In 2010, the National Center for Leaning Disabilities reported only 17 percent of learning-disabled college students received proper learning assistance, compared to 94 percent of learning-disabled high school students. As a result, learning disabled young adults struggle in both college and the workforce.
Tangram, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit, created the Tangram Life Coaching program to assist young adults with hidden or undiagnosed disabilities become independent. Specifically, Tangram Life Coaching works with families and support teams, incorporates clinical oversight, and pairs incoming and current college students with life coaches.
Tangram secured a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust to design and implement a pilot program that aims to improve graduation rates for this underserved population. Tangram will intensify current services to complement and enhance the existing supports available to learning-disabled college students, as well as develop tools for other nonprofits that serve them. Students meet weekly with their life coaches to work on the following skills:
- Organization
- Time management
- Setting priorities
- Job searching
- Completing a career inventory
- Widening professional and social networks through social media
- Identifying/getting involved with interest groups
Transform Consulting Group applauds Tangram’s leadership in seeing a need in the community and working to address it.
