Apr 03, 2014 05:57 PM EDT By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Franklin College in Central Indiana is welcoming five high school students with intellectual disabilities to its campus this semester to help them participate in college life, school officials announced.

The partnership between Franklin College and local high school students was made possible by a grant from Indiana University's Institute on Disability and Community and its Center on Community Living and Careers.

Students participating in Franklin's new INSPIRE program took part in a meet-and-greet activity on campus that served to formally introduce INSPIRE -- which stands for Individual Needs in Special Places to Increase Relevant Work Experience -- to Franklin College faculty, staff and fellow students.

"The students are excited to be here," Megan Horsley, transition coordinator with Special Services of Johnson County, who began putting the pieces of the program together in October. "This whole project has just blown up in a good way. It's going wonderfully."

Most of the students in the program are in their final year at a Johnson County high school. Participants are able to participate in some activities on campus with the help of Franklin College partnership with Center Grove and Franklin Community high schools, the Special Services special education unit serving Johnson County schools, and the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community.

From the program, students also gain vocational experiences in the campus food service and custodial departments.

Franklin College is the third Indiana college or university helping to build a successful college/work experience program for students with intellectual developmental disabilities. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis works with students who are transitioning from Indianapolis Public Schools as well as those from other Indianapolis area school systems. The Vincennes University Jasper Campus began a similar program in south central Indiana in 2012.

"Having that campus experience for eight months can really improve the outlook and possibilities for a student with disabilities," Jean Updike, project coordinator at IU's Center on Community Living and Careers, said in a statement.

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