Ready for Life is a post-secondary program for college aged individuals with intellectual disabilities. Participants live on campus at Hope College or Ferris University in supported housing and take transition classes to get them ready for adult life and to live independently. Participants get a college experience, experience belonging, and gain work experience in this fun program.

GVSU Links U is a program for degree-seeking students with disabilities that attend Grand Valley. Students are paired with a peer and attend weekly meetings, social events, community service events, and academic check-ins to provide extra support for college. Students may live on or off campus, and build strong friendships through the program.

NEXT is a weekday program for adults affected by disability in the West Michigan community. This program is designed to support individuals with a 5:1 staff ratio. They offer a robust scholarship program to help families afford this program.

NEXT offers a comprehensive and specialized adult program committed to whole person growth and development. Their wide array of programs fosters growth in independence, vocational skills, and community engagement. Using a person-centered approach, our experienced staff help participants identify goals and natural talents that can be developed.

The Friendship House is a place where seminary students with intellectual/developmental disabilities (Friendship House Fellows) commit to doing life with seminary students without disabilities. Residents live as siblings in Christ, mutual theological contributors, and equal members of the body of Christ. Community life revolves around the commitment to belong to one another in and through Christ for the good of the world and the glory of God.

Students routinely gather around the dinner table in the lounge for community dinners, theological conversation, game nights, bi-weekly Bible study, monthly all-seminary worship nights, evening prayer structured around the Daily Office, etc. The house consists of 6 furnished suites, a spacious ground floor lounge and patio, a modest library and study on the second floor, and a patio overlooking E13th Street off the third floor. Each suite houses up to four people who both engage in supportive friendship as siblings in Christ, as well as live together as independent adults. 

Grand Rapids Community College (as well as most other colleges) has an office for Disability Support Services. Students can request accommodations, receive help with scheduling classes, get academic counseling, and consult on any difficulties you may have in college life.

IKUS runs two programs: the life skills program and the skill building program. The life skills program is designed to enrich the lives of adults with disabilities by helping them gain proficiency in life skills such as safety, socialization, leadership, community integration, etc. IKUS mentors support each individual in maintaining and increasing their independence and proficiency in these skills by focusing on the objectives stated in their Person-Centered Plan and IPOS. Programming takes place in a group setting both in the community and on the grounds of Indian Trails Camp. This unique combination of settings enables us to serve individuals with a variety of developmental diagnoses.

Skill-Building is a transitional program designed to assist individuals with disabilities with vocational, safety, and community living training, all in a community workforce or volunteer setting. This program is geared toward individuals who want to make progress in the areas of economic self-sufficiency and independence, but who are not quite ready to be competitively employed. The community serves as the classroom as participants serve and learn in a variety of volunteer and work sites while also working with our mentors in the areas of resume prep, job exploration, filling out applications, and interview training. Work and Volunteer locations are chosen in accordance with each client’s Person-Centered Plan.

The Michigan Career & Technical Institute (MCTI) is a post-secondary vocational and technical training center for adults with disabilities in Michigan. It is the 2nd largest rehabilitation training center in the country. MCTI is supported by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity and Michigan Rehabilitation Services. Their classrooms, dorm rooms, cafeteria, library and other services are located in one building. If students do not want to live on campus, a 2-3 bedroom apartment is available off campus. These apartments are located across from campus. For eligible students, tuition and room and board may be free!

MCTI offers Career Assessment Services including Comprehensive Vocational Evaluations that help students explore job options. MCTI also offers medical and counseling services, occupational therapy, interpreters for deaf students, classroom and job accommodations, and job placement services.

MCTI has 11 training programs that work to encourage and prepare our students for future jobs. They offer physical, social and cultural support to meet every student's needs. They also work to help students live independently.

While MRS typically works with jobs, they are also a great resource for looking at post-secondary education to get the career an individual is working towards. MRS can provide recommendations to get into certain programs for individuals with disabilities, and can help provide funds for training and education in certain circumstances. They work with many of the other agencies to provide these services, and can refer people to the other agencies and help pay for them.

The purpose of the Zeeland Adult Education Program is to assist students in reaching their educational goal and to prepare them for their next step in education and employment. They offer free classes for students to earn a GED Certificate or a Diploma. They also offer free ESL classes for students to learn English.

While studying for the GED and High School Completion, all students will also participate in the Literacy to Work Program. This program is free of charge and will prepare students for their next stop in education and employment. The Literacy to Work Program includes career coaching, National Career Readiness Certificate, financial literacy, computer literacy, employability skills training, and 3 free college credits.

Thompson M-TEC, a service of Ottawa Area ISD, has been a trusted resource for education and training for over 20 years. They provide flexible, customizable education and business training to strengthen our local workforce and economy at our facility or yours and support individual learners and businesses. M-TEC offers industry-relevant training in manufacturing, healthcare, technology, skilled trades and leadership development, certification testing and career assessments to strengthen job performance and career growth. Their offerings continuously evolve to meet industry needs to equip learners with the tools for career success. The mission of Ottawa Area ISD's Thompson M-TEC is to help employers and individual learners improve job performance and results through services including training, assessment, best practice information, career development, and learner support. 

Young Adult Services are services through Ottawa Area ISD for students who qualify for education after graduation until 26 years of age. Students who received a certificate of completion may be eligible. Their transition services focus on building skills such as employability, social-emotional, communication and household independence. These services are delivered throughout the community to allow for generalization to real life situations. 

Noorthoek Academy provides an affordable college experience, offering continuing education and inclusion experiences in the arts and sciences for adults with intellectual disabilities. The Academy is designed for students who want to expand their knowledge and enrich their lives by learning more about the world around them. They provide many opportunities for self-expression and development of creative talents. They explore the natural sciences and liberal arts while learning about other countries and cultures using a dynamic, hands on approach. Being on a college campus and integrating into the mainstream, students have the opportunity to increase their self-confidence and independence while making friends in an atmosphere of mutual respect and encouragement.

They serve students who have successfully completed four years of high school from Kent, Ottawa, and surrounding counties. The curriculum is tailored to the needs of the educable mentally impaired student or those with comparable abilities. The successful student is motivated to learn, displays socially acceptable behavior, and is able to read and write (with exceptions for visual impairments).

Youth aged 16-24 are elegible for Ascend, a program through MI Works that works with individuals to get their dipoma or GED, get training and scholarships, explore careers, and find supportive services in the community.