Heather Collins

With Collins' "On Our Own" project, up to 25 students per year with mental disabilities will be able to improve their daily living skills, which include cooking, cleaning and household chores. Collins plans to either rent or purchase a studio apartment or small home to integrate her classroom instruction into the students' lives. In keeping with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997, Collins wants to improve her students' skills in independent living by attempting to recreate a more lifelike home environment for her students to learn key skills. According to Collins, this particular group of students does not learn well in classroom environments designed to take the place of home setting s. The skills they will acquire from cooking, cleaning and interacting in a realistic home environment can be transferred into vocational setting s where they are also receiving training. In the end, students should be able to be more productive members of society as they become more independent. Collins is a resident of Henderson.