Back in 2018 at Galena High School, Via Fong took a Comprehensive Life Skills (CLS) class. CLS was for students who needed an adaptive academic curriculum. Fong learned skills necessary for an independent adulthood, such as career readiness, daily home management and personal finance. Her mother then found out about a similar program the University of Nevada, Reno had called Path to Independence (P2I).
After graduating high school, Fong decided to join P2I in 2022. She said as someone with high-functioning autism, she thought the program could help her become more independent.
“I thought the program would help change my future,” Fong said.
P2I is a two-year inclusive certificate program. It started in 2013 after Mary Bryan, a community advocate who has a daughter with Down Syndrome, saw a lack of support for students with Intellectual Disability and Developmental Disability. Bryan would attend Washoe County School District’s board meetings and hear the concerns of families in similar situations as her.
Ryah McKay, assistant director of P2I, said the goal is for their students to have employment after graduating from the program.
“I think if you had a disability and you graduated high school, you feel like you just stopped your life at that point. You ask ‘Where do I go from here?’” McKay said. “We really try to turn around that employment statistic for our students. It gives them that lifelong purpose and goal for themselves.”
Students in the program take a mix of inclusive university classes and specialized P2I courses on topics like sexuality, relationships and financial literacy. McKay said they get to attend courses for credit, go to the gym and participate in any sporting events they’d like.
“We just really want that inclusive environment for our students, because we’ve seen how that can really influence that employment at the end and how they gain all these social skills with regular peers here at UNR,” McKay said.
Since 2013, P2I has grown significantly. McKay said increased outreach efforts have been their number one way to get students. They would speak in Human Development and Family Services classes about their program and email businesses. Doing fundraising events has also been beneficial for them.
Just last year in May, the program had its tenth graduating class. P2I students have been participating in the University’s spring graduation at the Quad for five years now, and this upcoming fall semester will have the largest total enrollment to date at 26 students.
Via Fong walked the stage to receive her certificate in 2024, though she said the first two years in the program were quite challenging at first.
“But as I keep processing it, it got super easier for me,” Fong said. “The staff would help us during some challenging times, or if not, we can ask some ed coaches for help on assignments and making sure that we’re getting ahead.”
She said the program was home to her and her peers. After graduating, she then took some classes at Truckee Meadows Community College such as piano and drawing.
Currently, she’s still looking for a part time job and hopes to move into her own apartment.
“I want to see what it’s like for me to go above and beyond when it comes to being a student with a disability wanting to have independence,” Fong said.
