P2P at NLU: Making the dream of college a reality for students with disabilities

The Path to Academics, Community, and Employment (P.A.C.E.) program at NLU has been making a difference for students with intellectual, learning, and developmental challenges for 34 years. Through PACE, our students are given the opportunity to join a wide-ranging college program including career preparation, independent living skills coaching, practical and functional academic courses, and social development in a curriculum focused on experiential learning.

Since 1986, P.A.C.E. has offered a path for young adults with multiple disabilities to thrive as learners, as community members, and as individuals. Now, a new college preparatory program at NLU called P2P, or Path to P.A.C.E., is helping such students prepare to take their first exciting steps toward college.

In P2P, students will be given the opportunity to participate in a wide range of weekly activities that help build social awareness and a sense of personal autonomy, readying them for college success.

“This is a fantastic program and I’m excited to be a part of it,” said P.A.C.E.’s Outreach Development Specialist, Elizabeth Potter. “P2P is going to open doors for high school students who are interested in attending college but, due to their developmental or learning disabilities, may not feel that they are fully ready for it yet. P2P will help them develop key skills needed for college life through a special schedule of fun, weekly activities with their cohort where they will establish core relationship skills and the confidence to succeed in college.”  

The program is currently open for registration and will begin in the Fall Term of 2021. You can find out more about P2P and the P.A.C.E. program at NLU by visiting its webpage: https://nl.edu/pace/.