|
A Formidable Challenge While high school graduates prepare for the “rite of passage” of college, most young adults with developmental disabilities, like autism, find themselves in limbo. Without the academic qualifications to pursue post-secondary education, nor the job skills to find meaningful employment, there is often little for them to do but simply... wait for a chance. Statistically speaking, their chances are slim. There are more than 340,000 students in Florida who have a disability. Seventy nine percent of this group will not qualify for further educational opportunities. Ninety percent will be unemployed. What is all the more foreboding is that a mere eight percent of companies in America report hiring people with disabilities, which makes future job prospects equally remote. An Innovative Solution Now approaching its twentieth year in service to South Florida’s disability community, the Dan Marino Foundation is executing an ambitious plan to provide a unique post-secondary opportunity to these young adults with disabilities and their families -- the Dan Marino Foundation Vocational Campus. Located in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale, this Campus will serve the academic and vocational needs of young adults with disabilities, ages 18-28. The Campus will include academic/functional education classrooms, employability skills center, virtual computer-based career lab, student union, visual/performing arts studio, health and wellness center, music studio, and job placement service.
| 
