READY Program Offers College Experience to Students with Disabilities
For four weeks, 13 students with intellectual and developmental disabilities lived in a residence hall, took classes, built independence and taught the university something in the process
OXFORD, Miss. – The line of cars along Rebel Drive outside Burns Hall looked like any other freshman move-in day at the University of Mississippi, but this one in June was different, the first of its kind at Ole Miss.
As families unloaded suitcases, upholstered headboards, bedside storage towers, pillows, totes and boxes, 13 incoming students – the first participants in the university's inaugural READY program – tried to contain their excitement.
The four-week residential pilot, running June 28-July 25, is part of a growing national movement to expand college access for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. READY, open to students ages 17 to 23, combines academics, employment prep, relationship-building and independent campus living.
For many participants, it offers what has historically been out of reach: a real college experience, living with roommates, navigating campus and becoming part of a community.
"We're not doing anything heroic, but we're doing something that means so much to the students and the families," said Cade Smith, the program's staff director. "People want to be agents of uplift and opportunity for others, and READY lets us do that every single day."
A few days later, the elevator dings on the fifth floor of Lamar Hall and the READY students and mentors pile in. Someone plays "Golden" from KPop Demon Hunters, and the walk to Lenoir Hall turns into a singalong, really more mood and dance than lyrics.
Students came from Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. The READY team had planned for 10; after a strong round of interviews, all 13 who applied got in.
The inaugural cohort was:
- Aubrey Armstrong, of Oxford
- Josh Ball, of Madison
- Aidan Cothren, of Oxford
- Brooke Garbe, of Dallas
- Beau Gregory, of Madison
- Noah Hackworth, of Oxford
- Walker Lytton, of Pelahatchie
- Noah Mercer, of Memphis, Tennessee
- Allyson Plunkett, of Oxford
- Mark Posey, of Germantown, Tennessee
- James Rayner, of Oxford
- Trevor Simmerman, of Olive Branch
- McKayla Toles, of Oxford.
"I've always wanted to go to college because of 'Monsters University,'" Hackworth said. "Now I'm here, it feels good to have education in my life again."
Their days looked like any freshman's, full of sleepy mornings, residence hall life, walks in the Grove, Rebel Market meals, battles with Blackboard and getting lost on the way to class. But behind them stood a staff, a lead teacher, two instructional leaders, 14 peer mentors and four lead mentors.
Cindy Bobo, READY's lead teacher and a special education teacher with more than two decades of experience, said staff members kept students close that first week, almost protectively.
"We had them in a bubble," she said. They simply hadn't yet discovered what each student was capable of. By week two, staff started letting go.
"We popped that bubble and let them branch out. We saw that they can do so much more than we thought."
During the 28-day program, coursework covered social skills, healthy relationships, employment, budgeting and cooking in the food lab, plus two mainstream Ole Miss courses, Speech 102 and Public Health 191, taken alongside other students.
"I've been learning how to do speeches, and I got to share my big interest in Alvin and the Chipmunks and vacuums," Hackworth said. "And I've also been learning how to take care of myself, budget, understand healthy relationships and even how to cook."
Scholars also tried American Sign Language, explored music with the Institute for the Arts, worked on manufacturing at the Center for Manufacturing Excellence, made crafts at the UM Museum, learned to handle dogs with Wildrose Kennels, toured the Toyota assembly plan and networked with local businesses at a job fair. Weekends brought their own outings, celebrating the nation's 250th birthday on the Fourth of July, learning about horses at Oxford's Yimmi Stables and relaxing at Sardis Lake.
"Everything we teach is essential to helping students become more independent and successful in college and at work," Bobo said. "This program is designed to move them into that next phase of life, where they can be more independent and live as meaningful a life as possible."
Bailey Beaird, a 2024 Ole Miss graduate from Dallas, first proposed a four-year inclusive higher education program in her thesis for the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. Emily Davis, a 2026 graduate from Benton, Louisiana, developed the vision for a four-week pilot program in her own Honors thesis and served as the program's first student director this summer.
Smith hopes the program won't stay at pilot stage for long. He wants to see it grow into a recurring summer program and, eventually, into the four-year curriculum Beaird envisioned.
"The first five years of this effort was all volunteer," Smith said. "For all the leadership and the student staff, it's more than a job. It's a sense of calling, a sense of purpose."
According to Think College, a national research center focused on inclusive higher education, students who complete programs like READY are significantly more likely to find employment than adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who never had access to one.
Getting there took half a decade and a team that included Denise Soares and Whitney Drewrey from the School of Education, Jennifer Simmons from the Office of the Provost, Tori Laing from the Office of Equal Opportunity and Regulatory Compliance, Rivers Gilder from the Office of Student Disability Services, Melinda Valliant from the Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management, and Smith, all working without pay and on top of their existing jobs.
"With all the complexity, I've never been a part of creating a new program that has worked so well, so soon," Smith said. "These past months have been some of the most meaningful and rewarding of my 35 years in higher education."
Most of this summer's 13 students already have jobs, whether in a school system, at a store on the Oxford Square or running their own business, such as the vacuum repair company one student owns. But without a connection to the Mississippi Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, options can be limited to a few structured opportunities.
"They would just be sitting at home," Bobo said, calling READY a second chance to do something beyond high school. "These students deserve a chance."
At Yimmi Stables, Beau Gregory got his, and turned it into living proof of what a chance and a little support could do.
Fairy lights twinkled along the barn's wooden ceiling while a cool breeze cut through the thick humidity outside. As other students petted the horses and asked questions about their care, Gregory was afraid to touch one.
After several hesitant attempts and gentle encouragement, he reached out and touched a horse named Sweetie. Karissa Sena-Fadenrecht, a senior social work major from Elko, Nevada, and one of READY's lead mentors, could tell he was anxious about what came next.
"I'm really nervous," Gregory told her. "You know what?" she said. "I'm really nervous too." They sat apart from the others and talked it through until he was ready to ride a horse.
His personal care assistant, John Edward Maddux, hoisted him onto the horse. Smith held his hand. "I am so nervous," Gregory kept saying, as the horse began a slow lap around the ring.
By the time he came back around, his smile stretched ear to ear. "I did it!" he exclaimed. Mentors cheered, took videos, congratulated him. He wasn't done. Gregory asked to ride again.
"You can hold my hand if you need; I am here," Smith told him. A few steps in, Gregory reached for it. "Yes, I need help," he said, and finished the lap holding on.
For the rest of the day, the group kept reminding him of it.
Sena-Fadenrecht, along with other staff and mentors, has had the privilege to watch growth like that happen all summer, at each student's own pace. By week two, a handful were walking to Rebel Market alone, texting staff when they arrived and again when they were ready to head back.
By week four, they were surprising staff and mentors, confidently giving speeches, waking up on their own and owning their own successes.
"So many people must have told these kids and their parents that they'd never do something like this," Sena-Fadenrecht said. "They are still nervous, but they will say, 'I'm really brave,' and that is extraordinary."
READY's lessons weren't just for scholars. Along the way, it taught valuable leadership lessons to staff and mentors. The biggest one was understanding that helping often meant stepping back.
"Sometimes I want to assist too quickly, but I know allowing them to work through challenges helps build their confidence and independence," said Cece King, a peer mentor and senior elementary education major from Louisville. "It was exciting to see them take more initiative, support one another and complete tasks with greater confidence."
Nick Shaw, a rising junior from Aberdeen and a lead mentor with READY, said the experience reshaped the kind of educator he hopes to become.
"I want to grow into someone whom students know it is OK to be comfortable and fail around, yet I will be there to help them recover if they need the assistance," said Shaw, who is studying allied health and pre-nursing.
Three Saturdays earlier, these same students had been carrying boxes into Burns Hall under a blazing sun. The morning of July 25 was different, gray and overcast. No long shadows fell along Rebel Drive this time, just low clouds that never quite let go of their rain.
Students arrived dressed in their best: shirts pressed, dresses steamed, hair combed and makeup done. They made their way to the Union Ballroom, where families had already started to gather.
Smiles and tears were all around before the ceremony had even begun.
Each graduate received a certificate that reflected where they stood in their own journey. Students still finishing high school received a Certificate of Developmental Achievement, recognizing their growth and leaving the door open to return to READY next summer.
Students who had already graduated received a Postsecondary Readiness Certificate, marking their completion of the program's full track, academic engagement, independent living, employment readiness, self-advocacy and community engagement.
"READY has been hard, but it was worth it," Cothren said in his graduation speech. "During this program, I learned that being independent means making good choices, taking responsibility and believing in yourself."
Cothren shared that the program's budgeting class taught him how to pay for things and make smart spending decisions. He built a resume for the first time, which made him feel ready to show employers what he could do.
He and his roommate had learned to share a room, communicate and solve problems together. There had been hard moments too, times things didn't go the way he expected.
"I learned that taking a deep breath, asking for help and staying calm can make a big difference," he said. "I want to thank Mr. Cade, Mrs. Tori, Ms. Bobo, my mentors, my family and everyone who believed in me, especially Ms. Cece."
Brooke Garbe's mother, Lisa, and her sister Sheridan packed up her side of the room. Sheridan, a 2026 Ole Miss public policy leadership graduate, had stayed in Oxford all month as a READY volunteer while Brooke experienced college life eight hours from home.
The Garbes have always believed the only real limits are the ones you set, and Brooke grew up hearing that the sky was the limit. Programs like READY were not available near their home in Texas, so they were excited about the pilot program.
"It's honestly been so transformative for her (Brooke)," Lisa Garbe said. "I've seen her grow up so much, trying new things I know she would have never dared to try if she were at home.
"The entire program, from start to finish, was just so intentional, so thoughtful."
For Rhonda and Matt Hackworth, parents of Noah Hackworth, READY offered something they once thought might never be possible.
After a challenging journey to high school graduation, Hackworth wasn't sure if he wanted to pursue college. His parents understood the difficulty and supported him in choosing to work part time instead.
"READY struck a wonderful balance, creating a safe environment where that independence could take root," Matt Hackworth said. "Knowing Noah was having fun and surrounded by good people all month has just been a gift for our family."
After READY, Noah sees things differently.
"READY has given me some independence," he said. "College just might be for me."
Top: The inaugural READY program cohort is (top row, from left) Mark Posey, Allyson Plunkett, Aidan Cothren and James Rayner; (middle, from left) Josh Ball, Walker Lytton, Brooke Garbe, Beau Gregory and McKayla Toles' and (bottom, from left) Noah Hackworth, Trevor Simmerman, Noah Mercer and Aubrey Armstrong. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services
The READY Journey
Walker Lytton, a student in the university's inaugural READY program, peers out the window of an ADA-accessible bus while riding between classes on June 30. Lytton, a junior at Pelahatchie High School, plays outfield for the Pelahatchie Chiefs baseball team.
Cade Smith, UM assistant vice chancellor for access and community engagement and staff director of the READY program, talks with students about expectations for the first week of classes on June 28. Smith and other volunteer members worked for five years to plan and roll out the summer pilot program.
READY program students and mentors walk across campus after dinner on July 16. The group sang, danced and enjoyed bonding with one other during the walks.
McKayla Toles (right) holds the leash of Boomer, a therapy dog, while walking through the Grove with Lynn Etheridge, a licensed professional counselor at Right Track Medical Group, who visited the Healthy Relationships READY class on July 7.
READY students (from left) Aidan Cothren and Noah Hackworth climb a flight of stairs during a trust exercise with personal care assistant John Edward Maddux and mentor James Chappelle in Lamar Hall on July 11.
Mentor Bryan Carbajal-Galvan (front right) applies makeup for McKayla Toles as mentors (from left) Allie Drewrey, Blair Ecker and Karissa Sena-Fadenrecht dance nearby and other participants relax in the Burns Hall lounge before a college-themed party on July 17. Organized by the university's READY program, the event gave participants an opportunity to experience a college party in a supervised environment. University Police Department officers visited the party to talk about safety and answer questions.
Aubrey Armstrong raises her hand to ask a question during class on June 30. Over 28 days, the READY program offered coursework covering social skills, healthy relationships, employment and budgeting, alongside two standard university courses, Speech 102 and Public Health 191, integrated with other Ole Miss students taking summer classes.
Noah Hackworth cleans a carpet bearing his business logo in his room with an Electrolux Oxygen series canister vacuum cleaner he brought from home for the University of Mississippi's READY program. Hackworth, who owns 91 vacuums, runs a home business called Hackworth Vacuums, where he repairs them. He said his love of vacuums began at an early age, when he was drawn to the steady hum of a working machine. During the four-week program, Hackworth not only kept his room clean, but also vacuumed the residence hall lounge and also spoke about his love of vacuums in his speech class.
Beau Gregory rides a horse for the first time July 11 during a visit to Yimmi Stables with the READY program. Gregory was hesitant to touch the horse at first, but by the end he had ridden it twice, while holding tightly to Cade Smith's hand.
Aidan Cothren (left) and Noah Hackworth (seated) practice their speeches with mentor Priya Patel during study hall in Lamar Hall on July 13.
Mentors Adela Mellon (left) and Manning McGaugh (right) talk with James Rayner after he becomes upset during music class when he was unable to sing and play his own songs on July 1. Rayner asked the mentors for a pinky promise that they would listen to his music once they returned to the residence hall.
Mentor Priya Patel (right) helps Noah Hackworth figure out the residence hall's washing machine on July 2.
Personal care assistant John Edward Maddux (left) and mentor Paige Rask watch students practice songs and choreography at Nutt Auditorium for a music showcase during the program's final Institute of the Arts class on July 22.
READY students Noah Mercer (front) and Josh Ball shoot hoops at the South Campus Recreation Center during some down time between classes on July 10. The program's later weeks also brought students to the SCRC for adaptive yoga and the climbing wall, part of a run of activities designed to push participants farther outside the residence hall as the four-week session progressed.
McKayla Toles (left) and Brooke Garbe (right) work with Yimmi Stables staff members to learn how to brush a horse during a visit with the READY program on July 11. During the visit, students learned about horses, fed them, cleaned stalls, got a taste of riding and enjoyed a hayride.
Trevor Simmerman (left) delivers a speech about college football during Speech 102, a public speaking course he took alongside other Ole Miss students, with instructor Amy Lewis, on July 14. Simmerman was the first to deliver his speech. As he walked to the front of the room, he said to himself, 'You are brave.'
Mark McAnally (right), manufacturing lab manager for the UM Center for Manufacturing Excellence, shows READY program students how to use shop equipment to smooth wooden boards during a class project on July 21.
Josh Ball (left) begins to fade while Allyson Plunkett takes in the tour through headphones during a visit to the Toyota manufacturing facility in Blue Springs on July 23. This tour was part of the final Center for Manufacturing Excellence class in the READY program.
READY program participants perform during a music showcase for family and friends on July 22.
Trevor Simmerman (center) shops for groceries with mentors Josh Harts and Cooper Lytton on July 16 at Kroger during the READY program.
READY participants Aubrey Armstrong (left) and James Rayner share a lighthearted argument while waiting in line for dinner at Lenoir Hall during the four-week residential program on July 10. Both students are Oxford residents and have known each other for several years since attending Oxford High School.
READY program students spend a Saturday swimming and paddleboarding at Sardis Lake on July 18.
Aubrey Armstrong (left) and McKayla Toles stand outside Toles' room on their way to Rebel Market for breakfast on their own on July 22. After the first week, READY staff slowly began offering students more independence, including choosing their own schedules and making trips like this one without supervision.
McKayla Toles cracks up during the goat yoga session with 901 Goats on July 18 as a baby goat climbs onto her head.
Roommates Aidan Cothren (left) and Noah Hackworth get ready at 7:30 a.m. July 22 for a packed day of READY activities and classes.
Mark Posey (left) and Aidan Cothren, followed by personal care assistant John Edward Maddux, walk toward the Union Ballroom to attend a Reverse Employment Fair on July 24. The event, held near the close of the four-week program, was tied to READY's employment-preparation curriculum. In preparation for the fair, students learned interview skills, prepared resumes and answered a questionnaire about the kind of work they hope to do.
Bradley (left) and Jenny Rayner, parents of READY participant James Rayner, attend the music showcase in Nutt Auditorium on July 22.
Manning McGaugh, a mentor, holds up a heart as students get ready to perform at the music showcase in Nutt Auditorium.
Noah Mercer adjusts his mortarboard as the cohort prepares to complete the four-week READY program on July 25. After graduation, Mercer begins an internship through Project SEARCH at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis, a program that pairs classroom instruction with hands-on training for recent special education graduates to build skills toward paid employment.
Aubrey Armstrong (right) reacts to Allyson Plunkett's Postsecondary Readiness Certificate as Brooke Garbe and Josh Ball wait to receive their certificates during the READY program's graduation ceremony on July 25.
Joe Garbe (left) waves at daughter Brooke Garbe as her mother, Lisa Garbe, grows emotional watching her walk in during the READY program's graduation ceremony on July 25. The couple traveled eight hours from Texas to attend.
Trevor Simmerman gets emotional as he embraces instructor Samantha Walker, who taught College 101, Healthy Relationships and Employment classes, during the graduation ceremony on July 25. 'All students, no matter any disabilities, any differences we may have, have the right to learn and to education, and we're getting to provide that here at READY,' Walker said.
Roommates Aubrey Armstrong (left) and Allyson Plunkett share a quiet moment during move-out, still dressed in their graduation best as beds are stripped and headboards are ready to be packed up on July 25. Both cried during graduation, saying they will miss the friends and bonds they made during the four-week program.
Noah Hackworth (left) rolls his vacuum as his parents, Rhonda and Matt Hackworth, follow close behind with the rest of his belongings while moving out of Burns Hall on July 25.
Mark Posey (left) and mentor Caleb Syfert high-five as Posey pack up his belongings on move-out day, closing the four-week READY program on July 25. 'It was the best summer seeing the students turn into college students,' Syfert said. 'It's sad, because we're not going to see them for a while, but also exciting, because that means we get to work toward actually making the program year-round and getting these kids integrated into the school.'