NMC to offer Ready for Life program Fall 2026
Program will serve students 18–26 with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities
TRAVERSE CITY — NMC will become the first community college in Michigan to offer tailored and inclusive college programming for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities when it becomes a Ready for Life Academy site in fall 2026.
Ready for Life, a Grand Rapids non-profit, presently offers academies at Hope College and Ferris State University. The NMC site is expected to start with eight students ages 18–26. Autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, and cognitive disabilities are the most common disabilities among Ready for Life (RFL) students.
NMC and RFL’s shared goal is to enable individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to work and live independently. Students will take life skills transition classes in independent living, personal finance, relationships and employment on NMC’s Front Street campus, taught by Ready for Life staff. In addition, they will enroll in or audit two NMC classes alongside typical peer students in high interest and/or skill-building classes. Academic and social support and internships and job opportunities are also provided by RFL.
“As a community college, NMC has a history and mission of open access to education. We are excited to find a partner like Ready for Life, which has translated that vision into meaningful reality for more than 100 students with disabilities,” said NMC president Nick Nissley.
Inclusive college programs are very limited in Michigan. NMC’s site will be the first north of Grand Rapids. Research, including a focus group, indicated a demand for such a program. NMC also hosted a one-week pilot program for RFL students in summer 2023.
“Ready For Life Academy is thrilled to partner with NMC to bring our programming to the Traverse City area. This collaboration responds to the growing need for post-secondary transition opportunities in the northern Lower Peninsula, increasing access to inclusive educational pathways,” RFL Director Toni Falk said. “By expanding our reach, we are better able to serve individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders—empowering them to pursue continued education, build independence, and reach their fullest potential close to home.”
RFL’s outcomes are significantly better than those for most adults with IDD. Among RFL graduates, 83 percent live independently with appropriate supports and more than 91 percent are employed, with few or no supports required. Nationally, more than 80 percent of adults with IDD live at home and are unemployed.
To improve those statistics locally, a few years ago NMC began exploring expanded programming for students with IDD. In January 2024, NMC’s Neurodiversity Support Center for traditionally-enrolled students opened. In its first year, demand for services more than doubled.
The RFL site at NMC will provide a college option for students who earn a high school certificate of completion instead of a diploma. These students are typically excluded from traditional college admission, even at community colleges.
To date, the most common path for those students locally is attendance at the regional Transition Campus programs, including the Life Skills Center and Adult Community Experience operated by Northwest Education Services. Currently 138 students 18–26 are enrolled in Transition Campus programs. The Ready for Life program will increase these students’ options. NMC will develop support staffing for the partnership over the next fiscal year.
Traverse City residents Jean and Brian Brooks had been exploring Ready for Life’s other sites for their daughter Sadie, 17. Currently enrolled at Greenspire High School, they’re excited she now has an option closer to home when she finishes high school.
“Many children with milder impairment fall through the cracks because they aren’t quite able to achieve a traditional high school diploma, but neither do they totally fit into the other programs,” Jean Brooks said. “These are children who have grown up in inclusion settings, with typical peer interactions, activities and friends. The RFL Academy is fantastic for these individuals.”
Northwest Ed Transition coordinator Mimi Kinney has been an active supporter of Ready for Life and the Neurodiversity Support Center since both were proposed.
“At North Ed, we are excited to have Ready For Life be an option at NMC. Our intermediate school district plans to support these efforts by connecting students and families to this innovative post-secondary learning opportunity. Creating more and varied options for students with learning differences is so important,” Kinney said.
NMC has a history of collaboration with Northwest Ed, including an Early College program that allows high school students to complete an associate degree in just one year.
The Ready for Life site at NMC will start as a commuter program. However, as NMC increases its on-campus housing inventory, as called for in the 10-year master plan approved last year, living on campus may become an option.
Ready for Life was founded in 2008 at Hope College. A second academy operated at Calvin University from 2017–2024. Calvin then took over the program, creating capacity for a new site. RFL’s third partnership with Ferris State University launched in 2021 and will celebrate its first graduating cohort of 6 students this month.
Ready for Life will host an open house on NMC’s campus Oct. 17. The program will handle all recruiting and admissions for the NMC site. To stay informed contact toni.falk@rflnetwork.org or (616) 330-8667.
Release date: May 20, 2025
For more information:
Cari Noga
NMC Communications Director
cnoga@nmc.edu
(231) 392-1800 (Call or text)