On Thursday, May 7^th, the Cypress Bay B.R.I.D.G.E.S. class had a special guest speaker attend one of their Zoom meetings. Kate Gilson Miranda, a former Bay B.R.I.D.G.E.S. student, joined the Zoom meeting to share her experience transitioning from high school to college.

The meeting started with a class discussion as they all answered the question, “What do you see yourself doing when you leave high school?” The students all responded with a variety of answers. Some of the students wanted to go off to college, others wanted to attend a certification program at a local hospital, and a few wanted to get out into the workforce. Stephanie, a senior shared her short- and long-term goals with the others. First, she would like to complete a local hospital program, then get a job at a veterinarian’s office.

After the discussion, Kate introduced herself telling the class that she is currently a student at the University of North Florida (UNF) majoring in Early Childhood while minoring in Disabilities. After this introduction, Kate was interviewed by HDS Foundation Program Manager, Liz Falk. Liz began to ask Kate questions about her experience transitioning from Cypress Bay to UNF. Kate gave tips that helped make her transition easier, while also sharing the challenges she faced especially during her initial transition to college. She emphasized how important and helpful the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. program was in her journey. It prepared her to become more independent when it was time to go to UNF. Another tip that made things easier was taking the time to research what different colleges and universities had to offer, so she could choose one that fit her needs the best. Even though Kate spent time preparing to make the transition easier, she did face a few challenges. The biggest challenge was coming from a high school where she was involved in MANY activities, and then transitioning to a big university where she did not know anyone.

After talking about her transition experience, Liz asked Kate to share what it’s like at UNF. Kate started the conversation off with how she spends her weekends. Kate uses her weekends to wind down from her hectic schedule during the week. She states that sometimes she attends social events like movie nights, sporting events, and the beach. Her favorite social activity is volunteering with the THRIVE program and participating in activities with her Kappa Alpha sorority.  

Kate was asked about her means of transportation on and off campus to attend classes, social events, and other activities during the year.  Kate answered by telling the class that she rides her bike or walks to class. When she needs to leave campus and go shopping, she will call an Uber.

When asked about how she takes care of her laundry and cooking, Kate states that she learned by watching her mom do laundry while growing up. She would watch her mother separate the colors from the whites. As for cooking, Kate enjoys looking for new recipes on Pinterest and trying out new healthy meals.

After talking about living independently, Kate gave tips on class and assignments. She emphasized how critical it is to be organized with assignments and making sure they get turned in on time. Something that helps her is using the calendar app on her phone to send reminders and make sure she does not forget any assignments. The students all had great questions to ask Kate about her successful transition. It was a very informative meeting for the BRIDGES students.

Kate’s road to independent living has empowered her to learn to make her own decisions and feel confident in her choices. Her advice to the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students about transitioning from high school to post- secondary was, “Take your time and enjoy high school. When you get to college, the other students are accepting of you and you don’t need to be afraid to try new things.”

 

In​ 2018, HDS Companies (HDS) spearheaded an autism-focused employment initiative, ASDY-Tech (Autism Spectrum Disorder Youth-Tech). Inspired by our CEO, Cristina Miranda Gilson, who has an autistic daughter, the program focuses on work abilities, team-building projects, and skills assessment. It provides opportunities for young adults to work in the Affordable Housing and Community Development Tech Industry.

At HDS, we embrace diversity and inclusion. We launched this initiative to create meaningful employment opportunities. We hired young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who graduated with industry certifications from The Dan Marino Foundation’s Marino Campus. Once we established the program, we found a need within our eHousingPlus Business Division. And, for the last two years, the ASDY-Tech team has been working on the implementation of eHP Digital Docs, our new state-of-the-art Compliance File Delivery and Deficiencies Portal. More than just a digital file repository, the new eHP Digital Docs portal is a workflow system focused on bringing transparency and efficiency to the program and Compliance Administration.

Social interaction, communication, and working as part of a team can be challenging for people with ASD. In today’s job climate, companies looking to hire talent for tech-industry related jobs are finding that those with ASD have a unique set of skills. They are extremely detail-oriented, highly analytical, and can focus firmly on the tasks at hand, making them an integral part of any team. Through the ASDY-Tech program, we helped leverage the natural skill sets this group of emerging workers possesses and provided them with opportunities and tools to learn and acquire additional technical, organization, and creative skills. Here, were share the experience from one of the ASDY members.

On a typical day, twenty-five-year-old City of Weston resident Miguel walks through the doors at HDS with a big smile on his face. He heads to the ASDY-Tech office, greeting his co-workers while he gets his workday started. His daily workload consists of prepping, scanning, and shredding files.

Like many other young adults with ASD, Miguel felt a big change happening in his life during his transition from Cypress Bay High School to a post-secondary program. Throughout his transition, Miguel received supports from his parents and family members, as well as from Vocational Rehabilitation. He attended a post-secondary program offered by The Dan Marino Foundation, earning an Internet Core Competency Certification. After graduating from Marino Campus, Miguel’s first job was at a local law firm, where he scanned legal documents creating digital records. He then worked as a Camp Counselor and to this day, holds a part-time job at the Nautica store in the Sawgrass Mills Mall.

Miguel has had to learn to overcome social challenges, like improving on making eye contact, and adapting to the changing landscape of the workplace. He shares that taking the initiative, focusing on the tasks at hand, being confident, and completing his projects on-time are his biggest strengths. When he is not at work, Miguel enjoys reading books, watching movies, and walking outdoors. His advice to the students getting ready to graduate from high school is, stay calm and look forward to the next chapter of possibilities coming to your life. As for Miguel, he is embracing new opportunities and is headed back to school.

The impact of the ASDY-Tech employment initiative has strengthened HDS’ commitment to our products and services, improved morale, and heightened our overall productivity. We are already planning the second phase of our program. We have begun meeting with community leaders such as the local Public Defender and his team to asses collaboration opportunities and take ASDY-Tech to the NextGen.

The HDS Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) Non-Profit Organization founded to provide mentoring services and opportunities to teens and young adults who have Autism-related disabilities—launched in 2008 by Founder and Chairman, Cristina Gilson-Miranda, the organization funds several initiatives, including the HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. GRANT. The purpose of the Grant is to address the social and transitional needs of a niche group of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who are seeking to navigate through high school and transition to a post-secondary journey. Through the Grant, the HDS Foundation partners with local high schools to identify candidates who are under-served in these areas. The Foundation provides them with financial and community-based resources along with support that enables the teachers and students to engage in activities they typically would not be able to access. These activities are separate and distinct from those provided by the school system, also known as Community Based Instruction (CBI) trips.

The B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Grant provides specialized programming that offers interactive community and school-based activities. These provide real-life experiences that help students who are on the Autism Spectrum transitioning from high school into post-secondary. Through the Grant, facilitators and teachers of the program receive extra funds that allow the students to engage in non-typical school activities.  These include organized community-based trips that teach students the importance of budgeting, resources, independent functioning, development, growth, empowerment, and social skill. During these trips, students will make their own purchases, dine out, and engage in typical social activities with individuals of their peerage. The grant funds also support typical school-based parties, prom, and any other related activities that are not funded by the school system and greatly benefit this specific population.

The Grant is structured as an annual application, available by mid to late January of each year. Schools must submit the grant request by April 28th, and the Foundation will award it by May 15th.  The Grant maximum is $5,000 per school year; it is disbursed with part of the funds awarded at the student level.  This process creates an exclusive learning opportunity for shopping, eating out, etc. which are vital to the budgeting component of the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Program.

To apply for the BRIDGES GRANT, please click on the link below:

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For more information, please contact Liz Falk, HDS Foundation, Program Manager at [email protected] or call-954-217-9597, ext. 260.