Lincoln college of life skills readies students with disabilities for adulthood

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – May is an exciting time for graduating teens, who are preparing to start college.

One Lincoln nonprofit is taking on the responsibility of helping transition youth who need nontraditional guidance.

Dr. Stuart Stofferahn is the executive director for Nebraska Transitional College, a school for high school graduates with level 1 and 2 disabilities.

Stofferahn came up with the idea in 2017, after noticing a neurodivergent family member, Kyle, didn’t have the same choices as other students after graduation.

“They slip through the gaps because there’s just not enough time, money, and resources to help these folks master those life skills that are necessary to find their way to independence,” said Stofferahn.

By 2019, online classes were up and running, as well as apartments where those life skills could be put to good use.

Dr. Stofferahn was working on his dissertation, hoping to become a superintendent, when he dropped everything to follow this new calling.

“The universe was telling me, look, you can do that, and you’ll make a difference. So, we decided to try and build our own program that would address those needs,” he said.

NTC is a three-year program; the first two years consist of online courses covering topics ranging from self-advocacy to career planning and are available nationwide.

In the third year of the program, students have the option to live with a roommate.

Jessie Sandberg is the Residential Program Director, with almost 20 years in Special Education before coming to NTC.

She says their curriculum is built by a diverse array of experts.

“They are credentialed in different areas to be very effective in the programming that we want,” said Sandberg.

She says student growth is undeniable.

“It is incredible to see what progress and what goals these students are setting for themselves and how they’re able to achieve them.”

Students like Alex Farwell, who says his mom discovered the school, which he began attending in 2022.

Farwell says his favorite class was Money Management, and now that he’s in residential living, he enjoys the community it offers him, and new friends too.

“We meet up once a week and go on walks. Sooner or later, we just got connected, and we went out a couple of places, like Olive Garden and Morrill Hall,” said Farwell.

The application process requires students to be high school graduates and to have a guardian’s permission, two references (such as a teacher, counselor, or pastor), and a simple desire to take part.

Farwell highly recommends it to those interested.

“It’s the perfect way to learn how to be independent and be on their own and not live in their parent’s basement for the rest of their lives,” he said.

Applications to the program are accepted year-round, and more information on the various ways the program is made affordable, like income-based scholarships, can be found on the NTC website here.