College Partnerships
Lifestyles for the Disabled College Partnership program offers Lifestyles participants the opportunity to learn alongside college students from Empire State College-SUNY, Lehman College-CUNY, Wagner College and St. John’s University.
Lifestyles students have learned about several topics over the years, such as:
Empire State College
The Works of Edgar Allan Poe
Women Poets: Emily Dickenson, Bronte Sisters
Money Management
Disenfranchised Black Poets
Nature Journal Writing
Book Club (To Kill A Mockingbird, Romeo and Juliet etc.)
Wagner College
Poetry Writing
Short Story Writing
Human Rights & Civil Liberties
Theater Acting
Theater Appreciation
Lehman College
History of Disability
St. John’s University
Topics over the years
History and Culture and Art of Portugal
Broadway Plays Compared to their Movie Counterparts
History of Shipwrecks and the Titanic
Geographical Settings of Disney Movies
Nature: Friend or Foe
Learning About Movement through the Arts
History of the Olympics and South Korea
Throughout the semester, college students and Lifestyles students learn and work alongside each other. At the end of the semester, they present their final projects with their partners.
In addition to learning, Lifestyles students experience typical college campus life by joining their college peers in demonstrations and activities such as Health Safety, Equality for Disabilities and Voting Rights, in Union Halls. They enjoy eating lunch in the college cafe, and having conversations with their fellow college students. They have taken field trips to museums, parks and historical sites such as Edgar Allan Poe’s home, in the Bronx.
Lifestyles students’ poetry was featured in The New York Times article, College Students and Disabled Adults Create Spooky Found Poetry Together, on October 25, 2018.
Saint John’s University Partnership
During the semester the Lifestyles Learners and the Ozanam Students at St. John’s work side by side and also on zoom. While in person, the Lifestyle Learners enjoy a presentation by the Ozanam students, have lunch in the Cafeteria where they can purchase their own lunch, have use of the game room (ping pong, pool, and socialization) and are able to explore the campus (such as the Library and the Bookstore) in order to expose them to the complete college life.
We have a partnership with The Italian Club and Forever Friends. We have been invited to luncheons and lectures and even participated in the Columbus Day Parade (with the Italian Club) and also have been invited to nighttime dances, games, Trunk and Treat, and movie nights (with Forever Friends).
A worldwide pandemic could not stop Paula and Sharon from continuing the 11 year Lifestyles/St. Johns Partnership. With a change to on-line learning each semester starts with a Zoom training session for St. John’s Ozanam students after that the program takes place on the Zoom platform- meeting for a full day each Wednesday. Although we miss the fun of being on campus, this virtual platform allows more interested Lifestyles Learners (our participants) to partake in the program – an average of 30 per week. Since there are no longer geographic confines scholars are welcomed from the Queens and Staten Island campus. The students hail from a variety of places – around the United States and Internationally. Each week The St. John’s students present informational and detailed slide presentations on a variety of educational subjects with themes such as history, travel, entertainment, etc. Paula and Sharon incorporate sign language lessons, public service announcements, safety tips, drawing projects and fun facts into each week’s lesson. This program is open to all who wish to join. Programming is on Wednesdays from 11:30am – 1:00pm on the Library Zoom Meeting.
This semester we are planning a journey through the 1900s (television, books, movies, history, sports, etc.). Our individuals enjoy the social and academic components of the program. It gives them an opportunity to participate in the university experience. So please feel free to join our unique St Johns\Lifestyles partnership.
