Alyssa Burnett Adult Life Center Classroom Engagement Support (In-Person) (Interview Required) (Bothell)

The Seattle Children’s Alyssa Burnett Adult Life Center, located Bothell, is a leading national model for providing meaningful lifelong learning opportunities for adults with a range of intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and/or other intellectual disabilities.  The center offers a variety of recreational classes throughout the week for these adults, on topics like art, music, cooking, yoga, Zumba, drama, movie nights, gardening, life skills, and more.

Students interested in driving meaningful change for adults with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities have the unique opportunity to be at the ground level of building an innovative model and delivering effective interventions in a climate where resources are limited, if any.  Our staff is vibrant and dynamic, making this position and the work culture very enjoyable!

Work description:

The student will have the opportunity to work directly with the adults at the Alyssa Burnett Adult Life Center, supporting them as they participate in classes and activities by serving as a peer-mentor, companion, and friend.  The student will provide direct support in small classrooms as the adults work on skill-building, independent-living, and other social/communication skills.  We place an emphasis on social interaction with others – which is where UW Bothell students who engage in interaction and conversation are most effective!

The student will work closely with program staff on planning for classes, engaging adults in activities, encouraging independence, promoting social skills, and more.  Depending on day and time of week, this may be supporting an adult in a life skills class, helping them complete an art project, talking to them about your life experiences, and/or being a general peer mentor for them.  The student will receive background information on the adults they will be working with, including best practices and training for interaction with each individual.

The Alyssa Burnett Center offers lifelong learning opportunities following a recreational model, so it is casual, active, and busy environment!  At any given time, this may mean a fitness class is going on while another cohort of students arrives for an art class.  It is helpful to have students with our adults during these times of transition, to ensure fluid and safe movement in and out of classes.

Impact:

There are thousands of adults in the state of Washington who have transitioned out of the public education system and are faced with a shortage of services and activities, which contribute heavily to one’s quality of life.  Having UW Bothell students participate at ABC provides the unique opportunity for these adults to socialize and engage with typically developing peers, and will allow us to provide this life-changing experience for more young adults in our community.

Students’ participation in the classroom will increase the ABC’s staffing ratio and enable services to be offered at a greater amount, variety, and with more depth to the adults.  The students’ engagement will be an opportunity to understand challenges these adults face in their daily lives – in this experience, they can encourage improvement in efficacy of community integration and the role meaningful activities have in the quality of life for adults with developmental disabilities, through promoting confidence and independence.

We are striving to create a successful model, with hopes this model will be replicated in other hospitals/locations around the nation.

Contact:

Laura Rodrigues
Laura.Rodrigues@SeattleChildrens.org
(425) 482-4206l

Location:

Seattle Children’s Alyssa Burnett Adult Life Center
19213 Bothell Way NE
Bothell, Washington 98011

Ideal number of students: 3

Requirements:

• Must be 18 years old
• Other paperwork: Students are required to create a online volunteer profile (via Better Impact) and complete application found on our website. Students will then have to follow Seattle’s Children’s non-employee screening process (i.e. Background Check, Confidentiality Agreement, Code of Conduct, etc.) and be asked to make an appointment at Seattle Children’s Human Resources building in Seattle to get a photo ID badge made.
• Background check required

Times:

Weekdays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Students will choose times within the time slots above.

Students should be available for a consistent schedule on a weekly basis (once schedule is set, it should remain the same for the entirety of the quarter.  You will work with the volunteer coordinator to determine this regular weekly schedule for the quarter.  We have limited space in each of the Alyssa Burnett Center’s classrooms for service-learning students, and your flexibility helps us accommodate more students in this role.