Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Episode Transcript

Transcript edited by Hannah “Asher” Sham

 

Intro & Disclaimer

Kylo: You’re listening to Let’s Talk!. Let’s Talk! Is a digital space for students at PCC experiencing disabilities to share their perspectives, ideas, and worldviews in an inclusive and accessible environment. The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of Portland Community College, PCC Foundation, or our community partners. We broadcast on our home website, pcc.edu/dca, on Spotify, on XRAY, 91.1 FM and 107.1 FM, and KBOO Community Radio, 90.7 FM.

Asher: Hi, everybody. My name is Asher, and welcome back to another podcast on the Let’s Talk! Podcast Collective. Here today with me, I have a very special guest, and we’re gonna be talking a little bit about the Inclusive Career Advancement Program. Would you please introduce yourself, your name, pronouns, and what you do?

Adam: Sure thing. Hi, everyone! My name is Adam Mennig, he, him, and I serve as the statewide director of STEP and Pathways to Opportunity housed here at Portland Community College. So, Portland Community College holds the main contract for a handful of state and federal grant programs and serves as an intermediary representing all 16 other community colleges. So, we hold the main contract and support programming at all 16 of Oregon’s Community Colleges. ICAP, was one of those grant programs that we helped administer. So, me and my team, there’s a team of two other humans right now that help support the handful of grant programs at all the colleges.

What is the Inclusive Career Advancement Program?

Asher: Awesome. Thank you so much for joining me today, Adam. I really appreciate it. For someone hearing about the Inclusive Career Advancement Program for the first time, what exactly is it, if you can explain it to us?

Adam: I will do my best. Just a quick note, that these are my views and don’t necessarily represent the views and policies of the US Department of Education, nor an endorsement of any federal agency. So, it was a federal grant program. ICAP stands for the “Inclusive Career Advancement Program”. It was a Disability Innovation Fund grant from the US Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration. That’s a mouthful. And, the grant was awarded to Oregon Vocational Rehabilitation in partnership with Portland Community College as a core partner, Cornell University, who led a lot of training and evaluation of the project, and then the Oregon Commission of the Blind Commission for the Blind. It was really focused on how Oregon Vocational Rehabilitation could better connect individuals to quality career training programs in Oregon community colleges.

Asher: Awesome. Yeah, thanks for explaining that. Do you know about, off the top of your head, when this program was first established?

Adam: Yeah, you’re making me do math. Five years. So, October 2021 through September 2026. But, most college programming ended in June of 2026.

Asher: Wow. So, it was pretty recent that it ended.

Adam: Yes. So it just finished up. Then the evaluation will continue for one additional year. Cornell will follow folks through the program. So, we have some folks who started their schooling and credentials that aren’t finished, right? It takes a little bit to finish your schooling. So, following evaluation of the project over the next year, or so.

Asher: Yeah, we’ll definitely talk a little bit more in depth about just the whole history of ICAP and why the funding is gone and everything. But, I wanna hear a little bit about how you first became involved with ICAP and what has kept you connected to this program

Adam: Yeah, it’s funny. So, I’ve been at Portland Community College for about a year and a half, but before that I worked at another community college in Oregon, where I oversaw a handful of other grant projects. One of them was the ICAP program at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon. I first got connected to this project through Oregon Community College’s Career Pathways programs and SNAP training employment program. We had been working with Oregon Department of Human Services and other state providers, and Vocational Rehabilitation reached out to Portland Community College as the lead and was like, “Hey, there’s this grant we should go for.”. Then the person in my previous position had reached out and said, “Who wants to get involved? Try this thing? Let’s go for this grant.”. We all said “yes”, then we got news that we were awarded. So, I was first involved with hiring a career coach at Chemeketa Community College and overseeing the local program, and then a year and a half ago transitioned into this statewide, leadership role where I got to support all the community colleges and lead in this work differently in partnership with Ricky X, who was a program coordinator. Super responsible for supporting all the coaches at all the community colleges and getting this program operating over the last five years

Asher: Oh, that’s awesome that it was going at least for five years. How many colleges was supported by this program?

Adam: 16 of the 17 had different roles in ICAP. We had a phased approach, so some colleges joined in the first year, and then some in the second and third, and there’s a few transitions. But, 16 of the 17 were formally involved in ICAP at some capacity.

Asher: Yeah, for sure. I bet. I bet they wore a lot of different type of hats too, it sounds like, right?

Adam: Yes, definitely. As the project first started, the first year of ICAP wasn’t really designed to serve individuals yet. It was working with community colleges and Oregon Vocational Rehabilitation, voc rehab counselors. How do we get our processes down and referrals, and how do we make this system work before we start enrolling folks into our system and process? So, different colleges came on at different points in that, life cycle

Asher: I see. That’s very cool. Yeah, I’m interested to know a little bit more about that whole process tour, at least the history of it, if you can break it down for me? You said it started with individuals? 

Adam: A handful of colleges, and wasn’t intended to enroll many folks that first year. It was really like, can we get our systems and processes down and figure out how this multi-agency state collaboration works? But, we did end up enrolling individuals in that first year. Statewide our goal was to serve 500 folks over that five-year period, and statewide we ended up serving 700 humans. So, really we’re able to exceed the goal of enrolling folks. Much of that work really huge shout-out goes to those career coaches working at colleges and our voc rehab counselor partners. Yeah. That connection, that human connection, people helping people is really what makes it successful. We’re large bureaucratic organizations and people can get lost in the mix, and so having those career coaches and voc rehab counselors collaborating on shared students and clients it’s really magical. All while doing it with the frustrations of working in bureaucratic systems, if I’m honest, right?

Asher: Oh, yeah. For sure!

Adam: There’s always a form for that! 

Asher: There’s always a thing! Yeah! I realize I’m asking a question off of our interview sheet. But, I wanted to ask where did you see, or when did you see the “traction” start spreading from a couple of colleges into multiple colleges?

Adam: Yeah, I would really say in that second and third year. So, colleges who were able to wait for half a second; “How is this gonna work?”, Could learn from that first batch of colleges and really hit the ground running. Oregon Community Colleges look very different. We’re not a system, right? There’s 17 independently operated community colleges. Some smaller ones 500 student total institutions to 60,000 at Portland Community College, right? So, they vary in size and geography and local economies. Same with voc rehab branch offices and services. So, really colleges were able to take some time to look at what makes best sense in our area and our community. How do we build trust and relationship, so we can best serve the needs of our local community? What works in Portland is not what works at the coast or-

Asher: Elsewhere, yeah.

Adam: Right? Understanding those nuances to design programs that work in the communities and for the people is really important.

Asher: Yeah. Thanks for explaining that to me. I appreciate that. What needs was ICAP created to address when it was first established? You talked a little bit about it, but what’s the deeper needs as it developed over time?

Adam: As that proposal was written up, I was reflecting back on the grant application and rereading through, “Hey, what did we say? What’s the point?”, as I was looking at this needs. Really it was to braid our different services and resources and relationships to close opportunity gaps and increase economic mobility for individuals with disabilities, and doing that through education and training. We had looked at some data from the American Community Survey, which is like the US Census, and, in Oregon, a little over forty percent of working age people with disabilities were employed versus seventy-eight point six percent of working age individuals without disabilities. So, it’s a thirty-eight-ish percentage point gap in employment. We attributed that to like how do we… We know education can lead to better employment outcomes for folks. How are we, both as colleges and as state agency in voc rehab, better linking individuals with disabilities to access to quality education and training? So, the main goal was to increase employment, build out more coordinated relationships between voc rehab and the community colleges. Oregon Voc Rehab, prior to ICAP, had lots of focus on employment, but varying levels of connection to education programs. There’s sort of pockets of education connection. Post-ICAP, we found that ninety-four percent of voc rehab counselors had referred folks to at least one student to an ICAP program. They’d served at least one student, so ninety-four percent post-ICAP had served one student education and training. Prior to ICAP, it was more difficult for voc rehab counselors to create education plans. It required more levels of sign-off within the agency. So, ICAP really helped Oregon Voc Rehab shift some internal policies and thought process around education and training and the community colleges were able to demonstrate some quality workforce training programs where we could link up. Again, voc rehab has all the rules and processes; apply and register and get in the right class, and go to advising and figure out financial aid. There’s lots of get connected with accessibility services at your campus, provide the right paperwork, transfer your credits from somewhere else. There’s all these systems and, pre-ICAP, lots of space for folks to get lost in the shuffle. So, we wanted, with ICAP, to be able to have dedicated career coaches housed on community college campuses who are in a collaborative relationship with vocational rehab counselors; where they would meet monthly, could train each other on the nuance of each oth- each other’s agencies and processes so we could walk alongside students and clients collaboratively, problem solve issues. So, if a voc rehab counselor heard of an issue with a student, they could reach out to their contact and we could do some shared case management and support. We could support more folks working through the the funnel.

Asher: I love that explanation. It’s great, yeah. And you also answered my next question, which was, “how this program is different from the resources a student might normally receive from their college or university?”. Correct me if I’m wrong, it’s sounds like ICAP was basically a hub, or a central hub at least, for all these different resources where you were saying students could get lost in the whole shuffle of things.

Adam: Yeah, you got a human.

Asher: Yeah, you got a human being. Staff come alongside them and help them out through the process.

Adam: Yeah, and there’s lots of different processes at a college, right? So, maybe they didn’t know they were supposed to get– would be helpful or had the option to get connected to accessibility resources. What’s that look like? Especially for folks who may have had a high school experience or middle school experience that are now having a college experience. Do I have to disclose? Do I wanna disclose? What’s that look like? What resources available to also navigating financial aid? We have lots of these offices within a college, but having a person to help get connected to the right offices and support folks through that journey was really important and also serve as that connection point to these other offices and programs that might exist. So, there’s lots of different programs on college campuses that could also benefit from co-enrolling. Maybe the person also gets connected with TRIO services, if they’re a first-generation student. Or, if their institution has a TRIO disability services grant, or their local SNAP training employment program, if the person receives food stamps and wants to get connected to education and training, or their Career Pathways program. So, it’s like layered on to these other systems of supports and really intentionally connecting folks to them. Vocational Rehabilitation had access to the supportive service dollars that Voc Rehab has to help fund education and training. But, it’s that plus these other things together; how do we build that ecosystem? You have that point of contact on your institution, your human to help folks navigate. Especially if it’s your first time in college or maybe you don’t come from a family who’s had that same experience, or maybe you’ve attempted before and it was less than stellar experiences. We carry our own stories and bring different experiences, so we thought it was really important to have a person on each campus that could then work across agencies to connect folks.

Asher: What did it look like when a student would come in, back when ICAP was still around? What was the process of getting connected to a staff member and then going through that process, if you can tell me about that?

Adam: Yeah, it looks different, I would say, depending on your institution. ICAP was housed in different areas of institutions. So, some ICAP programs were housed directly in a accessibility services office. Some were housed in more student affairs, like offices, and some were housed in like step and career pathways offices. So, depending where they were originally housed, there may be varying levels of connection already with Voc Rehab, or understanding of accessibility needs. So, where folks got referred and connected, voc rehab counselors could refer clients as they came in and got referred to voc rehab to say, “Hey, we have this program. Would you like to get connected? Let’s connect you to a coach.”. Coaches also did a lot of outreach to local high schools for the folks transitioning from high school into college age, also campus-based referrals. So, there were folks attending community colleges already, or were thinking about getting connected, who could have benefited from voc rehab services but didn’t know voc rehab services existed, right? That reverse referral to get somebody connected to Voc Rehab, so then they could get enrolled in ICAP. ‘Cause you had to be enrolled in voc rehab to be in ICAP. Coaches did a lot of work to say, “Hey, we have folks who might benefit from some additional supports. Let’s get them connected” and navigating applications to voc rehab can be its own process. Again, they’re great people doing amazing work. It’s just we all have systems and forms and processes. So, that was fun to see voc rehab counselors, managers of voc rehab, and community college partners collaborate and think of ideas of like, “Hey, how could we better serve our community and come up with ways to do joint outreach and referral processes?”. The other thing that was important early on was that folks met and continued to meet monthly. So, both to like triage cases, but also, “what’s not working well in this relationship?”, “How do we be better partners?”, “What things are coming up for you?”, “I heard blah, blah, blah,”, or “I heard voc rehab changed the process…”, “I heard community college changed the process. When should I apply for financial aid? What’s going on?”, to do that joint case making. So, folks could get referred through VR. They could just walk into an office and hear about it and get connected; reverse referral or some outreach. So, lots of word of mouth. People who’ve had good experiences tell other folks, and it kinda builds out from there.

Asher: Yeah. It sounds a little bit like therapy meets vocational career pathways, type of deal.

Adam: Yeah, sort of a comprehensive approach to supporting of someone’s education to employment journey.

Lessons Learned from ICAP

Asher: Yeah. Well, we talked a little bit about the history behind ICAP, how it was established and how you came into the mix, and just the whole process of students coming in; getting plugged in and getting the resources that they need depending on where they are in their college education or career pathways or vocation, depending. Let’s talk a little bit about what happened to ICAP’s funding and what led to that decision where it’s no longer available.

Adam: Yeah. So, it was a Disability Innovation Fund project, which is really a demonstration grant. So, the federal government does these competitions, and so we knew from the beginning that the funding source we used to stand up ICAP wasn’t going to continue at the end. However, we also wanted to use it as a demonstration project. So, what can we learn from this project that we can sustain? How do we look for other revenue sources and grants? We have used some of this data and we’ll have more as the different evaluation projects go, to inform vocational rehabilitation, when they do their agency budget; ask for resources, “Hey, can we get dollars here? State budget, federal budgets are tight. Those dollars weren’t awarded.” However, we look for ways to incorporate into some of our existing programs. So, how do we connect folks who may have been served through ICAP to our STEP program, so SNAP Training Employment Program, which offers monthly case management services as well for folks who receive SNAP but not TANF. So, if we can get folks connected to that pipeline, can we offer some of the supports that ICAP offered? For colleges have career pathways teams, can we get them connected? Where do we see the most overlap where we can get folks connected to programming that we have on campuses, so it doesn’t go from everything to nothing and see that sort of drop-off on connection? Some of this is also the case management, so folks who are enrolling towards the end of ICAP; being transparent with folks so they can make an informed choice like, “Here’s what supports look like up to this point and that point. Once this grant ends, here’s some sort of expected referrals.”. Let’s make those connections before it’s over so folks aren’t just left floating in the abyss! We continue to look for dollars. So, I know different colleges are still meeting, they’re still having the relationship between Voc Rehab and Colleges. They’re still doing monthly meetings. We can talk about some of our systems issues and institutional issues, we may not be able to release information and things like that to triage specific cases. But, let’s keep those lines of communication open. Voc rehab has entered “Order of Selection”, which means there’s a wait list to get access to VR services and you have to get on the list. So, that’s another wrinkle that came in through this project. While we knew from the beginning that this particular funding source wasn’t going to happen, exist long term, we were continually conscious of how do we find other resources to fill that gap. We continue to look to say, “are there opportunities to design programs or go after dollars using this data to get some version of it back?”. How do we take the lessons learned, incorporate it into existing systems, as well as look for opportunities? So, it’s a more challenging budget environment on the philanthropic side and state and federal budget constraints. But, It really demonstrated the power of what we can do in community with multiple agencies working together, and so I do think there are opportunities to continue to look for that funding.

Asher: Multiple other questions after hearing all that, honestly. So, it sounds like, and correct me if I’m wrong, when ICAP was first established, it wasn’t expected that it would last for a very long period of time? Is that right? 

Adam: It was a five-year demonstration grant. So, we knew that exact funding source, the US Department of Education Disability Innovation Fund at the Rehab Services Administration, that pot was going to end. Just like when we were applying for the ICAP grant; we looked at how did other grants inform our application for this? This gives us a set of data and resources to say, “Hey, how can we use this to inform other grant applications?” Voc rehab did use it to try and get additional dollars in their agency budget when they were applying each biennium to the legislature. They weren’t successful this year in getting that. But, it maybe helpful to say, “What can we learn from this? What can we apply this now? What can we apply to future grant applications?”. So, it’s not like we did this thing and now it’s dead. We really have taken those lessons learned to shape services going forward. But, it did mean folks, who were in those coaching positions, many of those folks no longer have jobs. Which is difficult. Some of those were able to stay on at colleges and move to career pathways or step programs and other institutions that wasn’t possible. So, folks who spent several years building a great thing, like that was definitely a mourning process. People do amazing work, and then there’s not the dollars to continue.

Asher: It’s hard…

Adam: Difficult. Yeah…

Asher: That sounds very difficult. It sounds like ICAP was the huge umbrella for all these sub-programs that you’re now like passing the baton to as far as Career Pathway Services kind of thing.

Adam: Yeah, it’s kind of this like “both and…”. It was built on like a career pathways, like Oregon has a 20-year career pathways history of stackable credentials and wraparound supports. It has a 10-year history of the STEP program at community colleges. So, these were sort of a foundation to get ICAP, but more focused on individuals with disabilities. Which was a target population that we saw a need based on the data that, “hey, how do we do a better job serving?”. So, it’s like using those as a foundation to then get this demonstration grant, learn more lessons that can then be put back into those other programs. So, it comes from and then goes back to this whole sort of ecosystem. It’s really, “how do we as community colleges best support our communities?”, and often that means we’re scraping for dollars and we have this grant program, and that program, and these all work together. Take the crumbs together, we get a whole cookie. Be nice if we got the cookie to begin with, but we work this collaborative relationship to say, “how do we get the most out of the limited resources? How do we continue to demonstrate that value? How do we keep our focus on students in the communities we serve, and then go after dollars to grow and expand the work so we can do more of it?”.

Asher: Yeah. I like that imagery of “the whole cookie”. It sound like ICAP was the whole cookie, and now it’s like little crumbs here and there. Is there ever an opportunity, or do you think, that there is ever a chance in the future for ICAP to reform again or the program to reform again?

Adam: Yeah, I think those lessons learned. How do we keep strong relationships between Voc Rehab and Colleges? So, that could be through Accessibility Offices, that could be through STEP and Career Pathways Programming at Colleges. I also think it looks different depending where. So, like in the Portland Metro or in the Willamette Valley, you may see Voc Rehab counselors on College Campuses. We know that relationships was important– so giving like a “non-answer answer”– but like will it be a whole program, a complete replica? I’m not so sure. But, the lessons that we learn from that I think can get applied. I do think you’ll see; down in Elaine Community College, the Voc Rehab Counselors still do office hours at the Community College site and at other Colleges, as well, that exists. I know Community Colleges are still meeting in their monthly meeting with their partners, which didn’t exist in many cases before ICAP, yet continues now. So, folks will reap the benefit of that relationship. We know coaching models work. That’s why they do it in TRIO. There’s lots of good data that coaching models exist. We see it in STEP, we see it in Career Pathways, we see it in the TRIOs of the world, we see it in Future Connect, we see it in all these opportunities. So, do I think future coaching models, we’ll seek funding for those? Yes. Would that be completely as it was? No. But, I think we can apply those lessons to continued projects. So, it’s like-

Asher: Like a, “yes and…”.

Adam: A “yes and…”! Yeah, like how do you take the pieces? And it is a wild experience. The good, the bad, the ugly of getting 16 community colleges, in this case, State Agencies, federal partners, all working together with different needs, wants, desires, but all focused on serving communities. What a great sort of experience, and not without its challenges. But, what I loved about this process was that we could engage in those conversations together and do collaborative problem-solving to actually make things work better for everyone. Not just sit in our frustration, right? So, to me it’s a powerful example of how different agencies and people working together can create sort of opportunity for folks to succeed. Which they should have had all along. But, how do we remove some of the systemic barriers that exist? We have the ability to be a part of that. Was it perfect? No. But did we do great, awesome work? I think so. Super proud of all the people. 

Asher: Yeah. I’ve never heard of ICAP when I was a student at PCC. Just doing some research on them, “Oh, man! I really wish I had this when I was in school!”

Adam: And it’s interesting as you say that. Because we’re ramping up initially, that first year; didn’t enroll a ton of folks by design as we get our processes in. That is an unfortunate thing. I’ve heard more about ICAP from colleagues and people across the state in the last year of the program than earlier on. It was finally hitting its stride and coming into its own just as it’s winding down and ending.

The Last Year of ICAP

Asher: For sure. So, you told me a little bit about, you guys knew that the program was going to come to an end, and when it was slowly coming to an end, what did it look like for students who relied on the services? Was it a slow, “Oh, yeah. The program is ending. Here’s other resources for you guys to dip into,” kind of thing? What did that process look like?

Adam: Again, it looks slightly different at every institution. But, the other thing that was interesting in this last year of ICAP, Oregon entered, I mentioned, order of selection, which was this wait list for new folks into voc rehab. But, if you were connected to ICAP, order of selection didn’t apply initially. You could enroll in ICAP if you were ICAP eligible and receive ICAP services even though order selection was happening. So, that created some interesting scenarios. Because, if you didn’t finish by the time ICAP ended and your name wasn’t up on the wait list, you went back to the wait list. So, having some really important like informed consent conversations around; here’s the services available now, here’s what it looks like at the end. Some of it we don’t quite know based on if you’re where you’re at on the wait list. “What does that look like for you? What supports might you need? Do you still wanna do this thing, yes or no?”. So, that the student could make, “yes, I think I wanna do this”, or not. Then for folks who have been in the program, if you were enrolled in ICAP before the order selection occurred and you didn’t finish your education program and ICAP ended, you would stay in voc rehab services. Your services through Voc Rehab would continue. Supportive services and Voc Rehab counselor appointments would continue. What went away was that site-based career coaching on a college campus. Unless you got connected with STEP or Career Pathways coaching, existing coaching, or TRIO. So, a lot of that work, that career coaches did both before it was gonna end and really focused on as ICAP was winding down, was saying, “How do we best connect students to existing campus resources so when I, as a career coach, am gone; they’re still connected?”, and let’s not do this the day before this ends. It takes a while to build trust and commitment and relationship. Let’s take that term or two to build that out, so it’s not this stark, “Sorry, can’t talk to you.”

Asher: “It’s done!”

Adam: All that to say, while coaches themselves didn’t know if they had positions, right? Some coaches knew they were gonna transition to another job at the college, and so they had some stability. Other coaches were trying to find other job opportunities. So, as coaches transitioned– making sure that Students still had supports– leads of programs could step in and support folks. That we had a plan in place. So, all the colleges made transition guides for their Voc Rehab Counselor Partners to say, “I know I connect with lots of groups on campus. Here are the key contacts to all those groups on campus. Here’s what it looks like to do financial aid. Here’s a resource guide for our campus, so at least you have that when I’m not here that you can have.”. Then, same thing for the students themselves. But, trying to spread the knowledge base out so it wasn’t June 30th, see you later. That’s not to say that; I do wanna acknowledge, that is difficult, right? You have somebody you could talk to every week or every other day, and now that level of resource isn’t there, and so that is a challenge, right?

Asher: It is for sure a challenge, and we can only hope that programs like this maybe later, in the future once we get a little bit more dollars, could get reestablished again. We see a need, fill a need kind of thing. 

Adam: We know coaching works. We know connecting systems and processes work. How do we do that and do that at scale? How do we tell that story? How do we get advocates to join us in advocating at the legislature? Advocating with their peers? Going after grant applications?

Asher: While ICAP’s program was still running , what are some success stories that have really stuck out with you and that impacted you in a way where, like, “Yes, this is actually working”. “Yes, I wanna keep doing this.”.

Adam: Yeah, I love that question. So, this YouTube link I just dropped in; it’s long. It’s like 20 minutes. But, there’s four different vignettes of students who went through ICAP who are telling their journey and their story of success from across the state. So, it’s them, oftentimes their Voc Rehab Counselor, and their current employer. Folks who maybe didn’t think education was for them, or they had tried it before, or had various experiences with incarceration, or other potential barriers that, through coaching and supports and through their grit and tenacity and stick-to-it-iveness, were able to complete, find employment, and sort of give back to their communities. There’s some stories in there where, they’ve lived a life before ICAP completed and now get to go back and contribute to the place and folks who supported them. Those stories are meaningful. I already mentioned the stat about 94% of voc rehab counselors referred at least one student to ICAP. I cannot say how proud I am of that. The sea change of the work of Voc Rehab, pre-ICAP, I bet it was less than 50% of voc rehab counselors has written an education plan. Voc Rehab does see education as a path to meeting sort of their federal obligations and to supporting folks into living wage jobs, and community colleges are here to be a partner. So, like that may not be super sexy, it’s like systemic policy wonkiness. But, if Voc Rehab counselors aren’t able to write education plans, then folks aren’t able to engage in education. I think of students who speak about their coach, the impact, “someone cared about me”, and students who didn’t think they could maybe do it. When they first come in, they’re like, “I don’t know if I can really do this”, to then you watch them blossom and their confidence grow, and they become sort of advocates for the program, advocates for themselves, advocates for their community. That’s what I love. When I look at 70% of participants report personal work income as the main source of their income, like work income. We wanted to connect folks to education. 430 credentials have been earned thus far from folks. Folks who are completing, finding employment, have opportunity and that is like what we’re about.

Asher: Oh, definitely. Yeah

Adam: It’s like cool stuff. That video’s a little long. But, I love to hear people in their own words. There’s also one more website I will put in which is more written testimonial versions. So, one’s audio-based, one’s word-based, of like students and their stories that they’ve given consent to share.

Resources and Takeaways

Asher: For sure. For the listeners, we’ll link all these resources at the bottom of our home website; pcc.edu/dca, from wherever you’re listening, whether it be Spotify, XRAY FM, or KBOO Community Radio. Thanks, Adam, for sharing all these things. Is there anything you would like to give away to our listeners? What the public can do to support efforts like these? Whether it’s to support programs like ICAP, or any sort of like career pathways in the Portland Community College sphere?

Adam: I think asking about programs, I think supporting it in the legislature, discovering… you had shared like, “Oh, I didn’t know it was a thing. Well, I wish I would’ve known.”. Sometimes we’re not great at telling our own story, right? People are committed to doing their work. They’re doing awesome work, but folks may not know about it. So, if you’re attending Portland Community College, there is a great Career Pathways Team. There is a STEP Team. There are great teams doing Basic Needs work. Asking about it, getting connected to it, seeing the benefit of it, and then advocating for this on a policy front is always helpful. Similar, we’re in the Portland Metro, so our folks at Mount Hood Community College have similar programs, and as do our folks at Clackamas Community College. Each community college in Oregon has a Career Pathways Program, has a STEP Program, has a Basic Needs Program, has Accessibility Offices. So, be inquiring, “Hey, is there programs that can support students?”, and that’s really hard to do as a student to say, “Hey, I heard there’s this thing.”.

Asher: “I need help.”

Adam: “I need help.”. We’re not always trained to do that. But, today, thousands of students are, even post-ICAP, thousands of students across Oregon are served in these programs. There is a group of folks who want to be able to help you if you’re a student looking for services. And, if you’re someone in a position to be able to advocate and support these programs, we would love to have you.

Asher: For sure, yeah. I love that. Just the idea of not feeling very safe to reach out for these resources. Which is why I love, in the very beginning of the year when school term starts for students, teachers and professors provide all these different resources. “Hey, if you need help in your classes, these are the resources you should reach out to, so you can succeed.”. Because we wanna see students succeed in their careers and in what they’re wanting to reach out for in schools. Which is a really big thing and something that I feel like all of us could take away from.

Adam: Definitely. I put one more link, which is a link to the Pathways to Opportunity statewide work, which has more about the Step Programs at all Community Colleges, Basic Needs at Oregon work at Community Colleges, a little synopsis of ICAP as well and some of the work of the state team. There’s also links to the other community colleges, so if folks are outside of Portland and wanna get connected if they hear about this on the World Wide Web.

Asher: For sure. Well, thank you so much, Adam, for speaking to me today about the ICAP program, and we really hope that at least in the near future that other career pathway programs like this will be established. Thank you so much.

Adam: Thank you so much for taking the time. I really appreciate it.

Outro & Credits

Asher: Thank you for listening to Let’s Talk!, Portland Community College’s broadcast about disability culture. Find more information and resources concerning this episode and others at pcc.edu/dca. This episode was produced by the Let’s Talk! Podcast Collective as a collaborative effort between students, the Accessible Education and Disability Resource Department, and the PCC Multimedia Department. We air new episodes on our home website, our Spotify channel, XRAY, 91.1 FM and 107.1 FM, and KBOO Radio, 90.7 FM.