More than 150 family members, friends and advisors filled the Carlson Theater last month to watch 13 jovial students give their senior presentations. The group, a smattering of students from around Puget Sound, had traveled long and hard to make it to this point.

They were graduating from the Occupational and Life Skills (OLS) program at Bellevue College, an educational enterprise that teaches students with mild disabilities the qualities that make them successful in college and afterwards.

This was the first graduating class both Program Manager Cheryl Porter and Internship Coordinator Pilar Lopez had worked with, having joined the OLS team within the last year.

“It’s been an adventure. It’s just amazing to see the growth that we see in the students,” said Lopez.

The students accepted into the program have an array of afflictions, including ADD, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, learning disorders and mild cerebral palsy. Oftentimes, these students have difficulty in unstructured environments, said Porter.

But the OLS program at Bellevue College, the first of its kind in the nation, has been so successful that around 85 percent of their alumni are currently employed. Five of the 13 students from the class of 2015 have been offered jobs by their internship employers.

Now, the OLS program will expand nationwide, beginning with pilot programs at Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville and Lone Star College in Houston this fall. Among the guests at the senior presentations last week was Anne Perucca, the director of the pilot OLS program at the Lone Star College.

“Originally, our chancellor was quite impressed by the outcomes and student success, and wanted to replicate that… It was really exciting to hear the students talk about how they benefitted from the classes and the environment and the internships,” she said.

Karen O’Donohoe of the Northwest Arkansas Community College said the news that they will be piloting an OLS program has been met with excitement from the community.

“At least one or two people call me every day, so we’ve had a really wonderful community response,” she said. “We heard from many school districts in the area that this was a need for a service like this.”

People with the array of mild cognitive disabilities addressed by the OLS program often fall between the cracks, and are the most underserved population, said Porter.

Studies show that adults with disabilities not only have a hard time finding employment, but are more likely to be dismissed from a job because of their inability to adequately follow workplace norms rather than for a lack of skills. Most disability services target more severe disabilities, so students like those in the OLS program often do not receive the necessary support to thrive.

The program was founded in 2001, after a group of Eastside parents whose children struggled to navigate the traditional college structure joined forces. The current students come from an array of backgrounds and experiences, and range anywhere from 18 to 34 years old.

“I tried doing a college program before this, and it just wasn’t the right fit for me,” said 2015 graduate Anne Wilkinson, 24.

Lopez, who has a background in human resources and vocational training, said she often saw individuals with disabilities struggle in the workplace.

“They were missing a lot of links, because they were previously just thrown into whatever job, but they didn’t have job skills. They didn’t know how to behave, how to interview, the culture of the workplace, how to advocate,” she said.

Learning to self-advocate is a large focus of the program, said Porter. Most businesses don’t have any experience working with people with cognitive disabilities, and given the students’ cognitive disabilities, it is sometimes more effective to have them request mild adjustments like receiving tasks lists from their bosses, or being able to use recording devices or take photos to help them focus.

“It’s great for people like me who have a disability,” said 2015 graduate Jim Eikanger, 23. “I know it’s not easy for anyone to get jobs. But the teachers were nice and supportive and gave me advice when I needed it.”

Students focus on developing career-related qualities through the assessment of “soft skills,” such as professionalism, team work and self determination, mock interviews, internships, and courses like personal cultural awareness, communication and learning strategies.

After years of struggling, many of the students from the Bellevue OLS program are optimistic about the future. Some are starting jobs, while others are talking about getting apartments together and moving away from home for the first time.