Indiana University of Pennsylvania has received $1.34 million from the US Department of Education to develop the Crimson Hawks Bridge, a multi-year program to help individuals with intellectual disabilities gain skills, experience, and credentials to live independently and successfully transition to the workforce.
Ali Kappel, associate professor in IUP’s Department of School Psychology, Special Education, and Sociology, authored the grant application and will direct IUP’s program, which will begin in the spring semester.
Over the next five years, the grant, funded through the Department of Education’s Transition Program for Students with Intellectual Disabilities, will support 80 students.
Kappel will work closely with co-principal grant investigators Tamara Miller-Leeper, faculty member in IUP’s Speech-Language Pathology program, and Indiana High School teacher Tara Pangonis. Miller-Leeper is director of IUP’s Labyrinth program, a multidimensional program based on best practices in college programs for students with autism spectrum diagnosis, plus students with related disabilities.
Pangonis will be responsible for teaching specialized courses at Indiana High School for the Crimson Hawks Bridge students while the students are still in high school. She will also develop additional courses for the program to be taught at Indiana High School and will work closely with the students as they transition to IUP. The coursework completed at the high school will count towards the credits required for the certificate.
A portion of the grant funds will support Slippery Rock University’s Rock Life program, a four-year, non-degree experience for students with intellectual disabilities. This program has been offered since 2016. SRU’s program will continue to work with students at Slippery Rock Area High School.
“IUP’s program builds on the Rock Life program, but it is significantly different because the goal of the IUP program is to offer a credential for the students completing the program, in this case, a certificate,” Kappel said. The program is designed for completion in two years, with the students completing 18 credits, six credits per semester.
“There are a number of community programs that provide meaningful opportunities for social interaction and help individuals with intellectual disabilities to build important social skills and to find community, but there is a real need in both Indiana and Armstrong counties for a post-K–12 educational program,” she said.
“When students graduate from high school and age out of programs, there are not a lot of opportunities for academic support to help these individuals gain meaningful employment,” she said.
“The Crimson Hawks Bridge program is meant to be that literal bridge, focusing on work-based and life-based skills, helping individuals to gain a different set of skills and be recognized with a credential documenting those accomplishments,” she said.
“Part of the idea for this program also comes from [IUP] President Driscoll’s charge to look at how IUP could serve new populations,” she said. “This program targets both a new population and a new approach to meeting the needs of that population. Several of our faculty were thinking about this idea, and how to provide a unique opportunity for new types of students,” she said. “We also continue to have great support from Dean of the College of Education and Human Services Edel Reilly,” Kappel said.
Starting January, 10 students from Indiana High School identified for the Crimson Hawks Bridge program will take a Pathways to Independent class (College in High School class) at Indiana High School, taught by Pangonis.
In addition to in-classroom work, the Pathways to Independent class includes numerous visits to community organizations, focused on helping students to develop skills in areas related to post-secondary employment and independent living, including career research, job skills, money management, housing, transportation, taxes, insurance, family life, household maintenance, developing and following a budget, self-advocacy, and development of recreation and leisure skills within the community.
Students will also have the opportunity to apply knowledge gained through classroom instruction to real-life experience activities, including job shadowing, use of a learning lab, obtaining ID cards, and simulation projects.
Students will visit the IUP campus four times during the semester, including a day focused on student affairs, a social event with the Best Buddies program, a life skills program with IUP’s catering service, and a visit to the IUP makerspace site.
IUP’s Best Buddies program, which Kappel directs, matches IUP student volunteers with members of the community with intellectual disabilities for social interactions and friendship. About 60 students, many of whom are in Kappel’s classes, are volunteers for the 30 community buddies currently in the program.
The IUP team will work during the spring semester to finalize the certificate programs for the Crimson Hawks Bridge program students, including courses to be taken and required activities.
Following completion of the Pathways to Independent course, students in the program will enroll in selected dual enrollment classes at IUP, according to the students’ interests. Currently, the IUP team has identified courses in retail, hospitality, childcare, and animal grooming for the certificate programs. Both program-specific courses for credit and general university courses (students in the program will audit these courses) will be offered, planning around the student’s established educational plan, used to help arrange a series of courses that can lead to employment in an area of the student’s choice.
At least 50 percent of the classes required for the program will be inclusive university classes. Weekly meetings with program staff will be required, supervised study hours will provide students with support in their academic work, and students will be able to participate in all university-wide academic supports as well as social and extracurricular activities.
In addition to developing additional College in High School classes for students in the program, Pangonis will work closely with the students as they transition to on-campus coursework. She will also be responsible for implementing the Crimson Hawk Bridge’s fourth-semester practicum, focused on work skills development and supported employment. She and the students will work with IUP’s Career and Professional Development Center to find placements and supervise students in these jobs.
In addition to the coursework taken toward a certificate, students in the Crimson Hawks Bridge program will be invited and expected to join in social activities and programs, including with IUP graduate students who will be mentors and volunteers from IUP’s Best Buddies program. They will also be supported by a specially trained IUP Navigator, part of IUP’s student success infrastructure.
Beginning in the student’s second year, they will have the opportunity to live with other Crimson Hawk Bridge students in a university residence hall living-learning community. Additional programming for social events and independent living skills will take place in the living-learning communities, led by specially trained students who will serve as mentors as well as being responsible for traditional resident assistant duties.
“This program can’t operate alone; it will take collaboration and cooperation with many university departments and programs,” Kappel said.
Miller-Leeper will serve in this coordinator role, working with the Division of Academic Affairs, departments of Counseling, Disability Support Services, Speech-Language Hearing Clinic, Labyrinth, and others to ensure appropriate accommodations and support are in place for students. She will also build on current Labyrinth activities that integrate students into campus life. She will be the primary point of contact for faculty teaching the Crimson Hawks Bridge students in their classes and with the Office of Housing and Residence Life to coordinate the Crimson Hawks Bridge living-learning community.
“While IUP’s Labyrinth program focuses on students with autism spectrum diagnosis (who would not be part of the Crimson Hawks Bridge program), the Crimson Hawks Bridge program builds on its expertise in serving students with disabilities through its Labyrinth program for students on the autism spectrum,” Kappel said.
“The kinds of programming Labyrinth provides—academic and life coaching, supervised study sessions, peer and faculty mentoring, on- and off-campus social activities—is like that which will be provided under the Crimson Hawks Bridge program,” Kappel said. Since 2022, Labyrinth has graduated 15 students who identify as being on the autism spectrum.
“We have learned a great deal from 10 years of project Labyrinth that will have, and will continue to impact, the development of the Crimson Hawks Bridge,” she said.
“Individuals with intellectual disabilities have skills and the ability to complete an educational program; we know that from first-hand experience—I see it in my Best Buddies, they have so much potential. We also looked at the numbers and needs in the community—this program addresses a national call for career-based learning and the real need for trained and enthusiastic workers in our community. Our program is designed to help build a skilled and credentialed workforce,” Kappel said.
“We are also looking to address the stigma that individuals with intellectual disabilities face in the community. We want potential employers to see the value of these individuals and give these students confidence in their value and identity; a real, earned credential is a very positive step towards earning that respect from employers, coworkers, and the community.
“It also will change perspectives of IUP students who interact with the Crimson Hawks Bridge, students who may never have met an individual with intellectual disabilities,” she said. “This program also provides support for families and caregivers, who will be important partners to help us ensure student success,” Kappel said.
While the IUP and SRU programs are different, key personnel from both programs will meet in consortium meetings at least monthly to discuss ways to overcome challenges, review program developments, share best practices in serving students with intellectual disabilities, and participate jointly in program evaluation.
To ensure that students can afford the program, program personnel will work with students to help them access educational support funds available from the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and from state and federal financial aid agencies. With the funds from participant enrollment, it is anticipated that IUP’s program, once established, will be largely self-sustaining. The majority of the grant funds for the Crimson Hawks Bridge will be used for personnel, including funding the work of graduate students.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind—we completed the grant proposal in August and were notified in October that we had secured the funding,” Kappel said. “It’s also been a true team effort, receiving great support from every division in the university, including from the President and the Provost. We can’t wait to welcome our first cohort and help them cross the Crimson Hawk Bridge to their futures,” she said.
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As IUP celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.