don't usually have to plan and organize to the extent that I do. And transportation is a challenge when you have to rely on a paratransport system over which you have no control. I missed many days of school and was often late getting home as a result of waiting for my rides. But I did feel accepted in high school. I had great friends in school that were very helpful and the teachers were all very supportive.

When I enrolled in the MAXIMUS program I also got a lot of support from them. They were able to bring together a transition team that included my team at school and they added more supports that directly impacted my goal of post-secondary education. The staff at MAXIMUS made referrals for me to providers that were outside the school to help with my community service hours that I needed to graduate. They referred me to the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) for vocational rehabilitation services. My experience with DORS was mixed. Although they did evaluation and testing to determine my strengths and challenges, I felt that the educational options they presented were not necessarily going to help me reach my career goal. So, when MAXIMUS told me about the SSI tuition waiver, I used that to enroll in the local community college that I am now attending. I always knew there would be a lot of obstacles for me to get a college education, but I knew that I could beat all of them except for the financial barriers. That was one that I just did not have the answer to. So, this tuition waiver for my first two years of school is a great help.

I plan to finish my first two years then I want to transfer to the College of Notre Dame in Towson, Maryland. I have visited there with my Career Development Specialist from MAXIMUS. I really like that it is an all-women's college because I cannot be worried about guys right now. I want to earn a bachelors degree in political science or something that will prepare me for a law degree. Then I want to go to law school.

I have great supports at Catonsville Community College! I have a note taker, a reader, books on tape, and I can take my exams with extra time. I can use a reader and a proctor for my exams as well. I seem to be fitting in and I like my professors. MAXIMUS found a tutor that works with me on math skills and on assessing my progress. MAXIMUS also just gave me a laptop computer through their computer donation program; it will be helpful to be able to work on papers while I wait for the paratransport to pick me up. I still have difficulty with the paratransport system. But that is a problem that the transportation system will have to keep working on. With my law degree, maybe I can help to improve that system as well as others that serve the needs of young people with disabilities who have dreams like mine!

Joyanne Cobb is the Site Manager for the MAXIMUS I Can Work! project in Baltimore, Maryland. She can be reached at 410/727-7496, or by e-mail at JoyanneCobb@MAXIMUS.com. Nikki Fletcher is a participant in the Maryland I Can Work! project. For more information on I Can Work! see The I Can Work! Project: Enhancing Employability for Youth with Disabilities.

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