EMPOWER
EMPOWER — Educate, Motivate, Prepare, Opportunity, Workplace readiness, Employment, Responsibility — is a postsecondary program at the University of Arkansas that offers a four-year, non-degree college experience program for students with disabilities. The program incorporates academics, community participation, employment, social/leisure skills, and health and wellness skills in a public university setting.
Admission to the EMPOWER program, founded in 2017, begins with a detailed application. Its website details resources and support, what life on campus is like, and the role mentors play.
Arkansas Transition Services
The Arkansas Transition Services consultant group serves Arkansas school districts in affiliation with the state Department of Education’s Office of Special Education. ATS provides prompt technical assistance and up-to-date professional learning opportunities to those working with special education students of secondary transition age. Each transition consultant serves a specific area of the state and has the tools and resources needed to ensure compliance with secondary transition planning as mandated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and to help educators transition students to positive post-school outcomes.