“The sky is the limit” for IDEAL student workers

If you stop by Victor Tango, the new Mexican restaurant near campus, you might be greeted by London Latham’s smiling face.

Latham is an education student in the advanced IDEAL (Igniting the Dream of Education and Access) program. She started her job at Victor Tango in September, after her first interview ever. 

“I went by myself and I answered their questions, and then I got hired on the spot,” Latham smiled.

Latham completed two years of the IDEAL program before entering the advanced program. Established in 2014, the IDEAL program provides inclusive postsecondary education for adults between the ages of 18 and 26 with mild intellectual disabilities.

IDEAL students live on campus and audit Lipscomb classes with accommodations and modifications. They also take classes covering everything from financial literacy, to cooking, to professionalism in the workplace.

Rebecca Sullivan, the assistant director of employment at the Lipscomb IDEAL program, said that internships are an important step in students’ development. 

“The first-year students have little tiny internships on campus, and they’re learning soft skills like being punctual, showing up to work in dress code, being respectful, following a task list, and doing all the things that you would need in any job that you do going forward,” Sullivan said.

When students return for their second year, they get placed in an internship off-campus. IDEAL students have worked anywhere from the Country Music Hall of Fame to a local florist. “We do our best to kind of match up what their desires are and what their natural gifts are, plus where there’s a need in the community,” Sullivan said. “The sky is the limit.”

During Latham’s second year, she completed an internship with Lipscomb Academy that changed her life.

“I thought I wanted to be in nursing, but God had other plans. As soon as I stepped into working with the Academy as an internship, I was like, this is what I want to do,” Latham said. Now she wants to help kids with learning differences after she graduates.

There are currently nine IDEAL students working at on-campus internships, and nine earning salaries in jobs around Nashville. Each student will graduate from the IDEAL program with a certificate of completion; their resume will have certificates in areas of interest, along with their internships and jobs.

One IDEAL student is currently working at the Acorn School on Vanderbilt’s campus, and she is also completing a pediatric CPR certification. Another is completing his SERVPRO certification while he works in a local restaurant.

Sullivan said that even though internships are beneficial, they can be a new challenge for both students and employers. Even though the IDEAL program does everything possible to set students up for success, opening doors of inclusion can be a “leap of faith” for employers. 

“We have supervisor disability awareness training to help the business owner or supervisor feel comfortable and understand that our students are just people, like everybody else,” Sullivan said.

And just like everybody else, IDEAL students encounter new challenges at their jobs. They have to arrange their own transportation, which often means navigating Uber or Lyft. And new work schedules can bring earlier mornings, or conflict with school holidays.

Latham said her job can be stressful at times. But she’s learning important skills like time management, flexibility and receiving constructive criticism. She loves her coworkers. Plus, the free food is a bonus.

“Our students are amazing, and they are incredibly resourceful,” Sullivan said. “I think people a lot of times assume someone that has an intellectual disability, they kind of put them in a box…and that’s so not true. They are capable. It might take longer to learn a task, and we might have to practice something over and over and over. But most of the time they get it, and once they get it, they thrive.”

Feature image of Valerie Suddarth courtesy of Lipscomb IDEAL Instagram.