1. Exciting Opportunities for Young Adults with
Disabilities in Texas
This fall a record 21.8 million students will be attending classes at colleges and universities
across the US. Students are working towards earning degrees so that they can find better job
opportunities upon graduation. For some young men and women with disabilities attending a
traditional college is not a viable option, but they want job opportunities and means to
achieve greater independence as well. Fortunately, at Providence Place’s Center for Higher
Independence in San Antonio, Texas opportunity awaits.
Since 1974 the professionals at the Center for Higher Independence have been working with
adults with disabilities to help them achieve their goals and become more self-reliant.
Students at CHI live in a campus setting where they learn vocational skills, social skills and
other vital life skills to help them lead independent lives. Students are taught to ride busses
to wherever they need to go, to shop and cook for themselves, to manage their finances and
to clean and maintain their own apartments. CHI also works with each individual student to
determine what support is needed in order for them to achieve success.
In addition to important every day life skills, students at CHI are also able to take a variety of
job-focused classes in areas such as horticulture, housekeeping and maintenance, clerical
work and more. Upon graduating from CHI, students with disabilities will receive job-
placement assistance and can expect to hold paying jobs that allow them to become more
self-reliant. CHI maintains a relationship with the employers of CHI students and works
closely with them to ensure that the students are meeting their needs.
For employers of people with disabilities, CHI offers some support services. As some of the
CHI students are deaf or hard-of-hearing, CHI provides interpreters who can help employers
and their HR departments to communicate with these young adults. During the probationary
period, ongoing job support and weekly evaluations allow employers, individuals and the CHI
staff to communicate regularly and make sure everyone is satisfied in this mutually beneficial
relationship. If there are issues with communication or performance the CHI job coaches and
counselors will work to resolve them.
To be eligible to take part in the CHI program, students with disabilities must be at least 18
years old, possess some self-help abilities and have a qualifying need or disability such as

2. Autism or Asperger’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, developmental or intellectual disabilities,
deafness or hearing impairment, or other learning disabilities. Students who meet these
requirements need to complete an application, schedule a tour of the Providence Place
campus in San Antonio and go through an interview process. Most of the students come from
the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), but Providence Place
welcomes other men and women with disabilities who have been referred by another student,
family, or members of the community here in Texas.
To learn more about the Center for Higher Independence or to schedule a visit of our 25-acre
campus, please visit our website or contact us today.