Vocational Independence Program
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The Vocational Independence Program (VIP) at New York Institute of Technology[1] was one of only 10 postsecondary schools in the United States that is known by the U.S. Department of Education as a Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary (CTP) program for students with an intellectual disability.[2] The VIP program originally offered a summer program called the Introduction to Independence (I To I)[3] which qualified VIP as an interconnected program[3] aimed at people ages 16–22 with special needs and focused on job training and independent living skills.[4] There was a 4th year option at VIP.[5] It was founded by the New York Institute of Technology in 1987.[1]
People ages 23 and up may still attend VIP.[5] However, they are ineligible to attend the summer program as the Introduction to Independence is a summer work-study-recreation program for students ages 16 to 22 who have moderate to severe learning differences.[3] The IQ scores of VIP students are 70–143.[5] At VIP, most students come directly from high school and most have been in special education programs.[1] On June 2, 2020, NYIT announced the program would be discontinued as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[6]
