HTA Program Components
HTA Educational Program
Classroom and experiential learning includes a focus on problem solving, functional and social skills as well as independence skills development.
HTA Vocational Program
Since the Hamden Transition Academy began in September of 2003, we have developed several work sites on the SCSU campus. These include: Landscaping/Grounds, the Special Education/Reading Department office, Custodial/Maintenance, the Audio-Visual Department, the Duplicating Department, Warehouse/Shipping and Receiving, the Mailroom, the Communication Disorders Department office, the Academic Advisement office, the Purchasing Department, the Admissions office, Buley Library, the Science Building, Athletic equipment, and the Nursing Office. Unless incoming HTA students have worked independently and competitively in the community, they are placed in work sites on the Southern campus as they begin their first year. We try to match sites to student interests, but we also encourage students to expand their experiences and “comfort zone.” The purpose of the campus-based work sites is to help students develop their overall vocational skills and attitudes which they can then generalize to any job placement at a later date. Students are not paid for on-campus work experiences.
During the past fifteen years, Linda Davis, the HTA Transition and Vocational Coordinator, has also been successful in developing several job sites in the community. These have included: Presto Print II, Whitney Center, Wal-Mart, Wood-N-Tap, Chili’s, Marshalls, Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts, the YMCA, Alice Peck Early Leaning Center, Dee's Laundromat, Pearle Vision Center, Eli Whitney Musuem, and the Youth Services Early Childhood Program in Hamden, the Forget-Me-Not Flower Shop in North Haven, and the Mary Wade Home in New Haven. During their years in the program, the HTA students move fromjob shadows and on campus work experiences to situational assessments and job sites in the community where they have the opportunity to do "real work." Once in the community, students receive a monitory stipend: $4.00 per hour to start with the opportunity for raises based upon work performance and work site evaluations conducted by the HTA Transition and Vocational Coordinator documenting that they can successfully handle the employer’s requirements for the job.
In all work settings, job coaches are available to support students. The level of support is based on the student’s needs and the student’s ability to independently carry out the job responsibilities. Our goal is to help students learn different job tasks and to enhance their productivity, independence, and social appropriateness on the job so they will be better prepared to work with BRS and DDS in seeking and retaining employment as adults. We have had some HTA students who have been hired by their employers upon graduation.