News

Look Who’s On The Cover!! Rising Redwood SEED Scholar junior, Kai Gardizi is on the cover of Think College’s Annual Report.

Look inside to see several articles about the Redwood SEED Scholars Program and focus on both scholars and mentors.

Think College Annual Report for TPSID Cohort Three

Have you heard the term neurodiversity yet? It’s the idea that people experience the world differently and that neurological differences are not deficits. It embraces inclusion, respect and the value of all people.

The number of students at UC Davis with an intellectual disability has more than doubled, thanks to the inclusive Redwood SEED Scholars program. Twenty-one scholars – 12 freshmen and nine sophomores – now call the campus home. They will spend four years on campus living in dorms, taking classes and completing internships and jobs as they work toward a practical credential rather than a degree.

Living-Learning Communities and Shared-Interest Communities are communities within the residence halls that provide an opportunity for students with similar interests to live in the same hall or on the same floor. The communities allow students to enjoy unique activities, as well as more traditional social and recreational opportunities.

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The following story was highlighted in the Think College Annual Report of the Cohort 3 TPSID Model Demonstration Projects, it can be found on page 12.

Senior Amanda Portier of the University of California, Davis, led the team of hundreds that put on this year’s Picnic Day — attended by tens of thousands of people and believed to be the largest student-run event in the country. She also has been a mentor to individuals with intellectual disabilities, shed light on social justice issues and achieved a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average.

The UC Davis Redwood SEED (Supported Education to Elevate Diversity) Scholars Program is the first four-year inclusive college program with a residential area for students with intellectual disabilities in California. Beth Foraker, an instructor for the School of Education, and Leonard Abbeduto, the director of the Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MIND) Institute, are co-directors of the program. 

Our inaugural class of Redwood SEED Scholars speaks about their first quarter at UC Davis - view the video to hear about their experiences in their own words.

The first group of students in the Redwood SEED Scholars program have moved in to their dorms on the UC Davis campus!  Watch this video and share in the scholars' excitement!

Applications are now being accepted for a groundbreaking new college program serving students with intellectual disabilities at UC Davis.