IDEAL program celebrates National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Nearly $400,000 Tennessee Believes grant expands IDEAL career preparation, employment opportunities and independent living experiences.

By Janel Shoun-Smith, Kim Chaudoin & Elijah Noah-Wilson  |  10/27/2026

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and Lipscomb’s IDEAL program has a lot to celebrate.

Nine students in the Advanced Certificate portion of IDEAL, which prepares students with intellectual and developmental disabilities for meaningful employment and greater independence, are employed this fall, and that number is expected to increase in the future thanks to a nearly $400,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging.

The three-year grant will allow Lipscomb to increase enrollment in the Advanced Certificate Program, strengthen individualized student support, expand partnerships with employers and provide additional resources to help students successfully transition from college to employment and independent living.

This is the fourth year that IDEAL (Igniting the Dream of Education and Access at Lipscomb) has had an Advanced Certificate program cohort of students working in the community. This fall nine students are attending classes and working locally through the Advanced Certificate program:

• Valerie Suddarth, Saint Paul Senior Living Community;
• Kate Barton, Lipscomb University Post Office;
• Eli Deml, Hertz Rental Car, airport location;
• Landon Tate, 55 South restaurant;
• Carson Borgman, GEODIS Park and the IDEAL program;
• Hope Francis, The Acorn School at Vanderbilt Child and Family Center;
• Shayne Hanson, The Contributor newspaper;
• Benjamin Beard, JT Moore Middle School; and
• London Latham, Victor Tango restaurant.

“I love that I get to help make a difference within The Contributor Foundation. I love what they are doing for the unhoused community,” said Hanson, who is a third-year IDEAL student and who has worked at The Contributor, a nonprofit organization, for a month helping to load newspapers for the carriers and to do various office tasks.

The IDEAL employees do everything from cleaning cars to serving food, from prepping a dining area to caring for toddlers. Punctuality, efficiency, patience, initiative, listening, professionalism and positivity are among the many skills the advanced IDEAL students say they are learning at their jobs.

Borgman says he has honed his verbal communication skills through greeting fans and checking tickets at GEODIS Park and leading tours of the Lipscomb campus for prospective students for the IDEAL program. Seeing happy soccer fans smiling and introducing others to the college experience are his favorite parts of his two jobs.

Allowing students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to experience college as their peers do was the main goal for IDEAL when it was established in 2014, offering a two-year Certificate in Career Exploration.

Even in those first two years, IDEAL students go through a rotation of on-campus internships in various departments such as Student Life, the College of Nursing and the President's Office. In fact, current first-year IDEAL student Elijah Noah-Wilson helped gather information for this article as part of his internship in Public Relations & Communications.

In 2023, a Tennessee Believes grant allowed the program to begin offering the Advanced Certificate, a second two-year program that transitions students to independent living and working off-campus while continuing their college studies. The advanced program focuses on practical skills such as managing finances, preparing meals, maintaining living spaces, navigating transportation and strengthening relationships within the community.

The new grant, a three-year, $389,540 Tennessee Believes grant, will help sustain a dedicated Advanced Certificate Program coordinator, strengthen employment outreach and support services with the hiring of an Employment Outreach Coordinator, increase access to job-related training and industry certifications, and provide transportation assistance to help students access employment opportunities.

Funding will also help Lipscomb expand its network of Nashville-area employers and develop resources and training to help businesses successfully hire and support employees with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A new College Advocate position, filled by an IDEAL student or graduate, will help increase awareness of inclusive higher education opportunities and share firsthand experiences with prospective students, families and community organizations.

“Our goal is not simply to help students complete a college program, but to equip them with the skills, experiences and confidence they need to secure meaningful employment, live more independently and become active, contributing members of their communities,”  said Halle King, director of Lipscomb's IDEAL program. “This grant will help us provide the individualized support and real-world experiences that make those outcomes possible.”

Through the grant-funded initiatives, Lipscomb aims to increase advanced program enrollment from six students to 10 to 12 students by the end of grant term, establish partnerships with six to eight additional employers and ensure all Advanced Program participants have opportunities for paid employment or internships. The university also plans to expand opportunities for students to earn industry-recognized credentials that enhance their career preparation and employment prospects.

In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), IDEAL program coordinators held a special lunch for its current employer network of nine organizations this month, said King. Observed each October, NDEAM highlights the skills and contributions Americans with disabilities add to the nation’s workplaces, communities, and economy.

“We believe embracing differences is a strength for any program, and we appreciate the opportunity to partner with organizations that support individuals to develop competencies through a workforce pathway,” said Kathleen Seabolt, executive director of the Vanderbilt Child and Family Center, which employs IDEAL student Francis. “It is, frankly, thrilling to get to know so many dedicated professionals supporting this work and we are honored to be a small part of it.”

Francis, who reads and sings to toddlers, supports them on nature walks and during playground time, and helps teachers keep the classroom clean and organized, is helping “children understand that the world is full of kind adults,” said Seabolt.

The most recent grant builds on a strong record of student success for IDEAL. During the Advanced Certificate program's first three years, every participating student gained paid work experience.

Sarah Small, a 2025 graduate of the advanced IDEAL program, works at Freeland’s Restaurant as a server assistant. She credits the IDEAL program with helping prepare her for both employment and independent living through coursework focused on practical, real-world skills.

“I like interacting with many kinds of people, no matter what the task is,” said Small. “It feels good to be independent, but I still need help with some things, and that’s ok because I am still learning every day.”

“When we established IDEAL more than a decade ago, our vision was to open doors to higher education for students who historically have had limited access to the college experience,” said Misty Parsley, executive director of Lipscomb's Office of Accessibility and Learning Supports and founder of the IDEAL program. “Over the years, we have seen how transformative these opportunities can be, not only for our IDEAL students and their families, but for our entire campus community.”

Since its founding, 94 students have completed the program, and it has become an integral part of the Lipscomb campus community. Approximately 60 Lipscomb students serve as peer mentors each semester, providing academic, social and personal support while building friendships that enrich the broader campus community.