COMMUNITY

 

Community is the cornerstone of a Coryell education.  A Coryell education mainstreams students into adult life in the real world, and that requires becoming active community members with strong and lasting social connections.  The center itself is located in the heart of Santa Cruz’s West Side, a vibrant neighborhood within walking distance of a wide variety of shops and businesses, parks and beaches, museums and landmarks, and much more.  We are only a few blocks from numerous city thoroughfares and bus routes, which allow easy access to destinations such as the university campus, the city’s downtown, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and the local transit hub. 

Community-based education means that skills from all domains of the Coryell Curriculum are taught and applied beyond the classroom every day, for every student.  Coryell students develop the skills to access community resources as independently as possible.  We teach the social, safety and self-help skills needed to respond to and seek support from people and resources in the community.  Our students learn self-advocacy and social integration by being part of major area groups and events.  By having the support to successfully interact with the community on a daily basis, Coryell students are constantly expanding their understanding, experience and enjoyment of all that life offers!

Community skills our students are learning include:

• Social skills/appropriate behavior in community settings
• Using maps, Googlemaps, and GPS
• Pedestrian, vehicular & stranger safety skills
• Riding public transit
• Locating & using community resources
• Joining local organizations & participating in area events
• Taking college classes/using a college campus
• Using social media and digital technologies
• Shopping and making purchases
• Ordering in a restaurant
• Taking day/short-distance trips
• Taking overnight/long-distance trips