Mon,
08/04/2025 – 01:42pm
For the eighth consecutive year, the Institute for Disability Studies (IDS) at The
University of Southern Mississippi hosted its annual Summer Enrichment Academy––focused
on providing youth and young adult students with disabilities a summer employment
learning experience through its Transition of Teens to Adult Life (ToTAL) program.
The academy was held at both the Hattiesburg and Gulf Park campuses.
This year’s academy––which included 40 participants from across the state––consisted
of one week of pre-employment training, followed by individualized, paid community
and work-based learning experiences (internship opportunities). Week one offered students
the opportunity to “Level Up Their Career Readiness” through a Pokémon-themed curriculum
that prepared them for up to 120 hours of direct work-based learning, made possible
through local partnerships. Virtual options were available for students under age
16 or those unable to participate in person.
The academy and ToTAL activities, considered pre-employment transition services, are
offered through a collaboration with the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation
Services. Beth Robertson, IDS executive coordinator for Transition to Adulthood Services
and lead staff member for the Summer Enrichment Academy, emphasized how collaboration
and real-world experiences make the program impactful.
“Thanks to our IDS trainers and local business partners, the Summer Enrichment Academy
becomes a hands-on learning lab where students have the opportunity to practice real
job skills, see their strengths employed, and finish the summer with a new confidence,
ready to take on the world,” Robertson said.
The IDS, headquartered at Southern Miss, is Mississippi’s University Center for Excellence
in Developmental Disabilities. For nearly 50 years, IDS has upheld its mission to
positively impact the lives of Mississippians with developmental and other disabilities
and their families across the lifespan––and to work toward increasing their independence,
productivity and inclusion in the community. IDS concentrates its efforts in the following
primary areas: community living, education and family engagement.
To learn more about the ToTAL program and IDS at Southern Miss, call 601.266.5163,
email or visit the Institute for Disability Studies online. To support IDS, visit the USM Foundation. Your contribution allows IDS to continue meeting the needs of Mississippians with
disabilities and their families.