The Adapted Learning Program is a partnership between the Calgary Board of Education and the VRRI which prepares students for life beyond High School. Our role is to work with high school students to help them with work experience, travel training, transition planning and with setting up volunteerism opportuniities.

The schools that currently offer this program (ALP) are William Aberhart and Lord Beaverbrook in Calgary.

The VRRI’s role in the ALP Program

• Supervision and support for transportation training and community work experience placements 

• Supervised opportunities for students to practice skills in real life settings.

• Meetings  with students and their families to provide transition planning and goal planning and to facilitate ongoing communication with the parents.

• Often parents are not prepared for the many decisions and questions with which  they are faced as their child prepares to leave school.  We can walk  the families through the adult services available, i.e. AISH, PDD, guardianship and provide a resource binder for families.

Typically, future planning starts far too late for adolescents with cognitive disabilities.  This means that instead of utilizing an approach that focuses on the hopes and dreams of the student, the focus becomes searching for and accepting whatever services are available.  When planning starts early, students can discover their dreams and goals, and then the appropriate supports can be found to help students realize their vision.