嘿嘿视频

students gather outside as part of the Redwood SEED Scholars program

鈥榃e Are Making History鈥

嘿嘿视频 Introduces the Redwood SEED Scholars

First-in-California College Program for Students With Intellectual Disabilities

A group of people reach their hands into the center of a the circle and show off blue wristbands
Redwood SEED Scholars celebrate the wristbands they received on move-in day in September after showing proof of COVID vaccination and test. (Beth Foraker/嘿嘿视频)

When Ryan Fitch moved into his dormitory at 嘿嘿视频 last fall, he had to leave his drum set at home in Santa Barbara. 

鈥淲e figured that was a little too much for the dorms,鈥 laughed Melissa Fitch, Ryan鈥檚 mom, as family members unloaded a refrigerator, boxes of clothing, and family photos to display in his new room. 

Luckily, he was able to bring his guitar. Ryan is a musician and amateur photographer who aspires to a career as a band manager. He鈥檚 19 and gregarious, with an infectious grin. He also has Down syndrome, a genetic condition that can cause developmental delays, intellectual disabilities and physical challenges.  

Ryan is part of the inaugural group of , a first-in-California, four-year residential program on a college campus for students with intellectual disabilities. Instead of bachelor鈥檚 degrees, the students will work toward a practical credential while preparing for employment.

Many of the nine scholars have Down syndrome or are somewhere on the autism spectrum. All have an intellectual disability that makes traditional college nearly impossible. Most had spent little time away from home prior to this school year.  

Two people hug
Ryan Fitch hugs his mom, Melissa, after the student exposition at the 嘿嘿视频 International Center, Dec. 4, 2021. (Karin Higgins/嘿嘿视频)

鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 nervous at all,鈥 said Ryan, who took the major life change in stride. 鈥淚 already have friends here,鈥 he explained. 

He makes friends easily. His sister Jordan, who helped him move in, said he鈥檚 always asking people to join his band. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 basically like, you come across him in life and you鈥檙e in the band. It鈥檚 not about the music 鈥 it鈥檚 a metaphor.鈥  

In the Fitch family, if you鈥檙e 鈥渋n the band,鈥 you belong.  

A vision of inclusion  

Belonging is at the core of the Redwood SEED Scholars program. It鈥檚 grounded in the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion and the promise that students with intellectual disabilities deserve to be on campus. Post-secondary options are extremely limited for these students, with just a handful of four-year residential programs around the country 鈥 and no others in California.

The new program was created by the , which specializes in the research and treatment of neurodevelopmental disabilities, and the . But the vision comes from , a high-energy instructor in the School of Education who is now co-director of the program, alongside MIND Institute Director   

Beth Foraker stands next to a redwood tree
Redwood SEED Scholars co-director Beth Foraker in the 嘿嘿视频 Arboretum鈥檚 T. Elliot Weier Redwood Grove, the catalyst for the Redwood SEED Scholars name. (Karin Higgins/嘿嘿视频)

 

Foraker鈥檚 22-year-old son, Patrick, has Down syndrome and attends a similar program at a university in Virginia. She鈥檚 been working for years to bring an inclusive program to 嘿嘿视频. This is her passion. 

鈥淛ust 3% of adults with intellectual disabilities make a living wage, which means 97% of adults with intellectual disabilities in our state are isolated socially and in poverty. That shouldn鈥檛 be tolerated,鈥 she emphasized. 鈥淲e should all be in the streets losing our minds about it, and we aren鈥檛.鈥 

Together, she, Abbeduto and Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion successfully applied for a $2.1 million U.S. Department of Education grant to create Redwood SEED Scholars and fund it for five years.   

鈥淲e know that when you add inclusive post-secondary programs like Redwood SEED, that number moves from 3% to 65% to 80%, so it鈥檚 just astronomically different. It鈥檚 a total trajectory change,鈥 Foraker explained. 

Recently, the California Department of Rehabilitation agreed to pay the tuition for students in the program this year, a major boost for creating equitable opportunities.

We feel strongly about this premise. It鈥檚 not just something we鈥檙e saying in our heads; it鈥檚 also something we believe in our hearts.鈥 鈥 Renetta Garrison Tull, vice chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Renetta Tull talks to a crowd in the dining commons
Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Renetta Garrison Tull, left, and Redwood SEED Scholars co-director Leonard Abbeduto, standing, talk with the scholars at Segundo Dining Commons on move-in day. (Beth Foraker/嘿嘿视频)

鈥淭he 嘿嘿视频 version of DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] is focused on inclusion of all, and when we think about equity and equitable education and experience, we really want everybody to have that,鈥 Tull said. 鈥淲e feel strongly about this premise. It鈥檚 not just something we鈥檙e saying in our heads; it鈥檚 also something we believe in our hearts.鈥  

Redwood SEED was designed using the model standards from Think College, the national coordinating center for post-secondary programs for students with intellectual disabilities. Foraker pointed out that inclusion is symbiotic; the benefits are not limited to the scholars.

鈥淭here鈥檚 something really important about elite institutions having these students on campus, because students who are here to get their degrees can get into an academic grind. But when you鈥檙e in a community with someone who has an intellectual disability that all changes because they [are people who] tend to live in the moment and prioritize other things,鈥 she explained. 鈥淭hat influence matters. It鈥檚 a 100% value-add that really transforms the campus.鈥 

The team hopes that transformation isn鈥檛 limited to 嘿嘿视频. The goal is to create a framework that other UCs and public universities can adopt.  

For his part, Abbeduto said he is optimistic about that prospect. 鈥淚 see a very bright future and an expansion of post-secondary options, largely because of the level of support and excitement for the program that we鈥檝e encountered from everyone at 嘿嘿视频,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 hope that other UC campuses and other state colleges and universities will be as supportive.鈥 

People stand outside of a building listening to a tour guide
SEED scholars receive a campus tour during their August orientation. (Marianne Russ Sharp/嘿嘿视频)
Five students stand on a sidewalk holding 嘿嘿视频 bags
Scholars Karis Chun, Olivia Adams-Falconer, Kai Gardizi, Jaylen Parks and Ryan Fitch gather after practicing their route to and from key places on campus. (Beth Foraker/嘿嘿视频)

A path to meaningful employment  

Sophie Howarth knew the career she wanted to pursue before she enrolled in Redwood SEED. 鈥淚 want to do public speaking,鈥 said the 23-year-old from Oakland. Sophie is confident and friendly. She has had experience with public speaking, too, as a global ambassador for the Special Olympics. She gave a speech to 500 people at the 2019 Torch Run Fundraiser.

She attended community college previously and loves to sing and dance so much that she brought a karaoke machine with her to school. Her favorite song is Michael Jackson鈥檚 鈥淭hriller.鈥   

A typical week for Howarth and the other scholars includes six foundational courses that are designed just for the program: literacy and writing, math and budgeting, sexual health, self-regulation, civics, and communication and technology. Some are taught by regular 嘿嘿视频 instructors who also teach traditional courses. Other instructors 鈥 who include Sacramento County Office of Education specialists, a postdoctoral fellow at 嘿嘿视频 health, an attorney with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, and a former elementary school teacher 鈥 are on campus just for the Redwood SEED courses.

Headshot of Sophie Howarth
Said scholar Sophie Howarth: 鈥淚 love living in the dorms. It makes me happy. I like being with friends and doing fun things like going to Target and arranging birthday parties.鈥 (Patrick Hugunin/嘿嘿视频)

Students are also taking their first 嘿嘿视频 course 鈥 Nutrition 10 鈥 winter quarter, with support from a teaching assistant. Spring quarter, the scholars will start taking traditional courses of their choice.

Howarth was worried about math. 鈥淚鈥檓 very nervous, because math is not my best friend,鈥 she said back in September. Now? Math is one of her favorite classes, along with literacy. 

Regarding the residence halls, 鈥淚 love living in the dorms. It makes me happy,鈥 Howarth said. 鈥淚 like being with friends and doing fun things like going to Target and arranging birthday parties.鈥 

Independence and inclusion are key, said Howarth鈥檚 mom, Maeryta Medrano. 鈥淭o really have the whole student body embrace this idea of integration and inclusion, it鈥檚 remarkable. Having it wrapped under the MIND Institute at 嘿嘿视频 and the concentration of that focus and interest of students that are coming here to study that, it really makes it a unique situation,鈥 she said. 

In addition to classes, the scholars will have internships. Organizations and businesses both on and off-campus, including at the State Capitol, have agreed to host scholars. The goal is a path to a living wage.   

鈥淲e鈥檝e created ladders of opportunity,鈥 Foraker explained. 鈥淟et鈥檚 say they鈥檙e interested in animals; they might work on campus at the sheep, cow or goat barn or the Equestrian Center, then if they enjoy it, they could work at a horse stable in the city of Davis. They鈥檙e gradually learning how to take transportation, plan [their] meals, have a longer day, so that by the end of the four years they should be working three or four days a week, full-time.鈥 

Sharing success 

On a foggy Saturday near the end of fall quarter, the scholars and their family members gathered with their instructors at the International Student Center on campus. The students had prepared essays, presentations and work to share. Some were a little nervous as several dozen people filled large round tables in the multipurpose room.  

鈥淚 actually feel proud,鈥 said Olivia Adams-Falconer, a 23-year-old from Diamond Bar who has Down syndrome. She鈥檇 visited 嘿嘿视频 several times when her brother was an Aggie about 10 years ago and had told her mom she wanted to attend college here. 

鈥淚 felt like it was meant to be. I could not be more happy to be here,鈥 she said. 鈥淔or me, it felt like a home.鈥 

Adams-Falconer said her favorite classes are civics and math. 鈥淚 would love to have a job someday and an internship would be really cool.鈥 She likes photographing landscapes and even has her own Etsy business selling photos, T-shirts and notecards.  

鈥淧eople with disabilities should be able to have the opportunity to take classes on a college campus,鈥 Adams-Falconer said. 鈥淲ith us being the first program here, I feel like we are making history and I really like that.鈥 

One person sits at a computer while three look at his work
Vice Chancellor Tull listens in as Ryan Fitch shares his work with his parents, Chris and Melissa Fitch, during a student exposition, Dec. 4, 2021. (Karin Higgins/嘿嘿视频)
A person sits at a computer while two people look at her work.
Scholar Rachel Holt shares what she's learned during her first quarter with attendees at a student exposition event, Dec. 4, 2021. (Karin Higgins/嘿嘿视频)

She added that it鈥檚 been fun to live in the dorms with a roommate. 鈥淪he feels like a sister to me. We get along well, we do everything together, and we鈥檙e always being silly.鈥  

Adams-Falconer鈥檚 roommate, 22-year-old Karis Chun, also has an intellectual disability and said the social aspect of a residential program has been an unexpected joy. 鈥淏ack home, I was never really that social,鈥 she explained. 鈥淗ere, I鈥檓 around other people who are like me, so being around them, it鈥檚 like I have less pressure.鈥

Twenty-two-year-old Kai Gardizi echoed the focus on social connections and relationships with his roommates. 鈥淚 can tell them what I鈥檝e been going through, I can tell them what鈥檚 been going on in my life and they will understand.鈥  

Gardizi has Lujan syndrome, a condition that usually includes intellectual disability and poor muscle tone. He said he hopes to study history, photography or music.  

鈥淚 feel like I can actually make an impact on other people who are basically like me. I鈥檓 hoping to make this world a better place for people with disabilities and people without disabilities. It鈥檚 about coming together.鈥 

The experience is also about life skills and independence. Some students mentioned laundry and making their beds daily as a new challenge.  

鈥淭he toughest thing is I鈥檝e been sleeping in a lot and I鈥檝e actually missed a couple of classes,鈥 Ryan Fitch said. 鈥淕etting up is really tough.鈥 

He admitted that he was learning how to manage his time. 鈥淥ne night I was working on my homework in the middle of the night.鈥  

鈥淭hey鈥檙e drinking coffee, taking naps and doing late-night Target runs 鈥 like other college students,鈥 said Jonathan Bystrynski, who teaches the self-regulation course. He鈥檚 a clinical psychology postdoctoral fellow in developmental behavioral pediatrics at the MIND Institute whose research focuses on the intersections of trauma, disability and justice.  

鈥淭he students have shown such creativity but also bravery, taking the plunge in this big unknown of college 鈥 and in a program that鈥檚 very new. They鈥檝e taught me new things about not only the content I teach, but also how I can be as an instructor. I feel indebted to the students for their work and for the future that they鈥檙e going to push for.鈥

A system of peer support 

The Redwood SEED Scholars team has built a broad support network. That includes a group of about 40 peer mentors who are tending to the academic, social, residential, health and wellness needs of the students.  

The mentors come from a variety of majors and from both the Sacramento and Davis campuses, including the .

Elizabeth Twomey is an English major who鈥檒l graduate this spring. She signed up to be a residential mentor after taking a seminar that Beth Foraker teaches about being an ally for individuals with intellectual disabilities.  

鈥淚 want to go into education policy and improving education equity and things like that with my career,鈥 Twomey said.  

Once in the morning and once in the evening, Twomey or another mentor comes into each quad of students to check in. They may grab a meal together, take a walk or just chat about how things are going. There are also regular social outings, like bowling, sporting events and crafts. 

A group of people look around a large room with chairs set up in a circle
Redwood SEED scholars and their families explore the social and study lounges in their new residence hall area during an August orientation. (Marianne Russ Sharp/嘿嘿视频)

Twomey said the experience has already affected her deeply.  

鈥淚t鈥檚 really ignited a passion in me that I didn鈥檛 really know was there,鈥 she said. 鈥淒iversity, equity and inclusion needs to include all types of people, not just focus specifically on race or gender or anything like that, but also intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, all of those things.鈥 

Tonya Piergies is a first-year developmental psychology doctoral student who鈥檚 working at the MIND Institute, studying social communication and self-regulation development among children at an increased likelihood for autism and ADHD. Piergies is a health and wellness mentor, meaning she meets with a different scholar each week for an activity and to chat about daily habits and how they can influence overall well-being. For example, she might go to the Dining Commons or the Activities and Recreation Center with a student. 

The ease at which acceptance and integration were achieved in this moment exemplified that, when given the opportunity, the students do belong and can thrive at a higher education institution." 鈥 Tonya Piergies, Redwood SEED health and wellness mentor

鈥淚鈥檝e shared lovely moments with all the students!鈥 she said, remembering one notable anecdote that took place over dinner a couple of months ago. Piergies said a scholar asked to sit at a table with other 嘿嘿视频 students who weren鈥檛 affiliated with the program, and the other students instantly welcomed the student into their conversations.  

鈥淭his interaction ended with the student being invited to a get-together that weekend. The ease at which acceptance and integration were achieved in this moment exemplified that, when given the opportunity, the students do belong and can thrive at a higher education institution,鈥 she said.    

Systems change 

For Foraker, this is just one example of what drives her. The growth and integration aren鈥檛 limited to one program: They鈥檙e systemic.  

鈥淎ll of these mentors will go into their future jobs and change the systems there. We have a second-year medical student who is a mentor. Imagine her as a doctor! Even the head of Picnic Day is a mentor, so imagine that event now through the lens of disability-forward thinking.鈥

Foraker continued, 鈥淭here鈥檚 a bus driver who鈥檚 a mentor and a volleyball coach who wants all their players to take my mentor seminar. It just starts transforming systems, and that鈥檚 how you become visible when you鈥檙e currently invisible.鈥 

Self-regulation instructor Bystrynski agreed and pointed out that the program鈥檚 impact goes far beyond the direct benefits to the scholars themselves. 鈥淚 believe the program鈥檚 real power may be in teaching our systems to dispel the practice of underestimating and marginalizing the disability community.鈥 

To have a kid with a disability be included and be just part of the community and just another kid on campus, he taught families and so many people about acceptance. Being included helps everybody.鈥 鈥 Melissa Fitch, parent of Redwood SEED Scholar

Melissa Fitch, Ryan鈥檚 mom, said she knows exactly how that works. Growing up in Santa Barbara, Ryan went to a small neighborhood school, and because he was outgoing, everyone knew him.  

鈥淗e brought something to that school, that community, that nobody else ever could,鈥 she explained. 鈥淭o have a kid with a disability be included and be just part of the community and just another kid on campus, he taught families and so many people about acceptance. Being included helps everybody.鈥 

A hand tattoo shows the words 'in the band'
Jordan Fitch, sister of scholar Ryan Fitch, shares her "in the band" tattoo, which she got to celebrate Ryan and the family motto. (Patrick Hugunin/嘿嘿视频)

Like most parents who send their kids off to college, Ryan鈥檚 family misses him.

A few months before Ryan started the Redwood SEED Scholars program, his sister Jordan got a small tattoo on her right hand. It reads, 鈥淚n the band.鈥

鈥淚t鈥檚 just for me. I don鈥檛 see ever wanting to take this tattoo off,鈥 she said.

Ryan chats via FaceTime most days with his parents, and Melissa admited that she even misses hearing him playing the drums. But she鈥檚 glad he鈥檚 thriving.  

鈥淗e鈥檚 happy, making friends, growing up and doing great!鈥 she said. 

You could say his 鈥渂and鈥 is getting a lot bigger.  


Applications for the next cohort of 12 Redwood SEED Scholars are being accepted now. Learn more about the .

A group of nine people smile at the camera
The Redwood SEED Scholars celebrate a successful first quarter during a student exposition event at the 嘿嘿视频 International Center, Dec. 4, 2021 (Marianne Russ Sharp/嘿嘿视频)

Related Stories

Media Resources

Media Contact:

  • Marianne Russ Sharp, 嘿嘿视频 Health, 916-734-9118 or

Primary Category

Tags